ABSTRACT
Septic tanks were introduced in the United States in 1884, and since then septic tank systems have become the most widely used method of on-site sewage disposal. Due to the rapid rate of placement of septic tank systems in the 1960's, the usable life of many of the systems is being exceeded, and ground water contamination is beginning to occur. A septic tank system includes both the septic tank and the subsurface soil absorption system. Septic tank systems that have been properly designed, constructed, and maintained are efficient and economical alternatives to public sewage disposal systems. Several types of institutional arrangements have been developed for regulating septic tank system design and installation, operation and maintenance, and failure detection and correction. Of concern in terms of ground water pollution is the quality of the effluent from the septic tank portion of the system, and the efficiency of constituent removal in the soil underlying the soil absorption system.
