Homeowners Booklet on Managing Your Septic System from EPA - Many homeowners in the Mianus River Watershed rely on septic systems to treat their domestic wastewater. Ideally, that wastewater is treated properly before it becomes our drinking water as individual well water or from the public water supply system (Aquarion) that relies on the Mianus River for its raw water. Nationally, one-fourth of U.S. homes using septic systems, more than 4 billion gallons of wastewater per day is dispersed below the ground’s surface.
Inadequately treated sewage from septic systems can be a cause of groundwater contamination. It poses a significant threat to drinking water and human health because it can contaminate drinking water wells and cause diseases and infections in people and animals. Improperly treated sewage that contaminates nearby surface waters also increases the chance of swimmers contracting a variety of infectious diseases. These range from eye and ear infections to acute gastrointestinal illness and diseases like hepatitis.