How Can You Start a Program?

First of all, carefully review the materials and resouces in this tool kit. Many of them are geared toward educating homeowners, which is often the hard part. Some of these materials can be printed and copied as they are, some can be requested from DHEC, Clemson University, or EPA, and some are guides that can be modified for your own citizens. There are many resources for local governments that come from national sources with expertise in onsite septic systems, such as the EPA, the National Small Flows Clearinghouse (NSFC), and the National Onsite Demonstration Project (NODP). And as stated in the tool kit introduction, there is information that is relevant to coastal South Carolina from pilot projects conducted by OCRM and the Division of Onsite Wastewater Management and other groups.

Secondly, make sure you have stakeholder involvement from the beginning. This will go a long way toward buy-in and ownership of the program by everyone. Establish a steering committee that includes various stakeholder groups such as citizens, homeowner associations, planners, realtors, conservation or environmental groups, developers, DHEC, and others to direct the development of the management program. As the Sewee to Santee Pilot Inspection Program showed, having high school students interview and survey residents about their wells and septic systems increased both interest in and ownership of the project.

A wonderful array of free and lowcost resources for developing an onsite septic system management program can be found at the NODP website: NESC/NODP. Look for Tools for Communities, Envisioning Your Community's Future (item # DPCDMG04) and Community Self Assessment (item# SPCDMG03). These CDs include step by step procedures and worksheets for envisioning, planning, developing, funding, and implementing a management program. Some of these resources are available from OCRM on a temporary loan basis. Also, many can be ordered from the NSFC at (800) 624-8301.