Operation and Maintenance
of Onsite Wastewater Treatment and Dispersal Systems

Many people, once their onsite wastewater treatment and dispersal system is installed, tend to forget that the system even exists ... until they start having problems.  Increasingly, onsite systems (formerly called septic systems) are becoming a permanent wastewater treatment solution in rural areas because of the high cost of building and maintaining centralized sewer systems.  Additionally, many small lots in rural subdivisions in Deschutes County have minimal room for repairing or replacing failing onsite systems.  These factors make proper operation and timely maintenance of existing systems important for the financial, public and environmental health of the region.

There are many simple actions homeowners can take to make sure their onsite system keeps functioning properly.   The pages listed to the right provide basic operation and maintenance information.  Also, several links to onsite related web sites can be found on the EH Links page.