Understanding and maintaining your septic systems is important to the quality of Watchic Lake, and to your property’s value. The Maine Lakes organization has recently completed some great info on maintaining your septic system, and educating renters and household members how to extend the life and effectiveness of their system. See Lakeside Living and Caring for Your Septic System. Their key points are:

• Think at the Sink! Keep grease, fats, harmful chemicals, and hair out of the drain. They can clog or damage our system and can cause an expensive plumbing mess.
• Don’t Overload the Commode! Do not flush non-degradable items such as dental floss, diapers, wipes, hygiene products, or hair.
• Be WaterWise! Stagger use of water-based appliances among house guests. All of the water in this home’s pipes ends up in the septic system. Efficient water use improves the operation of a septic system and reduces the risk of failure.
• Be Mindful of Guests! If there are more people staying in our home than our septic system was designed to support, your guests may overload the system and mess up your stay. This is one reason why we cannot accept more than the maximum number of guests.
• When in Doubt, Follow an Easy Rule of Thumb: Do not flush anything besides human waste and toilet paper.

More information for people renting their property can be found here Welcome for Renters. Found here are Kitchen Cards and Bathroom Cards to help educate camp users. Click or touch here for a good summary info graphic on septic system “Do’s and Don’ts“