Household septic systems are important for public health. If their operation and maintenance are not correctly maintained, local water quality can suffer. One in five households in the United States uses a septic system to treat their wastewater. These systems are used to treat and dispose of relatively small volumes of wastewater, usually in suburban and rural locations not served by a centralized public sewer system. Septic systems treat waste-water through both natural and technological processes, typically beginning with solids settling in a tank, and ending with wastewater treatment in the soil via the drain field. Every day, four billion gallons of wastewater are discharged into groundwater. When this wastewater is untreated, or comes from a malfunctioning septic system, bacteria, viruses, and dangerous chemicals can make their way into the environment through streams, rivers, and lakes; harming local plants and animals. An example of the link between septic systems and water quality can be found in Florida's Indian River drainage basin. This connection is present in the local salt lagoons with household septic systems located at or near the shoreline. There are 300,000 septic systems in close proximity to the Indian River lagoon, treating 50 percent of the area's wastewater.
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