Septic System Impact on Drinking Water

If you’re on a septic system – you’re probably also on a well. That means as both your own sewage and water company it’s on you to service one to preserve the other. That said, if you follow your local jurisdiction guidance and pull permits – a properly installed, sited, and maintained septic system will not adversely affect water quality. Keep reading to learn how to protect your well, and surface water, and maintain your septic system to keep your drinking water safe.

Protect Your Well from Your Septic System

Anything you put down your drains and toilets is going to enter your septic system – and thus eventually your groundwater. Review our advice on what not to put down the drains and how to maintain your septic system to ensure it’s operating as intended.
- Things like medicines and cleaning products cannot be filtered out by your soil and thus should never enter a septic system.
Make sure you follow guidance from your local authority – who will evaluate groundwater and soil types – on setbacks from your and neighboring septic systems and your well.
Follow best practices for septic systems to ensure you’re not flooding the drain field.

Protect Your Surface Water to Protect Your Drinking Water

Follow guidance from your local authority on setbacks from surface bodies of water (lakes, streams) to avoid contamination.
Avoid using fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides which bypass a septic system completely and are not removed by the soil before entering the groundwater.

Phosphorus:

Depending on your soil type, phosphorus from wastewater can be absorbed and retained in the soil. Unabsorbed phosphorus can travel in groundwater toward a water body and become a source of contamination.

Nitrogen:

Some nitrogen may be removed as wastewater flows through the septic system and soil. But the remaining nitrogen can enter the underlying groundwater and flow towards a surface water body. If there are many septic systems in a small area, the nitrogen flowing through groundwater could overload a water body, causing eutrophication.
EPA.gov

Water Filtration for Your Well Water

We’re big believers in redundancy design. Your well water can become contaminated for a myriad of reasons – even if you’re doing everything right. Because of that, consider using a water filtration system and testing your water often.