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Septic/Well Mapping

Learn about how to take care of your septic system.  The EPA has a informative brochure and videos with tips.   Please click the link below

Home owners guide to septic system
Managing your Septic
Septic smart Quick tip Video
Septic Tank Additive Fact Sheet
Well Water Info
August Update Septic – The Septic Committee meets every two weeks. The basic theme adopted by the Committee is: Educate, Evaluate and Execute. Short clips about what residents should and should not put into their septic’s, how septic systems work, how they di;er from municipal systems as well as many other topics. These clips are put on the website each month for folks to review and used as a go to for residents to become more educated.
 
They are working closely with the Central Michigan District Health to leverage their FETCH GIS database containing information on the septic systems within the Township. Data, handwritten for years has been scanned and is now being evaluated and entered into FETCH. We will have access to this information soon and be able to query the data for additional research. This will allow us to make better decisions about a potential septic ordinance.
 
At the same time, the Septic Committee is reviewing topics and attributes for a ownship wide septic ordinance that will address the problem areas around the lake and within the township. Problem areas such as undersized tanks and 5elds, poor performing systems, systems without any data to do an evaluation, and systems installed too close to the lake or domestic water wells will be looked at.
 
It is likely that inspections of systems without any old data need to be inspected. We are evaluating a list of potential inspectors and revisiting the checklist they use to evaluate systems.
 
The committee will make recommendations to the Planning Commission and the Township Board for further action.

Responsibilities

  • Research best practices related to septic systems.
  • The committee operates under the guiding theme:
    • Education
    • Evaluation
    • Execution

Education Initiatives

    • Researches and shares septic-related educational materials:
      • Videos
      • Articles
      • Seminar details and invitations
      • Practical tips

Evaluation & Collaboration Efforts

    • Working with the Central Michigan District Health Department to digitize septic and well records using the FetchGIS system.
    • This digital database will be essential for effective evaluation and planning.
  • Plan to meet with:
    • Local septic service contractors
    • Health department officials
    • Purpose: Gain deeper insight into current challenges and gather recommendations for system improvements.

July Update:  The Septic Committee met on July 2, July 16 and again on July 30.  Our next meeting is on august 20.

Over the course of the last three meetings, we have adopted a theme for the immediate future.  This theme – Educate, Evaluate then Execute – steers the committee in a logical direction to first get a message out to the citizens about what they can expect from the Septic Committee over the next six months to a year.  We want to better understand the condition of the septic’s in the community and then make informed decisions/recommendations as to the next steps.

Education – There is a lot of material available that we intend to share with the public about what a septic is and how it should be cared for and maintained.  What not to do to your system is key to keeping it healthy.  Literature about how a septic system is constructed and how it works is also important – many users around the lake are used to being hooked to a municipal system in the city and unaware of how these on-site systems are different.

Evaluation – We are working closely with the Health Department to get their database updated so we can better understand the condition of septic’s in the Township.  Once the data is input, we can notify residents of the status of their septic system and if necessary, how they can get it inspected and get the HD records updated.

As a part of the evaluation, we have revisited the list of inspectors that were identified in Lyon Township as a part of their initial septic ordinance – now rescinded.  We will be contacting some of the inspectors that are from out of the area to be sure they want to remain on our list and be sure we have current contact information for them.  We have also prepared an inspection checklist that is being reviewed and will be used for Gerrish inspections to update HD records.

Execution – Armed with training and data from the Health Department, we can begin to make some evaluations and possibly some decision about what steps to take next.  We will begin work on a septic ordinance in the next couple of months, but we will need the data piece completed prior to any final ordinance.

We added four new members to the Septic Committee last month because of the open House the Communications Committee hosted.  All current members have a keen interest in the committee and have committed their time and expertise to moving this issue forward.  The robust discussions resulting from a very diverse committee are essential to developing sound solutions and we feel like we are making good solid progress – however, it was noted at the last meeting that it seems the more we learn, the more we realize how much more we don’t know.  It is a process and steady work toward our current theme is showing through.