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Runyan Lake is protected by a sewer
system. Our lake and ground water quality continues to benefit from this action.
History:
During the period of 1988 to 1991, the properties around
Runyan Lake were connected to a community septic system. This system, which had
its leaching beds, or septic fields, located away from the lake, began the
process of protecting and cleaning the waters of Runyan Lake.
No longer did water
leaching from individual septic systems reach Runyan Lake. This important change
also helps protect our private wells by preventing groundwater contamination.
This system functioned as a community sewer system and was operated and
maintained by the Livingston County Drain Commission.
How it works:
The sewer system
around Runyan Lake operates differently than many sewer systems. A traditional
sewer system has a pipe that connects to your home. This pipe carries the waste
to a sewer treatment plant for processing.
The Runyan Lake
system has several additional components. Each home has a holding tank. Most of
these tanks are black plastic and hold nearly 1,200 gallons. Inside the tank is
a pump, operating similar to a sump pump. When the water in the holding tank
reaches a certain level, the pump turns on and pumps the water into the sewer
system.
The tank also acts
as a septic tank, breaking down much of the waste using biological activity. The
advantage of the holding tank is that if the power fails, or some other type of
sewer back-up were to occur, you have capacity in the tank so you can continue
to use your household appliances without fear of the sewer backing up into your
home. About 800 gallons of the tank is used for reserve capacity.
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Recent upgrades:
During 2003, in
response to stricter requirements from the EPA and the MDEQ as well as
performance concerns with the aging septic fields, Tyrone Township established a
regional sewer system. With this improved system, waste water is pumped to a
sewer treatment plant located in Linden.
As part of this
upgrade, the pumps located in the septic tanks are being changed to more
reliable, better performing "grinder" pumps to pump away all sewage waste
material. Because of the pump change, residents should no longer need to have
their septic tanks pumped periodically.
What you need to know:
The water
level in the holding tank is monitored by a level system. If the water level
becomes too high, an audible alarm and flashing light will activate. The alarm
and light are part of a control box mounted to the side of each home. The alarm
can be silenced by pressing the silence button. The light will stay on until the
water level is back to normal depth.
If the alarm
sounds, IMMEDIATELY CALL the Livingston Country Drain Commission at
517-546-0040, leave a message if out of normal hours. You will receive a call
back and maintenance personnel will arrive shortly to identify the cause of the
alarm.
Until the cause of
the alarm is identified and fixed, water usage must be restricted to prevent a
back-up into your home.
Please also refer
to the sewer system
DOs
and DON’Ts based on Livingston County Drain Commission recommendations .
For other sewer and
Drain Commission information please refer to the
Livingston County Drain Commission
web site.
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