Wednesday, May 7, 2003

Clean Water Campaign to host septic tank workshops for south metro residents

The Clean Water Campaign will offer its popular septic tank maintenance workshop to residents in the south metro area with two programs, one in Clayton County and one in Fayette.

The workshops are designed for homeowners or prospective homeowners. The programs will cover how septic tanks function, common causes of failure and proper maintenance practices.

The Clayton County workshop is scheduled for Thursday, May 15, at 7 p.m. at the Clayton County Water Authority Headquarters Office, 1600 Battle Creek Road in Morrow. Dr. Larry West from the University of Georgia will lead the one-hour workshop.

The Clean Water Campaign will partner with the North Fayette Community Association for the Fayette workshop. It will take place Tuesday, May 20m at 7:30 p.m. at North Fayette Elementary School, 609 Kenwood Road, Fayetteville. Robert Kurbes of Fayette County Environmental Health Services will be the presenter.

A poorly functioning septic system is a potentially serious cause of water pollution. Water can carry harmful bacteria from failing septic systems into rivers, lakes, streams and groundwater. Like an automobile, a septic system needs periodic maintenance to extend the life of the system and to avoid costly emergency repairs.

A septic tank should be pumped at least every five years. The average cleaning cost is $350. Emergency repairs may run $3,500 or more depending on tank capacity. The estimated cost to replace a septic system begins at $5,000 and can run much higher under special conditions such as lake frontage, proximity to an aquifer, underlying rock or soil composition.

To register for either workshop, visit www.cleanwatercampaign.com and click the Septic Tank Workshops button. For more information, contact Kelley O'Brien, stormwater education coordinator, at the Atlanta Regional Commission, 404-463-3259 or kobrien@atlantaregional.com.

For additional information about the Clayton workshop, contact Kim Zimmerman of the Clayton County Water Authority at 678-422-2838. For directions to the Fayette workshop, call 770-994-7998.

The Clean Water Campaign is a cooperative, multi-agency public education initiative spearheaded by 20 local governments in metro Atlanta and managed by the Atlanta Regional Commission. Its mission is to build awareness of water quality problems and solutions in the Atlanta region. For more information about the Clean Water Campaign, contact Kelley O'Brien at 404-463-3259.

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