Holding Tanks
Holding Tanks are typically installed on sites that may not have sufficient suitable soils or area on the lot for any other type of Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (POWTS) to be installed. The holding tank is a system that is usually the least desirable POWTS due to its long-term maintenance costs. In the long run they are the most expensive POWTS to maintain. In most cases, in Kenosha County, the typical tank capacity that is installed for a three or four bedroom home is a 3,000-gallon tank.
Replacing Existing Holding Tanks
With the State of Wisconsin’s recent POWTS Code revisions of July 1, 2000, it now may be possible to replace existing holding tanks that are currently serving residences with a mound system. Soil suitability and available area on a particular property will be critical and may not be adequate enough to site a mound system. However, it may be possible to use a pretreatment unit to reduce the size of the mound and be able to site the system on the property.
Reducing Water Usage
Water conservation and wise water usage is paramount when living in a house served by a holding tank. The national average of water usage in a home is approximately 45 gallons per person, per day. Therefore a family of four would have a 3,000-gallon holding tank pumped every seventeen days. Using low-flow fixtures, front loading wash machines, repairing immediately leaking fixtures and using water wisely will increase the duration between maintenance pumping to a point. Average annual pumping costs for the previously mentioned family could exceed $1,000.