The more people maintain their septic systems, the more septage gets generated. But, there’s increasingly no where for it to go. Sara Heger, a decentralized wastewater expert with NOWRA, is back on the show to break down why septage disposal is becoming a bigger headache, what PFAS and other contaminants have to do with it, and what it might actually take to fix this challenge.
Topics Discussed
- Sara Heger on LinkedIn
- Sara’s previous episode: TT055 – A Look at Progress and Needs in the Decentralized Wastewater Industry
- What is septage and why is it a growing challenge?
- The capacity crunch at wastewater treatment plants
- Emerging contaminants in septage: PFAS and beyond
- What homeowners can do at the source
- The data gap: we don’t know where our septic systems are
- The case for requiring septage capacity in publicly funded infrastructure
- Toward smarter septage management: measurement, models, and resource recovery
- National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association (NOWRA)
“It should be required that if you are getting grants and loans that are subsidized by all of us, then we should be looking at ‘where is wastewater treatment needed and how do decentralized systems fit into that management?'”
Sara Heger
Go Further
You’re invited to discuss the episode in our LinkedIn Group. If you decide to share on Twitter, please use the hashtag #TapTalkPodcast. And, of course, make sure to subscribe in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.
About the Guest
Dr. Sara Heger was most recently a researcher and instructor at the University of Minnesota in the Onsite Sewage Treatment Program in the Water Resources Center. She conducted research and provides education & technical assistance to homeowners, small communities, onsite professionals, and local units of government regarding decentralized wastewater treatment. She also coordinated the research program at the university focusing on issues related to decentralized wastewater, chlorides, and milk house process water. Sara has served as president of the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association, on the NSF International Committee on Wastewater Treatment Systems, and Minnesota’s SSTS Advisory Committee. She has a BS in Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering as well as a MS and PhD in Water Resource Science, all from the University of Minnesota.