By Jae Williams

What happens when we flush a toilet, or turn off a sink tap? For most of us, we don’t give much thought to it – out of sight, out of mind. But once we walk away, what goes down the drain begins a whole new journey through the wastewater system. 

In King County, over 85,000 homes and businesses rely on septic systems to treat their wastewater and protect their health every day. But what is a septic system? What happens when it fails, and what happens to our health and the environment when many start failing? Finally, who are the people that respond to these emergencies, and what keeps them going? 

These questions, and more, are addressed in a new environmental health podcast, Bridging the Gap. Through storytelling, we aim to bring people closer to understanding how environmental public health shows up in our everyday lives, and how we can all help keep our community healthy. Join us in listening to our first three-episode miniseries, which explores the wonderful world of wastewater known as On-site Sewage/Septic Systems (OSS)! 

In each episode, embedded below, we’ll unpack a different element of OSS. You’ll hear from experts with tips on how to prolong the lifespan of your system, and guidance on navigating septic failures. You’ll also hear about how the County is addressing structural issues. For instance, while septic systems are generally found in rural areas, urban King County is home to 37,000 septic systems. While many septic systems continue to provide excellent wastewater treatment, we’ve already started to see an uptick in failures, with over 400 failures in 2023 and thousands more forecast over the next 10-20 years. 

In addition to below, you’ll also find each episode on our Bridging the Gap webpage, which includes show notes and transcripts. And, the episodes are available to stream and share on Spotify. 

Unpacking the Equitable Wastewater Futures Program 

“When communities have been under-invested in because of racism, then developers aren’t investing in them in meaningful ways to build infrastructure to support those communities…if the intent of King County is to address racial equity and that racism is a public health crisis, we need to be looking at the root causes,” says Julie Horowitz, a Strategic Development Analyst with Public Health – Seattle & King County. Julie helped create the Equitable Wastewater Futures Program, which works to identify the best wastewater treatment solutions for urban OSS. We were also joined by Corrina Marote, who currently manages the program, to discuss the role of cultural competence and community engagement when designing solutions to issues of sanitation injustice. 

5 Key Questions About Septic 

“I think it is really important to know that a septic system is part of a greater cycle of the environment…and it is also a way to protect that environment from any harmful fecal pollution.” So says our next guest, Eunbi Lee, an Educator Consultant with King County’s On-Site Sewage System Program. Eunbi joins us to provide guidance for maintaining septic systems. We cover the difference between septic and sewer systems, everyday practices to keep the system functioning, common myths about septic, and why OSS are relevant to public health. 

Gaining Insight with a Health & Environmental Investigator 

“I interact with people every day, I get to listen to them. I can hear what concerns them…and I’m able to echo their worries, their thoughts, their ideas. I am motivated to echo them to up further in our program and in our section…and contribute to what I hope is positive change,” shares Antonia Rus, when talking about her work as a Health & Environmental Investigator for the OSS Program. She clarified concerns often held by community members, shared stories of memorable investigations, and explained how one of her favorite shows inspired her to get involved with government work. 

Originally published 8/9/24