With the holidays in full swing, Gloucester County officials are encouraging residents to make sure they complete the necessary regular maintenance on their septic systems.

Both Virginia Code and Gloucester County’s Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance Sec. 5.5-9(b)(5) specify that all on-site sewage disposal systems be pumped out at least once every five years.

According to Gloucester’s Environmental Program Manager Kevin Landry, research has shown that failing septic systems contribute considerable amounts of pollution to groundwater and the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. By having one’s septic tanks pumped before it is full, the number of solids leaving the septic tanks and migrating into the drain field is greatly reduced, allowing the drain field to function as designed for a much greater length of time.

To have your system pumped out or inspected, contact any sewage handler licensed to operate within Virginia.

Landry added that regular pump-outs not only protec...