| "The end result we want to see is better water quality from fewer failing systems." | |
| Cathy Angell, Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve |
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Need help educating homeowners about the impact their septic system could have on water quality? An easy-to-use Septic Education Kit created by the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is now available to environmental educators across the country.
"People are hungry for information because there's a lot of ignorance and misinformation out there," says Cathy Angell, Padilla Bay's curriculum specialist and creator of the kit. "That's what this is all about, making good information accessible. The end result we want to see is better water quality from fewer failing systems.
The kit, Angell explains, functions as a "tool box" containing everything an agency needs to set up and publicize a septic education program, including user-friendly fact sheets, an entertaining slide show, comprehensive workshop outlines, attention-grabbing publicity photos, clever marketing ideas, article templates, and more. Each component of the kit can be "tweaked" to fit different agency or community needs.
The Washington State reserve created the kit after receiving a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to develop a curriculum for adults to address nonpoint source pollution. From the onset, Angell says, they wanted to develop a program that could be used on a national basis by other National Estuarine Research Reserves.
"I called all the reserves in the system and did a poll to find out what was the biggest concern in their particular area as far as nonpoint source pollution," Angell says. "Failing septics rose to the top as the most universal nonpoint issue of concern among the reserves, and gave me an immediate direction to head."
Her next step was to review septic system education materials from agencies across the country. "I saw a need for a user-friendly tool kit. Something that would have almost everything an educator would need to help a homeowner understand how to properly maintain their septic system."
Angell then surveyed people in a nearby community to find out what would be "motivating factors to get them to take action." She used this information in developing the publicity material, creating a humorous character called Henry Homeowner who is featured in many of the kit's posters and advertisements.
To test the material, Angell partnered with a local health department and a county conservation district to hold three public workshops. "We had tremendous success," she says. "We tested out everything. People were really interested. We knew we were onto something here."
After a national review showed widespread support for the kit, the U.S. Department of Commerce offered to produce and distribute it nationwide. The kit also has received a Watershed Awareness Campaign and Community Outreach Award from the Center for Watershed Protection in Maryland.
"I learned that something can be a bigger success if you involve a lot of people in it," Angell says. "When you teach people, you empower them, and that helps all across the board. Education makes everybody's job easier."
To order a kit, which costs $99, call (800) 553-6847, or e-mail orders@ntis.fedworld.gov. For more information on how the kit was developed, contact Cathy Angell at (360) 428-1558 or cangell@padillabay.gov.
