Texas Water Resources Institute and Texas A&M AgriLife researchers have new insights into what influences residents’ septic system maintenance choices and resulting effects on water quality in the Attoyac Bayou watershed.
Located in East Texas, the Attoyac Bayou watershed has elevated E. coli levels and has not met state water quality standards since 2000.
Published in Environmental Management, this research was led by TWRI’s Audrey McCrary, Texas A&M AgriLife research specialist, and Allen Berthold, Ph.D., associate director and associate professor. The study was lead-authored by Emmanuel. C. Okolo, doctoral candidate, and coauthored by Karissa Palmer, doctoral candidate, and Holli R. Leggette, Ph.D., associate professor, all from the Texas A&M University Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications.
Why does septic system maintenance matter?
Improperly maintained septic systems contribute to pollution by introducing harmful bacteria like E. coli to waterways. Accumulation of E. coli can cause poor water quality and risk of human illness.
“You’re essentially putting controlled wastewater into the water cycle through septic systems,” McCrary said. “It’s basically a mini wastewater treatment plant. So, the concern is the potential for poorly maintained septic systems to introduce harmful bacteria and other things that can harm people downstream.”
Still, many septic system owners fail to keep up with maintenance. This study investigated the factors that influence maintenance behavior, with the goal of informing methods to improve maintenance consistency in Attoyac Bayou and beyond.
Septic owners attitudes toward maintenance
Researchers observed that attitude toward maintenance had the greatest influence on maintenance behavior, whereas social norms and perceived behavioral control were less influential. They found that most owners in Attoyac Bayou had a positive attitude and confidence toward maintenance.
Despite this positive view of maintenance, the researchers found that the time between maintenance varied, and few owners had service contracts. The study also showed that most systems in Attoyac Bayou are older, conventional models, which are more prone to failure than newer models.
“Depending on people’s backgrounds, the people they’re around, and their own views and values, they may have different attitudes, perceived controls and norms that influence their intention to maintain septic systems,” McCrary said. “So, the study was trying to see what the trends are and where the hang-ups are in that formula, which are where we might intervene later to try to improve the frequency of maintenance.”
This paper adds to the small body of research on the behavior theory behind septic system maintenance. The lack of research on this subject posed a challenge to survey creation, according to McCrary.
“The challenge with this paper was that we were kind of coming up with this survey from scratch. It was a lot of trial and error,” McCrary said. “There are even things in the survey that if we do it again, we’re going to alter to try to get a better grasp on what influences people’s behaviors.”
How can septic system outreach improve?
Based on their findings, the team recommends using targeted messaging and interventions to reinforce positive attitudes, enhance perceived behavioral control, and promote consistent maintenance behaviors.
They also identify room for improvement in policy and financial tools that can remove barriers to maintenance, such as cost, limited knowledge, and lack of enforcement. Promoting routine contracts can also increase predictability and lead to more consistent maintenance, according to the paper.
“Even if you don’t see issues with your septic system, there might be issues happening underground,” McCrary says to septic system owners. “If you haven’t had it inspected or pumped in a while, please do. It is good for your septic system and will save you money down the road; preventative maintenance can go a long way.”
