July 11, 2025

Excess nutrient pollutants are the primary cause of poor lake water quality connected to such problems as toxic algal blooms, excessive weed growth, beach closures and decreased clarity. This spring alone, RBL beaches were closed by the County’s Department of Health four times for excessive fecal coliform. An estimated 40% of the lake’s nutrient pollutants (phosphorus and nitrogen) originate from our septic systems. 

Many of the lake’s original septic systems are reaching the end of their lifespan. Like our roofs, our cars, and even us, septic systems don’t last forever. Some homes are due for replacement. The good news: unlike the older systems, many newer technology systems are significantly better at cleaning water than the older systems and often less expensive. Unlike the older ones, many can remove phosphorus – the key nutrient pollutant for freshwater lakes. 

How do you know whether your septic system is still doing its job? One way is to have your system thoroughly inspected. Some people are eager to do this, but don’t know how to go about it. To help those people, and, in the end, to help all of us who live on the lake, The Fund for Roaring Brook Lake is pleased to announce its new Septic Improvement Program. This voluntary program will cover the costs of inspection, and if problems are identified, help provide financial support to address them.

How does this Septic Improvement Program work?

●      The Fund has identified a licensed inspection company (independent of septic pumping companies) that will work with RBL homeowners to conduct a voluntary comprehensive inspection combined with a group discount. The Fund will reimburse in full the cost to the first 20 homeowners who want to use this service for their inspections.

●      Homeowners would contract with the company directly and provide The Fund with a receipt for reimbursement. The Fund would not receive any information or data about an individual homeowner’s septic system and no member of The Fund Board would be eligible for a free inspection. 

●     The Fund will also offer a $1,000 reimbursement to the first ten homeowners who replace their current septic systems with enhanced septic technology that removes phosphorus from wastewater, whether those decisions result from the inspection process or not. Only one such system has been approved so far for use in Putnam County: a CRX model produced by FujiClean. In August 2024, The Fund held an information session about the CRX; to view the video of that event, click here.  If comparable alternatives come on the market that gain the County’s approval, the reimbursement will be offered for those systems as well. Again, no board member of The Fund for RBL would be eligible for this reimbursement.

 ●  The Fund has also identified a loan program to support low-income households at RBL who want to repair or replace their septic systems. The program offers loans up to $15,000 for ten years with a 1% interest rate to households with a maximum annual income of $110,000.

If demand for our Septic Improvement Program is strong, we will continue fundraising with the aim of expanding our support each year. If you are interested in helping to fund our Septic Improvement Program, we hope you will consider making a tax-deductible donation to our nonprofit. If you wish, you can tag your donation to go to the Septic Improvement Program. You can donate through our website or contact our treasurer, Kate Cunningham. 

Want to learn more about RBL’s septic situation? Read on!

Ideally, appropriate soil for a septic field will have 18 inches of loamy topsoil; unfortunately, there is virtually no land in the RBL district that fits that description. Even if older septic fields were originally functioning well, by now the soil’s binding capacity for phosphorous is saturated and it is leaking into the lake. Making matters worse, many RBL lakefront homes don’t have fields - they were built with seepage pits or cesspools.

In 2016, the Town of Putnam Valley passed a law mandating that all homes in the Roaring Brook Lake District pump out their septic tanks every five years. Starting in 2017, district residents saw septic trucks winding their way around the lake multiple times a week. Our Lake Manager, A.J. Reyes, was impressed by the positive impact of that surge of septic pumping on the quality of our lake.

The Fund for RBL regularly asks the Town to provide information about compliance with the pumping law. Currently, about 20 homes out of about 300 in the district are not in compliance. The initial fine can be as much as $500; subsequent fines can rise to $1,500.

Our research indicates that pumping tanks every three years is considered “best practice” and would be even more advantageous to our community, especially given that our septic fields drain into our lake. According to the NYS Department of Health, “A septic tank should be pumped out every two to three years.” 

As a starting point, we encourage RBL residents to pump at least at the required five year interval and to encourage their neighbors to do so as well. If homeowners can afford it, and, especially if their home is right on the lake, we hope they will consider pumping every three years.

Septic Issues

Recent FujiClean installation of CRX model in Kent