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Environmental Health


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999 Balmoral Street
Thunder Bay, ON
P7B 6E7
Phone: (807) 625-5900
Toll-Free: (888) 294-6630
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On-Site Sewage System Do's and Don'ts

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Do

  • Familiarize yourself with the location of your septic system and, if it has one, the electrical control panel.
  • Keep an "as built" system diagram a safe place for reference ( and let future owners of the house know where it is located)
  • Divert surface water away from your leaching bed
  • Pump out your septic tank on a regular basis (every 3-5 years)
  • Repair leaky plumbing fixtures conserve water to reduce the amount of wastewater that must be treated.
  • Replace old toilets with low-flush models
  • Keep lint out of your septic system by cleaning the lint filters on your washing machine
  • Add an effluent filter and access riser to your septic tank if it doesn't yet have them
  • Keep the tank access lid secure to the riser at all times
  • Provide regular maintenance for your effluent filter (usually located at the outlet of your septic tanks
  • Keep accurate records of septic system maintenance and service calls
    Maintain your sewage system as required

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Don't

  • Flush hazardous chemicals
  • Flush cigarette butts or sanitary products
  • Use a garbage disposal/garburator
  • Plant trees or shrubs too close to the septic system or leaching bed
  • Use special additives that are touted to enhance the performance of your tank or system
  • Use excessive amounts of water (190 litres per person per day is typical)
  • Leave interior faucets on to protect water lines during cold spells.
  • Instead, properly insulate or heat your faucets and plumbing
  • Dig without knowing the location of your septic system
  • Drive over your septic tank or any buried components in your sewage system
  • Dump RV waste into your septic tank
  • Enter a tank - Gases generated in the septic tank &/or oxygen depletion can be fatal
  • Connect rain gutters, storm drains or allow surface water to drain into a sewage system
  • Remove and throw away the effluent filter to avoid cleaning it.
  • Flush substances that cause maintenance problems &/or increase the need for septage pumping

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Last Updated: 5/11/2011

Our other sites: ThunderBayFlu.caFairStart.ca | 4HealthyKidsNorthWest.ca | ThunderBayBPSO.ca | HealthyThunderBayDistrict.ca