There are over 1.2 million onsite waste water treatment (septic) system in Michigan. That’s approximately 43 percent of all Michigan residents with onsite septic systems. Many of these systems were installed in the 1950’s and 1960’s or earlier. The effluent (liquid waste) would leave the tank and go to the drain field to be dispersed through a series of perforated pipes into the ground which filters any contaminants out before it reaches ground or surface water. Modernizing Michigan’s aging infrastructure requires significant investment. In light of this, Detroit is experimenting with an innovative and cost effective way to revitalize the sewer system: putting worms to work. Recently, the city conducted the task of scattering 85,000 worms onto a newly tilled vacant lot. The worms were expected to burrow several feet into the ground, loosening up and soil to allow rainwater and snowmelt to percolate down into the dirt instead of running off into nearby sewers. The idea: to keep precipitation out of the city’s overburdened combined sewer overflow system and contribute to saving millions of dollars in big-pipe sewer infrastructure that won’t need to be built.
Interesting fact: The state of Michigan has announced the decision to pay all Flint water bills in May. Recently, the City began the process of flushing lead from old pipes and the recoating of plumbing with a corrosion chemical. At the same time, residents were asked to run cold water for 10 minutes a day for two weeks. The instructions were to run cold water at the highest flow from their bathtub for five minutes and from their kitchen faucet for five minutes, with the filter removed or bypassed. Flint, which has about 100,000 residents, is still recovering from using the Flint River for 18 months without corrosion controls. The flushing program is another necessary step to fixing the city’s broken water system.
Certified Installers take note: Perma-Liner Industries would like to invite you to our Refresher Training (Perma-Lateral™ specific) that will take place on July 12th and 13th at our Clearwater facility!! Please plan on attending. Register by calling 1-866-336-2568 or Click Here! See you then!
