Septic System Education

Abstract

This project was completed as part of the 2017-2018 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of Ramsey. Septic systems are a safe and legal method of treating household water when maintained properly. However, when residents do not properly care for their systems, they are likely to malfunction and risk contaminating local ground water supplies, posing a public health threat to residents. Because more than 4,000 households in Ramsey use septic systems, the City recognized the importance of helping residents understand the need to properly maintain their systems. Students in OLPD 5204: Designing the Adult Education Program, taught by Catherine Twohig, worked with City staff to create an adult education program that enables Ramsey staff to more effectively communicate to residents the importance of proper septic system use and regular septic system maintenance. The students’ final report and presentation are available.