RISING WATER TABLE THREATENS LOW-LYING AREA SEPTIC TANKS

With heavier than normal rainfall boosting river and water-table levels, some residents who live in low-lying areas can expect to encounter problems with their septic systems.

So say those who inspect systems for the city and others who maintain them.

East Cape Girardeau, where all the residents are on septic systems and the water table has risen to about 8 feet, is especially vulnerable, says Bob Benefield, who owns a plumbing business in McClure.

He anticipates that problems may begin occurring within the next week or so, along with the river's predicted crest.

The water table only has to rise a few more feet before some septic systems will begin overflowing, Benefield said.

If it happens, he said, sewage may start surfacing, and the system might not flush properly.

When a system begins to break down, property owners usually call a plumber or septic tank service to have it pumped. This may be futile, however, if the water level has swamped the septic system.

"There's not a whole lot they can do," Benefield said. "Once it reaches the same level as the lateral line exit, pumping is not the answer."

Those who might be affected can try cutting down on flushes during the high water.

"It won't have 100 percent effect, but cutting back might help," he said.

If a system has deteriorated due to age or lack of maintenance, it may be necessary to rebuild it to varying degrees.

This situation actually occurs every year on a small scale, even when there is no flooding.

"Every spring the problems crop up. The marginal systems fail," said Butch Stidham, a code inspector for the city of Cape Girardeau.

"Winter's hard on them because you don't have the plant activity."

Absorption by root systems is one of the methods septic systems employ to get rid of waste water.

Stidham said the saturation of the ground during the past few months of heavier-than-normal rainfall also has made it more difficult than usual to fix systems that have broken down.

He cited a recent example where a backhoe could not be moved into a back yard because the ground was so wet. That caused a neighbor, whose yard was the recipient of some surfacing sewage, to complain about the length of time the job was taking.

Stidham said they try to expedite repairs, "but we don't want to run roughshod over home owners. These kinds of problems are very difficult to deal with."

Most contractors are booked up two to three weeks in advance, but in good weather have the flexibility to commit a day or two to an emergency.

The city does have legal means to try to force property owners to fix a malfunctioning system, but usually tries to work the problem out, Stidham said.

"We can cite him, but that doesn't abate the hazard. If we do that we really haven't accomplished much."

Septic tank problems due to water table levels shouldn't affect systems on hillier ground, Benefield said.

Both Benefield and Stidham underscored the importance of caring for septic systems by keeping paper products and plastics out of them, while Benefield put in a plug for timely pumping about every five or six years.

The cost of pumping, approximately $80-120, compares to a cost of $1,850-2,750 to replace a system.