Owing a house with a septic system with a septic tank is quite different than owning a house with sewer connections in Bonney Lake, WA. The obvious difference is that households that have sewer connections in Bonney Lake, WA have less personal responsibility for what happens to their own wastewater once it goes down the drain. A homeowner who owns a septic tank has to worry about maintenance, as well as plan for draining the tank every couple of years. Sewer connections in Bonney Lake, WA allow homeowners to use their sinks and appliances, take showers and flush their toilets and not worry much about what happens with the water afterwards as it makes its way to a sewage treatment plant.
Homeowners with septic tanks comprise about one-third of the population, so they are in the minority. However, in most cases their wastewater makes its way to a sewage treatment plant as well, but far more indirectly. When a professional service is hired to pump out and drain the tank (which for most tanks occurs every two to five years), the water is transferred via truck to the treatment plant. In some instances, it may be used for other purposes. In any case, those who are connected directly to the sewage system pay fees in order to use the system, and those who own their own septic tank pay for maintenance and drainage.
There was a time when it was perfectly acceptable to dispose of septic sludge by having it delivered to the local landfill and buried. This was the common practice until environmental concerns began to arise regarding the toxicity and dangerous chemicals that were produced. It is now illegal, and landfills affected by the practice over several decades are in the process of remediation. That is why for the most part septic sludge is now sent to the water treatment plants instead. This is the best solution we can come up with, although in some municipalities, the water in treatment plants remains technically unsafe. The effluent water can be affected by various chemicals and drugs flushed down the toilet, and which kill the bacterial treatments used in the water treatment facilities.
The final word is not out on which system is better, given that both tend to end up in the same wastewater treatment system eventually. Having your own septic tank usually means more responsibility and more expense for homeowners, but that is somewhat leveraged by the lack of regular sewer connection fees, as well as the capacity to manage and treat one’s own wastewater before it ever leaves the property.
