The promotional graphic for SepticSmart Week 2026 (September 14-18), sponsored by the US Environmental Protection Agency. A digitally drawn septic professional named "Septic Sam" waves at the viewer.

How to Promote SepticSmart Week Through Official Proclamations

ByLaura Schultz

SepticSmart Week 2026 is coming up fast! The 14th annual celebration of the event will run from September 14-18, and provide an opportunity for communities, national organizations, local groups, and governments to come together to bring attention to the importance of caring for and maintaining septic systems through homeowner education and public outreach. 

The US Environmental Protection Agency, stewards of the SepticSmart program and organizers of SepticSmart Week, keep a host of freely downloadable educational materials available all year. These include brochures, posters, mailers, case studies, homeowners guides, and videos covering the SepticSmart Quick Tips. These tips are the core of the SepticSmart program and messaging during SepticSmart Week each year:

  1. Think at the Sink!
  2. Don’t Overload the Commode!
  3. Don’t Strain Your Drain!
  4. Shield Your Field!
  5. Keep It Clean!
  6. Protect It and Inspect It!
  7. Pump Your Tank!

All stakeholders are encouraged to share the Quick Tips throughout SepticSmart Week, whether that’s on social media, in newsletters, public signage, targeted mailers, or any other way you can think of. Another step someone can take to promote SepticSmart Week even further is to seek an official proclamation of the week from local government or organizations.

A proclamation for SepticSmart Week is a simple one-page declaration that shows support for the event, as well as the ongoing maintenance of septic systems in order to protect environmental & public health. The EPA has templates for proclamations tailored for governors, for mayors, and for Tribal & Community leaders. Other local governmental entities have also issued proclamations, and non-governmental organizations such as the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association have also issued them over the years.

View and download the different types of proclamation templates as Microsoft Word files at these links:

Official partners in the Decentralized Wastewater MOU Partnership have two different document templates their organizations can use:

All of these documents are completely customizable. Check out examples of past proclamations in this list:

Such proclamations bring more attention to SepticSmart Week and the principles it promotes through the credibility, publicity, and visibility of local governments. The EPA hopes to receive each year’s proclamations at the beginning SepticSmart Week, but is happy to accept and promote them at any point in the runup to the event.

Here’s a brief guide on how stakeholders can pursue a proclamation from their local governmental entities. Depending on the level of government or prominence of the organization you might be pursuing, starting the earliest that you can is highly recommended. Obtaining a proclamation through layers of government bureaucracy can take time!

Stage 1: Planning

  1. Collect all of the information you need and create a timeline for getting the project done.
  2. Identify established procedures to getting a proclamation from your intended issuer.
  3. Develop the specific wording that you want on the proclamation based on the EPA’s templates. Keep the wording short and to the point, while highlighting how SepticSmart Week benefits communities.

Stage 2: Requesting

  1. Gather support from state and/or local health officials. Draft memos as necessary to facilitate inter-agency/organizational coordination & communication. 
  2. Find a point person you can check in with at the office of your intended issuer. Keep in touch with this person to follow the status of your request.

Stage 3: Sharing

  1. When you have received a proclamation, share it widely. Utilize social media, press releases, signage at local events and spaces, and more. 
  2. Measure your impact. Use whatever metrics that are available to estimate the reach of the proclamation. 

Further guidance on how other groups have pursued and received SepticSmart Week proclamations, as well as other pathways used to promote the event, are explored in the US EPA webinar “How State and Local Governments Promote and Proclaim SepticSmart Week.”