2022 SepticSmart Photo Challenge
The EPA Decentralized Wastewater Program, in collaboration with the EPA Decentralized MOU Partnership, celebrated the 10th anniversary of SepticSmart Week from September 19-23, 2022. SepticSmart Week, an annual homeowner awareness and education campaign, encourages proper septic system care and maintenance.
This year, EPA and the Partnership launched its first photo challenge to highlight the importance of septic systems in protecting family health and safeguarding local waterways. The decentralized community, including septic homeowners, wastewater professionals and engineers, and state and local officials, submitted septic-themed photos meaningful to them.
The winning photos of the 2022 challenge are:
1st Place Winner
Janine Reed
Protect It and Inspect It! Tree roots love sewage and travel far! Clallam County Environmental Health Onsite Program's “sewage heart” of tree roots removed from a septic tank traveled over 60 feet to drink the effluent from a septic tank and sewage pipes!
2nd Place Winner
Samantha Russell
Septic Sam(antha) of Skagit County Environmental Health, Washington demonstrates a model of a septic system as part of their educational classes for homeowners about septic systems and maintenance!
3rd Place Winner
Donna Fiorentino
Do Your Part, Be SepticSmart! See Septic Sam as he travels across the country!
Honorable Mention
Anna Aperans
Her three year old son is fascinated by septic and wastewater systems. His plan for a septic system shows the blue circle as the septic tank and the black lines representing human waste and sludge. He then built a septic system with his blocks and placed a barricade in front of the septic system to protect it! We are excited to hear about his future career plans!
