HOLDEN BEACH HOLDS WORKSHOP
Soil Scientist Soys Septic Tanks
Con Be Long-Term Solution
BY DOUC; R UTTER
Holdcn Bcach officials heard last
week that the scptic tank systems
used extensively on the island can
be a long-term solution to wastewa
ter management if they arc properly
maintained.
Thai's what an N.C. State Uni
versity soil science professor said at
a July 23 workshop attended by
commissioners, planning board
members and other residents.
Dr. Michael Hoover said the
wastewater management program
which Holdcn Bcach officials arc
considering could help ensure that
scptic tanks continue to function in
an environmentally sound manner.
A management program also
could open the door to alternative
wastewater systems that require
more monitoring and maintenance,
which would allow more landown
ers to build on lots that aren't suit
able for septic tanks.
Holdcn Bcach Commissioners
agreed earlier this year to set up a
wastewater management entity to
oversee sewage disposal and treat
ment.
Town officials haven't decided
how the program would work, what
it would cost or how it would be
funded. Hoover said the town could
run the program, cooperate with the
county or contract with a company.
In the last five years, Holdcn
Bcach has hired two different engi
neering firms to study the town's
wastewater treatment needs.
Both of the studies, which cost a
total of 550,000, indicated that the
island has very few problems with
bacterial pollution that would be as
sociated with faulty scptic tanks.
However, engineers recommend
ed in both studies that the town
move away from the use of septic
tanks toward an area- or island-wide
sewer system.
Although the engineering studies
didn't show failing septic tanks.
Hoover said Holdcn Beach's undc
"An ounce of prevention is worth a
ton of cure with a septic system
? Dr. Michael T. Hoover
NCSU Soil Scientist
vclopcd lots probably have poorer
soils than ihe lots lhat have already
been built on.
More than half of North Caro
lina's six million people use septic
tanks, he said, and Brunswick
County probably installs more tanks
than any other county in the state.
Hoover predicts lhat North
Carolinians will depend just as
much on scptic tanks in the future,
partly due to the increasing costs of
sewer systems. The federal govern
ment stopped making sewer system
grants in 1988.
For that reason. Hoover said con
ventional septic systems should be
viewed as a permanent solution to
the problem of wastewater manage
ment.
As the state continues to develop.
Hoover said people will be using
more "marginal soils" which will
require the use of costlier alterna
tive systems and more maintenance.
Thai's where local governments
will have to take a more active role
in monitoring and managing all
types of wastewater systems.
Hoover said Holdcn Beach would
be "ahead of the game" and taking
"a big step forward" if it set up a
management program. Town offi
cials don't know of any others in
the country.
Hoover said a management entity
could track the performance of sep
tic tanks and othe* systems and give
town officials a good indication of
when ?hcy shou'.d consider a central
sewer system.
Septic Tanks & Maintenance
Conventional scptic tanks have
two parts ? tank and drain field.
Waste from a house goes to the tank,
where solids settle to the bottom and
liquids arc fed to the soil drain field.
As the liquid flows down through
the sand, it is purified. Hoover said it
takes three or four feet of unsaturated
soil to punfy the liquids, but the state
rules only requires 12 to IK inches
bccause of "economics realities".
To ensure the system functions
properly, solids must be pumped out
of the septic tank. Hoover said the
frequency of pumping depends on
the size of the tank and the number
of people who use it.
A 1,000-gallon septic tank being
used by two people should be
pumped every six years. If eight peo
ple arc using the same tank, howev
er, it needs to be pumped every year.
"An ounce of prevention is worth
a ton of cure with a septic system,"
he said. "We like to see those honey
wagons coming in to pump out the
tanks."
Because many tanks on Holdcn
Beach arc overloaded during the
summer and used very little the rest
of the year. Hoover said the fre
quency of pumping varies for each
rcsidcncc.
Besides pumping. Hoover said
homeowners should restrict use of
garbage disposals and avoid pouring
grease and cooking oil down drains
or driving vehicles over the system.
Generally speaking, Hoover said
soils must be able to absorb and pu
rify the liquids to make a good sep
tic tank ?,itc. All wastewater eventu
ally ends up in groundwater and
surface waters.
"Don't be surprised that the
wastewater that goes into the ground
here ends up somewhere else." The
key, he said, is that the liquid is puri
fied as is flows through the soil.
If wastewater isn't purified and
ends up in groundwater or surface
waters, it can cause disease in hu
mans and other environmental prob
lems.
In rcccnt years, septic tanks have
been pinpointe I as a likely source
of bacterial pollution in Lockwood
Folly River near Holdcn Beach. The
pollution has forced state officials
to frequently close the river to shell
fishing.
Hoover said he believes dense
development and shcllfishing don't
mix. But he noted that there many
sources of pollu'ion besides scptic
tanks in densely developed areas.
Alternatives
Most of the septic tank systems
on Holdcn Beach are gravity-fed
systems, which arc easier to install
and maintain and cheaper than alter
native systems.
Other options include low-pres
sure pipe systems, some of which
arc in use at Holdcn Beach.
Hoover said aerobic treatment
units, which were just added to the
state regulations May 1 , could help
canal lot owners who have been de
nied scptic tanks permits.
Although they require more
maintenance and arc more expen
sive than septic tanks. Hoover said
they take up less space and could be
put to use on small canai lots.
Despite the higher cost and main
tenance needs of alternative sys
tems, Hoover said he expects more
will be used on barrier islands such
as Holdcn Bcach. The value of is
land property makes the expense
worthwhile.
Hoover said some alternatives
such as low-pressure pipe systems
will not be permitted in North Caro
lina after July 1, 1992, unless a local
management program is in place.
Alligator Killed
STAFF PHOTO 8v DOUG RUTTfcR
William Manning found this dead alligator in a section of Royal
Oak Creek near his home north of Shallotte last Wednesday.
Manning said it appeared that the eight-foot-long female alligator
had been shot. Wildlife Resources Commission enforcement offi
cer Fred Taylor said alligators are federally protected. Anyone
convicted of killing an alligator can he fined up to $2,000.
Holden Beach Board To Discuss
Salaries At Special Meeting Today
Holden Beach Commissioners arc
scheduled to hold a special meeting
today (Thursday) at 10 a.m. for an
executive session on a personnel
matter.
Mayor John Tandy said the board
plans to discuss pay raises for town
employees based on job perfor
mance.
The closcd-door session is the
only item on the meeting agenda.
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