We are really lucky, here on Dewees Island, to have a wastewater treatment system that is state-of-the-art, environmentally. Effluent from homes is macerated with a pump at each home, and sent back to the main station for treatment in our system that uses biological decomposers to filter and refine the water. Supposedly, water on the outtake end of this system is potable, but we are not going to test that for ourselves.

That said, as homeowners (or guests or renters) we need to treat this system gently and fairly. We tell our guests not to flush anything that hasn’t been eaten first; the system is meant to handle human waste; not dryer sheets, baby wipes, or Polly Pockets. (Our cat used to be fascinated with those tiny rubber dolls and drop them in the toilet, presumably to play with them in the water. There was nothing worse than standing up to flush and seeing Polly swirling down into the abyss!)

On December 25 (yes, Christmas!) we learned more about this system than we had previously been aware of. For example, we did not know that there is an alarm on the pump, and when it is not working to maximum potential, it sounds a regular screeching out into the world. We learned this fact as we were preparing dinner. We called Public Safety, who called the utility folks, who told us how to stop the racket. Fixing a pump in the rain and the dark is not an optimal situation, so they told us to wait until morning and they would be on the first boat over. They also told us to limit water use. (like “don’t use any if you can help it”.) So our holiday dinner dishes would have to wait until morning, as would laundry and showers. Unfortunately, the screeching alarm repeats every two hours and ten minutes. All night. Apparently the reset button has a short duration.

The last alarm went off at 6:20 December 26, and we decided to go out to shoot pictures of the sunrise and early birds until the first ferry got here. Imagine our surprise when the cheerful team of Paul Conover and Ryan Auk showed up before 7:10, having taken the sea ark over to get our water online as early as possible! They were very appreciative to find that we had, in fact, stopped using water right away.

If people don’t stop using water right away (or don’t hear the alarm) then there is a bit of a back-up that necessitates a pumping out situation. We were fortunate not to need a pump out. Apparently, the salt air is hard on pumps, and they need repairs now and then. If your alarm goes off, turn off all appliances using water in your home, paying special attention to those which put water into the treatment utility. (A refrigerator ice maker, for instance, isn’t sending water through the system at the rate of a dishwasher or washing machine. Stop using the washer and dishwasher.) If you need to make the sound stop, check with Paul, who can give you directions for a longer solution than the reset button. (NOW we know this.) Then stop using water to the best of your ability. We were thrilled (and really impressed) that the staff responded so quickly.