Howdy, Pardner!  If you live in rural Montana yer prob'ly the proud owner/operator of your very own underground sewage treatment plant & water supply. It is your septic system & well!! Buried out there in the backyard...somewhere..and, by golly, you are the utility company. So treat your septic right & your water well, because yer drinkin' it!

Follow numbers on picture:

1. Well
2. Sanitary Cap
3. Upslope
4. Well Casing with Grout
5. Pump
6. Your Waste
7. Effluent Filter:
   Install or retrofit in tank's outlet pipe to keep solids from escaping to drainfield. Darn cheap insurance!
8. Risers
9. Floating Scum
10. Liquid Effluent
11. Sludge Settling
12. Two Compartment Tank
13. Groundwater

After sludge settles down, liquid effluent (your wastewater) flows out to the drainfield and seeps through drainpipe holes into the soil “filter” where it’s purified by microbial critters in soil pores. Percolating down to recharge groundwater, your treated wastewater feeds your well & your neighbors’ wells — plus gardens, irrigation, and our lakes & streams! You want it to be good soil, and clean water. Bacteria in the tank work to break down the sludge layer, but eventually
ALL TANKS NEED TO BE PUMPED! All tanks. All.

DO YOU KNOW...
WHERE YOUR TANK IS?
HOW BIG IT IS?
WHEN IT WAS LAST PUMPED?
WHERE YOUR DRAINFIELD IS?
Once you find it, map it!

HEY—Community Systems & Townies!
Even if you’re on a community system or live in town, these guidelines
make smart sense too. It all goes somewhere, and our water’s all connected!

Follow numbers on picture:

1. RISERS bring access up to ground level-like plastic
   culverts on end, rising to the surface as tall as the tank is deep (1-2ft) & capped at grade with
   manhole covers. But don't bury the lids!
   Instead think: DECORATIVE LAWN ORNAMENTS
2. NOTE: both tank compartments get pumped through separate access manholes, so get a set of risers.
3. GRAVITY RULES!
   We're looking at the insides of some simple, basic, conventional gravity systems, but they come in a whole
   slew of fancy (expensive) alternatives for different soils.
4. Risers
5. Effluent Filter
6. Worker Bacteria
7. Effluent (Your Wastewater)
8. Drainfield
9. Distribution Box
10. Drainpipe Holes
11. Good Bacteria in soil eat & kill nasty disease-causing pathogens.

What’s buried out in your backyard?

Most counties now keep records of new systems with an AS-BUILT, a drawing of the house footprint & property lines in relation to the septic and well—as it was built!
Ask the county for yours, or draw one yourself!

Doesn’t matter where you live, in what kind of house, how big it is-or if your granddaddy homesteaded the place or you're a shiny new city slicker. What’ll make YOUR septic the GOOD, the BAD, or the Downright UGLY is all about:
How you take care of it, &
How you live with it.
Follow us in the Pore of Discovery to explore how to protect your well & septic & how to discover signs of trouble!

Follow numbers on picture:

1. The only butt in here better be your own! Cigarette butts are a PERFECT fit to plug up a drainpipe hole
2. Only flush TP & what goes through you first! That means nothing else in the universe goes in there -- your toilet's not a trash can. (it's a pot, not a can.)
3. Low-flow fixtures
4. Save Water! Save Septics! Scrape food waste & grease into trash or compost. Newspaper wipes grease off pots & pans.
5. Trash & Compost
6. Sanitary Cap
7. Wellhead upslope & at least 18 inches above ground

8.   Fencing protects wellhead from damage & animals.
      Upslope keeps runoff from getting in the well casing &
      contaminating your water!
9.   Well casing, Pump, and Grout keeps runoff out
10.  Inspect regularly. Pump when needed.
       That's the code of the west.
11.  Groundwater
12.  Want to inspect yourself? Remember it's nasty dangerous stuff
       in there. Call your county first for info & instructions and
       NEVER enter a tank-Ever!! Very bad things can happen in
       there.
13.  50 ft setback from well to tank, 100 ft drainfield
14.  Moving my birdbath sure beats digging
15.  Spread out your big water users - laundry, shower & bath,
       dishwaters - don't shock & awe the septic!
16.  Setbacks & well-maintained septics keep our rivers, lakes & streams
       clean. Groundwater & surface waters are all connected-so get
       your septic inspected!

17.  I love mountain's world class fishing!
18.  100 ft setback drainfield to surface water
19.  Decorative lawn ornament camouflage- bent, birdbath
20.  Risers and Effluent Filter
21.  Drainfield kept free from soil compaction or covering
22.  How you use water & how you maintain your system
       are the 2 most critical things you can do to keep your
       septic working & our water clean. That's how the west
       was won.
23.  Go Native! Native plants adapted to climate need little
       added water or fertilizer. (Shallow-rooted plants over
       drainfield keep roots from clogging pipes - try Native
       Grasses.) Drainfields are already working hard to get
       rid of your own water & "fertilizer!" and I sure know
       how to fertilize!
24.  Let's ride out & see what the n-a-a-a-a-y-bors are doing.

Follow numbers on picture:

1. Using water all at once really stresses the system. SPREAD IT OUT!!!
2. Water running, running, running
3. Greasy Pan, Leaky faucet, dish washer
4. Flushing gunk or meds
5. Garbage disposal: solids fill tank faster so throw it out!
6. Washing too many loads
7. Shaving (water left running), bathing
8. Fertilized & watered
9. Contaminated runoff down well casing
10. Way too much water running in here!!!
11. Groundwater
12. Effluent only partly cleansed
13. Mixing-not settling, no effluent filter
14. No risers

15.  Smells like trouble
16.  Searching for tank, avalanche-style.(GOT RISERS?)
17.  DANGER, DANGER! You could puncture waterlines, an old, punky tank
       or electric cable! ZAP!
18.  Telltale signs of failing system: sluggish drains, lush growth over
       drainfield
19.  Wellhead - setback??? what setback?
20.  Instant overload - just add water!

21.  Uh oh! They really just don't know!
22.  Are you eating that? YUCK!
23.  Drainfield garden (it drinks effluent!)
24.  Escaping solids clog pipes & soil! (think "chunky peanut butter")
25.  Deep roots clog pipes (worst? willows!) CHOKE!
26.  How bad is your bad? Well, keep this up and it's gonna cost a
       fistful of dollars!!
27.  Quietly overlooked, too often ignored & neglected.
       Are you killing clean water by failing to treat your waste?

Follow numbers on picture:

1. Bad Water Ranch - where antelope play and buffalo roam
2. Rodeo Rooter Truck - We unclog your crud
3. Dumping oil ("to settle the dust")
4. Turdinator Truck - You dump, We pump
5. Abandoned well (missing cap)
6. Granddaddy's Homestead & Outhouse (Look how far we've come out here in the wild west)
7. Exploding sink & toilet
   Septic Additive - Poop Away (works like magic!)
8. Addition built over tank
9. Knapweed & Weed 'em-n-weep weed killer
10. Mixing, spilling, storing pesticide & fertilizer

11.  Oh, no...this can't be good.
12.  Plugged, over-flowing tank
13.  Ponded effluent: (the "squish squish" test)
14.  Blazing Saddles! Wish they had bottle water big enough for a horse.
       Road apples. Cracked, leaking cap.
15.  Parking, driving on (compacting) or covering (smothering!) drainfield.
16.  Broken pipe

17.  Untreated wastewater (raw sewage!)
18.  Saturated soil (pores full of water)
19.  Your well water's only as clean as your septic maintenance routine!
       (and your neighbor's routine!!)
20.  YOUR GROUNDWATER- flowing to your well-flowing to neighbor's well
21.  Hold it right there, pardner. Time to cowboy up and git yourself a bran'
       new drainfield. So...where ya gonna put it?

Follow numbers on picture:

1. Contaminated runoff
2. No grout
3. Sludge filling tank
4. Mixing
5. Smaller liquid volume
6. No risers
7. No filter
8. Good bacteria are up against the wall with no room to eat & kill nasty pathogen's when solids clog soil pores
9. Pathogen escapers make a break for groundwater
10. Worker bacteria drowning
11. Groundwater
12. All of you urban cowboys using lots of fancy water just doesn't sit well out here in the arid west. Everybody's gotta share!
13. You gotta respect your septic, cowboy - can't just ride that thing 'til it dies. - WHOA, Nellie!

14.  Send in the Reserves!
There's no fixing a failed drainfield. With soil pores compacted or clogged with solids, no amount of air or water pumped in will flush 'em out or plump 'em up again. You'll have to put in a new drainfield, in a different area designated and protected for a replacement or "reserve." Find yours! Without suitable soils in reserve, folks might have to pump effluent off-site - or even buy more property!

Follow numbers on picture:

1. R.I.P.
   Here lies a dead septic.
   Too soon gone.
   (I told you I was sick)
2. Runoff
3. Tank plugged & overflowing
4. Pathogens swim into groundwater, wellwater, streams, lakes.....
5. Groundwater
6. Good bacteria drowned
7. Clogged drainfield
8. Ponded effluent
9. Pathogens play in icky nasty effluent pond - YEEHA!

10.  Septic Systems & Well Separation
Wells & septic systems may be too close in some of our older communities, where a well's 100 ft
setback Safety Circle could overlap with neighboring septics.
Are YOU drinking from nearby septic failures?
Gives a whole new meaning to your Neighborhood Circle.

Follow numbers on picture:

1. LOCATE (find it!)
   INSPECT regularly
   PUMP as needed
   & PROTECT!
2. Ride Herd on Your Septic!
   Retrofit Risers & Effluent Filters
   Think Compost & Trash vs. Garbage Disposal
   Use Least Amount of Toxic Chemicals & Cleaners
       (Use recommended dose, handle & store carefully)
   Landscape Drainfield with Shallow-Rooted Plants,
       Not Deep
   Keep Sprinklers, Runoff & Contaminants Away
       from Drainfield
   Protect Well - 3 best ways:
       Monitor Water Quality (Nitrates, Bacteria).
       Septic Maintenance & Curb Runoff Pollution
   Watch Water Use & "Shock" Loads
   Keep Good Records - Septic/Well Log
       (Find It, Start It, Keep IT)
   Check Graywater Potential for Your County!
   And Remember,
       No Matter How Fancy or Expensive -
       ALL TANKS NEED TO BE PUMPED!
3. WANTED: Septic Killers
   (Armed & Extremely Dangerous)
   Tank needs pumping
   High water use
   Flushing Trash
   Lack of maintenance
   Too much garbage disposal
   Overloaded with solids
   Kitchen grease & toxic chemicals
        (+ water-softener salts)
   Driving over drainfield
   Tree roots: poor drainage
   Poor installation, design, siting
        (unfit soils, steep slopes, small lot)
   Don't know where septic is
   Don't know there is a septic!
   REWARD: Clean Water!
   + Protected Property/Investment/Health

4.    Contacts & Credits:
5.    YEEHAW! Ride 'em Cowboy !
      Jana M. Suchy, Wrangler/Writer/Producer, Way Out West Creative
6.    Happy Trails to You!
     Candy Garrison Raab, Ranch Hand & Brilliant Illustrator, Artwork © 2011
7. & 9.  Thanks for all your help Big Sky Slim. Now, git along little doggies, y'hear?
      Joe Meek, Crew Boss, DEQ Source Water Protection
8.   The Wild Bunch:
      Starring:  Big Sky Slim & Elly the Horse, Pete the Prairie Dog
      & his lady, Nellie
10. Big Sky Slim says - Giddyup, Elly - C'mon Prairie Dog Pete & bring your gal.
      We're back in the saddle again!
11. Nellie says - Be sure to check with your local health dept. for more specifics in your area.
12. Pete the Prairie Dog says - Let's hit the trail too, Nellie. Our work here is done!