I see constant reminders in the media that the general public is tragically misguided about onsite wastewater issues. When it comes to property rights or environmental concerns, the level of vitriol in public discourse is heightened and septic systems too often receive the brunt of unfair criticism.

At the same time, there is sometimes a glimmer of hope that people are reaching an understanding about the importance of our industry. Every now and then someone embraces the idea of working with installers and health department regulators to improve our wastewater infrastructure … and therefore making our world a cleaner, safer place to live.

Here are a few recent examples:

Another crazy letter to the editor spreads misinformation.

Diane Wilerton, in The Columbian newspaper of Vancouver, Washington, made fun of local government officials for requiring septic inspections, saying the exercise was unnecessary. And apparently she should know. Why?

“After three and a half decades of maintaining my septic system without assistance, in 2015, in response to yet another ‘nanny’ law, I had my system professionally inspected. It didn’t ‘need’ to be pumped, just as it hasn’t needed it in the last three and a half decades. (How much poop can a couple produce?) … Earlier this year, we attended a Clark County Health Department class on how to poke poop … and were endowed with the power to poke our own poop … with the blessing and recognition of local government (Be still my beating heart).”

Dear Diane: Rather than bragging about not maintaining your system for 35 years, maybe you should step back and recognize you don’t know as much about your onsite system as a professional with many years of experience. Nobody, and I mean nobody, in the wastewater industry would recommend you wait 35 years between proper inspections and pumping.

I’ve said it before: Washington state allowing self-inspections is ill-advised, and homeowners who sit in a class for an hour are not qualified to inspect any septic system when a source of clean water hangs in the balance. Your cocksure attitude and ignorance about septic systems may cost you dearly in a drainfield replacement one day.

The importance of clean water is starting to sink in for Florida real estate pros. Is it too late?

For a long time, it seemed like real estate agents were turning a blind eye to failed septic systems as a way of preserving quick and pain-free home sales. When the Florida Legislature mandated onsite inspections several years ago, real estate folks led the lobby to stop any oversight of septic systems, and they won. Their prize was an increasing problem of toxic algae blooms having a negative impact on valuable waterfront property. It looks like they’re starting to change their tune, coming out in support of regulation when combined with a government program to share in the cost of septic system upgrades.

Cheryl Lambert, president of the REALTORS Association of Citrus County, recently shared her support for an incentive program to pay installing professionals up to $10,000 to add nitrogen-reduction systems to existing onsite systems in several counties impacted by worsening water quality.

“The Florida Legislature realized that upgrading or replacing your current septic system is going to cost money, so they set aside funds for a new incentive program that encourages the enhancement of conventional septic systems by adding advanced features,” she writes in the Citrus County Chronicle. “This is a great way to update your septic system now so you can help protect our local environment by reducing excessive nutrients in Citrus County waterways.”

I criticized the Florida real estate community in the past for fighting onsite system monitoring. I thought they, and many uninformed members of the state Legislature, were doing a disservice to consumers by casting mandatory inspections and pumping as unnecessary. I appreciate the turnaround, and I hope it’s not too late to help polluted waterways recover and preserve so many previously neglected septic systems.

Don’t damn all use of decentralized wastewater treatment.

In a recent letter to The Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina, reader Byron White made the common mistake of broadly criticizing use of decentralized wastewater systems and assuming that municipal sewer service is the magic answer to clean water.

“Let’s be clear: There should be no septic tanks on waterfront property. Zero. … If we really care about the Lowcountry, we should demand that all septic tanks be prohibited on waterfront property. Waterfront homes and businesses should be connected to municipal treatment facilities,” White writes. He further points to the state’s list of contaminated rivers and creeks, saying many of them are in the local watershed, and makes the point that the tourism industry depends on clean waterways for crabbing, fishing, paddling and surfing.

“With the extensive development that we are experiencing, we cannot continue to allow our coastal zone to become a public sewer,” he continues. “Please join me in demanding that the South Carolina Legislature ban septic tanks on waterfront property.”

This gentleman is a perfect illustration to show we as an industry are not doing enough to educate the general public about the critical role decentralized wastewater plays in smart development. First, he is not aware that it isn’t economically feasible to bring the big pipe down every road in watershed areas. Many parts of this country will never be served by municipal sewer systems, and he has to realize that’s OK.

Secondly, someone should sit down with White and explain the great advances we’ve made in wastewater treatment. He needs to know that the effluent coming out of today’s advanced systems is often cleaner than the water in the stream flowing past his house. The onsite industry is quietly and methodically improving the infrastructure of onsite systems in many regions across North America.

A FINAL WORD

Suppliers of onsite systems and the network of regulators who monitor modern treatment systems are allowing the environmentally safe development of more rural properties than ever before. And they’re presenting economical wastewater treatment options for property owners and taxpayers alike. Judging from the messages from these writers, it’s a story that is too seldom told and we need to change that.