File:Coast watch (1979) (20649392872).jpg

Title: Coast watch
Identifier: coastwatch00uncs_0 (find matches)
Year: 1979 (1970s)
Authors: UNC Sea Grant College Program
Subjects: Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology
Publisher: (Raleigh, N. C. : UNC Sea Grant College Program)
Contributing Library: State Library of North Carolina
Digitizing Sponsor: North Carolina Digital Heritage Center

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UNC Sea Grant College Program Vol. 6, No.4 April 1979 Septic tanks - a lesson in designing with nature
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The rain had finally stopped. As David Spencer walked around the pud- dles in his yard the grass beneath his feet squished like a wet sponge. Down the road his neighbor's property looked the same—water-logged. "All the land around here has clay in it," Spencer explained. He pointed to his backyard, "You could dig a hole there and put water into it and the water will just sit there until the sun dries it up." Four years ago when Spencer bought the land in coastal Hyde County he didn't think much about the clay in the soil or the fact that the water table lies less than two feet below the surface. At the time the local sanitarian had assured him that there would be no problem in using a septic system on his land. But last year when Spencer applied for a building permit he discovered that everything had changed. Under new state disposal regulations he could not use a conventional septic system because his land did not have the proper permeability or adequate separation from the water table. With Germantown Bay only 175 feet from the site, the county sanitarian had little choice but to turn the application down. Unless Spencer could install an alternative system, he would not be allowed to develop the property. Spencer's story is not unusual. More and more property owners in coastal North Carolina are discovering that poor soil conditions and high water tables make safe disposal of septic wastes a major issue. Though the source of the problem varies from loca- tion to location—ranging from coarse Septic tank pollution—how much of a threat? 1 D>

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