The Septic Detective: Tracing Septic System Wastewaters

Nobody wants to talk about it. Everybody wants to pretend they don’t smell it, especially if you’re boating in "The Narrows." You can’t swim in the river or creeks after a rainstorm. Why? What’s going on?

To find out, the public’s invited to hear from "The Septic Detective" next Tuesday, April 17, during the Severn River Association’s monthly Educational Series meeting at Union Jack’s Pub in Parole. Meeting starts at 7 pm.

Our special guest will be Dr. Michael Gonsior, assistant professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

Dr. Gonsior will talk about the source of this rotten-egg odor – leaking septic systems, which are a major source of the nutrient and bacteria pollution in the Severn River and its creeks and coves.

There is so much nitrogen pollution in our waterways that EPA has imposed the so-called “pollution diet” to force Anne Arundel County to reduce sources of nitrogen pollution.

Since it is too expensive to put everybody on a sewer system, the next best solution is to regularly maintain your existing septic system. Even better would be to upgrade your septic system to an enhanced nitrogen removal system.

How do you know if your septic system is part of the problem? If you’re contributing to that smell? Dr. Gonsior will explain the investigatory techniques he uses to identify leaking septic systems and explain what you can do to mitigate the problem.