2011 septic system & stormwater survey · other helpers sarah hayes, intern terry taveres, town...

2011 SEPTICSYSTEM &STORMWATERSURVEY

LAKEWENTWORTH &CRESCENT LAKE

Jennifer Jespersen, FB Environmental

Septic Systems can store 1,000 x theconcentration of P in lake water.

Role of Septic Systems in Water Quality

Failing septic systems can result in: Delivery of disease-causing bacteria to

drinking water or recreational waterbodies; Contribute excessive phosphorous to local

lakes and streams via groundwater; Delivery of chemicals and hormones.

Project Goals

Conduct a Septic and Stormwater Survey tohelp address P and DO concerns in lake

Collect baseline information about the state ofseptic systems in the shorezone (250 ft.)

Estimate P loading from septic systems

Educate watershed citizens about NPS

Field Preparation

Identify all propertieswithin 250 ft ofwaterbodies

Determine sectorboundaries

Prepare survey maps

Rain or Shine!

11 days

August 6th- Sept 12th, 2011 Face-to-Face Visits Distributed brochures on

stormwater, native landscaping,and septic systems

Septic surveys and brochures leftif landowner not home

Each property assessed forstormwater runoff

Septic Survey Form

16 Questions Occupancy, Use, Age,

Type, Pumping Frequency Landowner Perceptions Lawn & Fertilizer Use Willingness to Participate

Entered in Raffle Optional On-line Survey

(Google Documents)

Stormwater Survey

Adapted from Maine DEPWatershed Survey

Erosion Unstable Beach Water leaving property Evidence of Fertilizer Use

• No problems= No form

Septic Survey Results

Sector TotalProperties

# peoplewho

refused

# falseparcels

(no houseswith septic

on site)

# homesvacant or forsale or underconstruction

# septicsurveys

complete

# septicsurveys left

(awaitingresponse

for)

Overall Survey Statistics

1 58 2 4 0 41 11 Total Properties 6252 46 0 1 3 29 133 73 0 6 2 31 34 # Surveyable

Properties 5524 45 1 2 2 20 205 73 0 5 0 50 18 # Properties Visited

In-Person 6256 71 3 7 4 21 367 49 0 2 1 35 11 # Septic Surveys

Mailed 398 51 0 8 2 20 219 42 0 3 2 19 18 # Septic Surveys E-

mailed byVolunteers

1210 33 2 0 0 20 1111 57 2 0 2 6 47 # Septic Surveys

Completed In-Person

22112 27 0 5 2 4 16

# Septic SurveysCompleted by Mail 63

Total 625 10 43 20 296* 256

* Does not include 3 properties submitted online with unknown lot numbers, 2 repeat surveys, or a split parcelsurvey

# Septic SurveysCompleted Online 18

54% Return Rate

Success by Sector

79%69%

48% 50%

74%

37%

76%

49% 51%

65%

11%20%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12Sector Number

Total = 54%

1= Holden Shores 5=Hodge-Kenney-Wentworth 7= Governor’s Shore

Types of Systems-Septic Survey Results

Do you have a septic system, or other wastewater system?

Septic Sewer Outhouse Cesspool Cesspool/Outhouse

Septic/Outhouse

Septic/Holding

TankHolding Tank

83.1% 8.3% 6.0% 0.7% 0.7% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3%

Do you have a septic system, or other wastewater system?

Septic Sewer Outhouse Cesspool Cesspool/Outhouse

Septic/Outhouse

Septic/Holding

TankHolding Tank

83.1% 8.3% 6.0% 0.7% 0.7% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3%

Water Quality Perceptions-Septic Survey Results

30.3%

40.7%

51.7% 6

4.3%

712.6%

831.8%9

24.5%

1018.9%

NoResponse

5.3%

On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is thebest, what is your perception of the

water quality in Lake Wentworth andCrescent Lake? 75% = High (8-10)

17%= Okay (6-7)

3%= Poor (5 or <)

5%= No Response

AGE- Septic Survey Results

1-10 yrs21%

10-15 yrs10%

15-20 yrs12%

20-25 yrs18%

Greater than25 yrs21%

I don't know6%

NoResponse

NotApplicable

8%Other19%

How old is the septic system?

21% = New (1-10 yrs)

22%= (10-20 yrs)

39%= (>20 yrs)

5%= No Response

Seasonal vs. Year-Round

30% = Seasonal

37%= >1 Season

32%= Year-Round Seasonal (lessthan 50

days/year)30%

More than oneseason (50-150

days/year)37%

Year Round32%

No Response0.3%

Is this home used year round orseasonally?

Distance to Waterbody

20-50 ft6%

50-75 ft22%

Greater than 75ft

61%

No Response4%

Not Applicable8%

Other12%

What is the approximate distance ofyour septic system from the lake or

stream?

6% = 20-50 ft.

22%= 50 – 75 ft.

61%= >75 ft.

Pumping Frequency

Every 1-2 yrs38%

Every 3-5 yrs35%

Every 6-10 yrs3% More than 10

yrs2%

Never1%

I don't know5%

NoResponse

2%

Not Applicable15%

Other21%

How often do you have your septictank pumped?38% = Every 1-2 years

35%= Every 3-5 years

3%= Every 6-10 years

2%= > 10 years

Island Sites

20 Properties Surveyed All Cesspools or Outhouses Most homes > 25 yrs. old Outhouses located close to shore Awareness of using P-free products high

Grassed Lawn/Fertilizer

56% No Lawn w/in 100’

80% No Fertilizer

Phosphate-Free Detergents

Always, most ofthe time

53%

Sometimes15%

No, not really27%

No Response4%

When buying laundry detergents or dishdetergents, do you check the labels to buyno-phosphate or low phosphate products?

53% Always Check Labels

27% Do not Check Labels

Willingness to Participate

2%0%

1%2%

5%2%

7%22%

13%37%

8%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

123456789

10No Response

How willing (where 10 is the most willing) would you be to makeimprovements to your property to help protect the lake's water

quality if technical assistance were provided?

72% Very willing to make improvements

Septic System Models

Lake Wentworth = 9% of Total Phosphorus Load Crescent Lake = 3% of Total Phosphorus Load

Stormwater Survey Results

Sector TotalProperties

# ppl whorefused

# false parcels(no houses withseptic on site)

# homes vacantor for sale or

underconstruction

# stormwatersurveys

complete

# stormwatersurveys notcompleted

Overall Survey Stats

1 58 2 4 0 46 6# surveys

completed withlandowner

present

492 46 0 1 3 41 1

3 73 0 6 2 58 7

4 45 1 2 2 33 7

5 73 0 5 0 62 6Total size oferoded area

surveyed(square ft)*

77,3156 71 3 7 4 36 21

7 49 0 2 1 44 2

8 51 0 8 2 36 5

9 42 0 3 2 29 8

# artificialbeaches 1310 33 2 0 0 30 1

11 57 2 0 2 46 7

12 27 0 5 2 20 0

# stormwaterissues found 106Total 625 10 43 20 481 71

*represents only 42 of 106 completed stormwater surveys

88% Return Rate

Stormwater Survey Results

88%98%

89% 83%91%

63%

96%88%

78%97%

87%100%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Sector Number

Total = 88%

Percent of Stormwater Surveys Completed by Sector

Sector 6 = Trigg’s Shore

Stormwater Survey Results

Category Low Impact Medium Impact High Impact Total

Beach Access 27 10 3 40

Residential 32 2 1 35

Driveway 7 1 1 9

Commercial 1 0 5 6

Boat Access 5 0 0 5

Driveway & Beach Access 3 1 0 4

Beach Access & Trail 1 1 0 2

Residential & Trail 2 0 0 2

Private Road 1 0 0 1

State Road 0 0 1 1

Town Road 0 0 1 1

Total 79 15 12 106

LowImpact

75%

MediumImpact

14%

HighImpact

11%

LowCost74%

MediumCost24%

HighCost2%66%

53% 51%

12% 11%5% 5% 3%

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

SurfaceErosion

Bare Soil Lack ofShoreline

Vegetation

Artif iciallyCreatedBeach

RoofRunoff

DitchErosion

UnstableAccess

UndersizedCulvert

No.

of

Occ

uran

ces

Residential Areas

Roof Runoff – Install stone-filled trenches along theroof dripline to help infiltrate runoff.

Residential Areas

Lack of Buffer – Plant trees and shrubs along theshoreline or let them grow back naturally.

Residential Areas

Exposed Soil – Place erosion control mulch on bare soilto slow runoff.

Residential Areas

Waterbars – Place timbers or log “speed bumps”across paths to slow runoff and trap soil.

Beach Access Sites

Exposed Soil – Place erosion control mulch on baresoil to slow runoff.

Beach Access Sites

Unstable Access – Install runoff diverter and establishbuffer.

Beach Access Sites

Lack of Buffer - Plant trees and shrubs along the shoreline or letthem grow back naturally.

Beach Access Sites

Sloped Beaches – Install retaining walls, runoff diverters,reseed with native vegetation and mulch on steep slopes.

Other Documented Problems

Road Shoulder Erosion– Install ditch,turn-outs, add new gravel, install catchbasin, and establish buffer.

Crown – Reshape the road so that waterruns off the sides and remove sand andberms from the edges of the road.

Culverts – Protect culvert inlets andoutlets with rock riprap, and createplunge pools to protect the outlet andtrap sediment (or replace inadequateculvert with larger culvert).

Unstable Boat Access – Install runoffdiverters, and open top culvert.

Recommendations & Next Steps

LWF to prioritizeoutreach activities totarget groups

Provide Incentives forSeptic Maintenance

Consider mandatoryinspection upon pointof sale

LWF to distributeeducational materials tolandowners to makeimprovements

Grants to provide cost-share opportunities forlandowners

Contact LWF about yourproperty and make adifference through small,low-cost improvements.

Septic System Survey Stormwater Survey

Thanks!

Forrest BellCayce DaltonLaura DiemerEmily DiFrancoPat MarassDeb MayoTricia Rouleau

Lake Wentworth SteeringCommittee

FB Environmental Staff

Other HelpersSarah Hayes, InternTerry Taveres, Town of WolfeboroParticipating VolunteersWatershed Residents

Andy Chapman, NHDESRob Houseman, Town of WolfeboroDon Kretchmer, LWFRich Masse, LWFJack O’Connell, LWF