Should local governments across the Adirondack Park require homeowners to inspect their backyard sewage systems for leaks?
The Adirondack Council is calling for such widespread regulations. The Council’s argument is supported by a newly released position paper that indicates leaking septic systems pose a growing threat to waterways around the park.
The white paper, “Protecting Adirondack Waters from Septic System Pollution,” was written by David Miller, the Adirondack Council’s Clean Water Program coordinator. Miller’s premise for writing the paper was over concern that too little is known about septic pollution outside of Lake George and that problems are getting noticed too late after obvious signs of pollution such as harmful algal blooms (HABs).
Last summer, HABs were confirmed in the Upper Saranac Lake (USL) watershed at Whey and Rollins ponds and Lake Clear. These water bodies were tested and contained toxic cyanobacteria, meaning this is not just a nuisance discoloration of the water: These water bodies are a risk for use as a water source for drinking or cooking, to recreate in, or have pets around.
Those that lived on Upper Saranac Lake in 1990 haven’t forgotten the lake-wide algae bloom that ruined the entire summer season. There have been blooms of lesser extent in subsequent years on USL, as recent as 2017. Major and persistent blooms are frightening for water-dependent tourism areas such as the USL region.
“A comprehensive program will help ensure that septic systems are working properly and protecting Adirondack waters from harmful algal blooms, which are ravaging waters across the state, and other threats,” Adirondack Council Executive Director William Janeway said in a press release.
Miller’s paper is intended to guide residents, communities and state officials towards protecting Adirondack Waters by upgrading septic systems by:
- Providing local homeowners in the Adirondack Park with septic systems a link to model septic guides as well as critical information and available resources to keep their systems working properly — and provide similar guidance to small businesses who also rely on small scale septic and/or other types of small treatment systems.
- Providing residents and local governments with examples of communities — Inlet, Lake George, Bolton Landing, Queensbury, Lake Placid — that have model septic evaluation, assistance, technologies, and regulations to ensure their residents are keeping their systems up to date and, where needed, mitigating them.
- Providing recommendations for local, county, and state officials regarding a comprehensive and coordinated approach to assist, oversee, and in some cases fund septic system mitigation efforts at the regional and local level as well as establishing programs to increase water quality monitoring in Adirondack lakes and rivers.
As part of a septic education campaign for the Upper Saranac watershed, the Upper Saranac Foundation, conducted a shore owner survey in 2017. It was determined that 35% of the watershed households lacked proper septic upkeep. Findings also indicated that 24% of the systems in the watershed are over 30 years old, or their age was unknown.
Malfunctioning septic systems can be extremely harmful. Pollutants found in household wastewater systems include nitrogen, phosphorus, and disease-causing bacteria and viruses. If these pollutants seep underground into the lake, aquatic plant growth and potential algae blooms are possible consequences. Effluent can also result in direct contamination of well or drinking water sources and could cause serious human health risks.
