Taking Care of yOur Ground Water - A homeowner's guide to well and septic systems, is a new video available from MSU Exension. The video explains not just how to take care of your septic system and drinking water well, but that they are part of the same water cycle.

"When people learn that their septic tank and drinking water well are part of the same water system, their heads come up and the questions start," says Adam Sigler, MSU Extension water quality associate who helped produce the video.

Once you flush the toilet, the water goes through the septic system where it is treated and then over time, re-enters the groundwater that you and your neighbor rely on for drinking water, explains Sigler. Because of that, both the septic system and the water well need to be properly installed and maintained to avoid contamination.

Sigler has worked for the past year and a half to organize and put together the high-quality DVD "Taking Care of yOur Ground Water: A homeowner's guide to well and septic systems." The DVD was produced through collaboration with industry professionals, specialists, and university faculty in North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Montana. The production, and Sigler's time and effort was funded by the USDA Northern Plains and Mountains Regional Water Program.

In the past, much of the information on well and septic systems has been handled separately, and understanding that they combine into a larger groundwater system has not always been clearly explained or understood, Sigler said.

"We wanted to make it real for viewers, so we interviewed homeowners who had problems as well as professionals," he said.

The video can be ordered from MSU Extension's Distribution Center for only $4.00, which includes shipping and handling. Request item number DVD008.

MSU Extension Distribution Center
115 Culbertson Hall
PO Box 172040
Bozeman, MT 59717-2040

orderpubs@montana.edu
(406) 994-3273

To view the lower quality web version click here and follow the link to educational videos, and a menu of the DVD's sections becomes available in a small resolution appropriate for downloading.