Wednesday Water Webinars - Recorded

A key process of wastewater treatment in a septic system relies on beneficial bacteria to help breakdown the waste. These bacteria tend to work best in warmer water. So how do septic systems operate in winter, and is there special care that is recommended during colder months? This webinar will discuss a few practices that homeowners can do to help keep their system working well throughout winter.

Do you notice unusual stains on your plumbing fixtures, spots on your dishes or appliances, or a funny smell from your water? If so, this webinar will cover the causes of these issues and discuss possible remedies.

Being a first time homeowner is exciting, but can be a bit daunting if you are not used to the technical or mechanical needs of a home. This is especially true of a septic system, since they are not visible and often thought about. This webinar will help to take the mystery out of septic systems and provide basic considerations of how a septic works and how to maintain it.    

VIDEO TO COME

With the wide variety of personal care and other home products we use on a daily basis, many of these can enter our water supplies and potentially contaminate our drinking water. This webinar will review the different types of contaminants, associated health risks, and what we can do to reduce those risks including treatment options. 

Keeping your septic system operating effectively is relatively easy to do, can save you money, and helps protect the environment. There are few basics tips to follow that will help prolong the life of your system. This webinar describes what you can do.

VIDEO TO COME

Over 33% of Americans rely on groundwater for their drinking water, making it a critical resource worthy of protection. Not often thought about, groundwater is actually connected to the surface waters we see and use. Therefore, certain land use practices can potentially affect both of these water resources. This webinar increase awareness of groundwater, its quality, and how each of us can be better stewards of this valuable water supply.

Ponds are valuable resources providing many uses including recreation, wildlife habitat, irrigation, stormwater management. Aquatic plants can aid in keep the pond ecosystem healthy. However, with excess nutrients plant populations can become over abundant and interfere with desired uses of the pond. This webinar will discuss the dynamics of a pond ecosystem, types of plant issues and management strategies to keep plant populations in a healthy balance.

Your septic system is the most expensive appliance or mechanical device in your home. Understanding how it works can help you keeping it operating effectively for many years saving you money and protecting both environmental and public health. This webinar will provide the basics of how the various types of septic systems (conventional, mound and advanced treatment or best available technology) work. 

Your drinking water well is a valuable asset to your home and your health. Following basic care practices of your well and wellhead can help reduce risks of bacterial and chemical contamination. This webinar will cover the basics of how to care for a well including homeowner tips and when to contact a well professional.  

Repairs or replacement of a drainfield or entire septic system are expensive! Maintaining a system is actually relatively simple and much less costly than repairs. The top maintenance practices will be presented to help you protect you investment and keep your system working longer.

Ever wonder why you have to replace appliance such as water heaters, dishwashers or clothes washer more frequently than anticipated. Corrosive water may be the cause. This webinar will discuss characteristics of corrosive water and what you can do to reduce the impacts.

VIDEO TO COME

How can you tell if your system is losing its effectiveness and approaching the end of its life expectancy? In addition, how can these signs guide you to help maintain its function? This webinar will present various signs or signals that your system is not working, as it should and what are possible remedies/practices.

You may have heard of lead toxicity issues in drinking water, but there numerous other potential contaminants that can cause health issues. This webinar will present the major contaminants found in drinking water, both public and private well sources. Among these are arsenic, bacteria, chloride, copper, lead, iron, manganese, radium, total dissolved solids, and various contaminants of emerging concern.

Not sure what type of septic system you have or if you do, how it works? The various systems used for home wastewater treatment including conventional systems, advanced technology or BAT units, and drainfield technologies will be discussed. 

Want to know how to treat your water to ensure it is safe and good quality? This webinar will cover the basics of water treatment including public water supply and private wells and options of filtration and application in your home.

Your septic system is the most expensive appliance in your home and provides significant value. This webinar will discuss various keys aspects of a septic system to a home including service provided, costs and value, and protection of environmental and public health. 

Concerned about lead possibly being in your water? This webinar will present how lead gets into water, what the health risks are, how to test your water, and treat it to ensure your water is safe to drink.

A septic system may be the most expensive technology or appliance of a home. Providing proper care and maintenance can help protect your investment, prolong the system life, while reducing risks to public and environmental health. This webinar will present an overview of recommended maintenance practices to empower homeowner to protect their system and help save money.

The growth in production and use of industrial chemicals and personal care products has resulted in these contaminants reaching surface and ground waters. Many of these compounds either have been shown to cause environmental damage or are detrimental to human health. This webinar will present an overview of many classifications of CEC’s including organic waste compounds, endocrine disruptors, personal care products and PFAS. 

Advanced nitrogen reduction technologies provide significant improvements in onsite wastewater treatment compared to a traditional septic tank. This webinar will present how the systems work, operation and their care, and will describe Maryland’s Bay Restoration Fund grant program supporting upgrading to the technology. 

Water gardens can be an enjoyable feature of homes, providing a relaxing area with water sounds, fish and varied colored plants and flowers. Caring for these requires new gardening skills and understanding of water quality to maintain the pond and minimize both required inputs and issues. This webinar will present the basics of managing a water garden. 

The basics of pond ecology and water quality are presented with the goal of providing pond owners an understanding of the pond ecosystem and practices to help maintain good water quality. In addition, strategies for managing ponds for varied uses, e.g. fishing, swimming, and irrigation are covered. 

This webinar presents basic hydraulic capacity and design flow of a septic system and how excessive surface water may negatively affect the efficiency of the system and potential harm to the system and environment. 

Whether it be a sand mound drainfield or the maintenance access ports to a septic tank or BAT unit, homeowners often wish they could camouflage these to make their yards more aesthetically pleasing. This webinar covers considerations, options and specific plants and practices to use.

The connection of road salts for deicing and its impact on ground and surface water quality are presented. In addition to potential increased water corrosion and the impact to home appliances, there are several important potential water quality related health risks including elevated sodium, heavy metals and radionuclides caused by road salts.

Have you been used to public sewer in previous homes and now you wonder what a septic system is?  A summary of septic system function and types are presented. Key maintenance practices to keep the system operating effectively, prolong it life while protecting human and environmental health are shared.  

Does your water need to be treated? If so, this webinar explains common water problems, the options of filters and filtration systems, their operation and maintenance to ensure you have safe and good quality water for drinking.

The importance of water as a key nutrient for human health and the varied water sources (public and private wells) and their quality are presented. Additionally a summary of recommended water testing practices are shared. 

This webinar reviews the basics of groundwater, influence of geology, the hydrologic cycle, groundwater flow, connectivity to surface waters, types of aquifers, groundwater quality and stewardship practices to protect this valuable resource.