The promotional graphic for Tap Talk episode #79, featuring a photo of guest Sara Heger; and a quote from Sara: "Rules are in place for a reason, right? To protect public health and the environment, and there is a science behind all of that.".

Tap Talk – The Septage Catch-22: When Better Maintenance Creates Bigger Problems

ByLaura Schultz

Since 2021, the team that runs DecentralizedWastewater.org, PrivateWellClass.org, and WaterOperator.org has also produced a podcast centered on protecting public health and the water industry. Tap Talk, also known as the the Drinking Water in Rural America Podcast, connects professionals across the drinking water community with ideas to extend and enhance water work. The podcast is a collaboration between the Rural Community Assistance Partnership and the University of Illinois, with funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The show is hosted by Steve and Jennifer Wilson of the Illinois State Water Survey. Episodes of past seasons have primarily focused on municipal water treatment and private well-related topics.

We recently kicked off the seventh season of Tap Talk, beginning with the shows 73rd episode: “Behind the Scenes of Water and Environment Reporting” with Associated Press water reporter Michael Phillis. Subsequent episodes from this season have covered topics including Legionella in water systems, the National Ground Water Monitoring Network, and last year’s flash drought in Vermont.

We were also thrilled to welcome back Dr. Sara Heger, a decentralized industry expert and research, for her second appearance on the show! Last month, we recapped her first appearance from February 2025, “A Look at Progress and Needs in the Decentralized Wastewater Industry,” on this blog in anticipation of her upcoming return.

This latest episode with Dr. Heger is titled “The Septage Catch-22: When Better Maintenance Creates Bigger Problems.” In it, she discusses with Jennifer and Steve the “catch-22” of septage generation: The more people that properly maintain their septic systems, the more septage is generated. The issue is that there is increasingly nowhere for this increased amount of septage to go. Dr. Heger breaks down why this is, what PFAS and other contaminants have to do with it, and how this challenge might be fixed.

Listen through the audio player below, or, find Tap Talk on audio services such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, or Audible.

You can also check out our other septic-centered episode, from last fall: “Exploring Septic System Best Practices for SepticSmart Week 2025,” featuring guests Jim Starbard and Andrew Evans of RCAP Solutions.

Topics Discussed

  • Meet Sara Heger | LinkedIn
  • Sara’s Water Heroes:
    • Her father, a farmer who cared for his land sustainably and encouraged her to be an engineer
    • Lori Frekot, a former coworker and mentor at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
  • Sara’s previous episode: TT055 – A Look at Progress and Needs in the Decentralized Wastewater Industry
  • What is septage and why is it a growing challenge?
  • The capacity crunch at wastewater treatment plants
  • Emerging contaminants in septage: PFAS and beyond
  • What homeowners can do at the source
  • The data gap: we don’t know where our septic systems are
  • The case for requiring septage capacity in publicly funded infrastructure
  • Toward smarter septage management: measurement, models, and resource recovery
  • Connect with the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association

“It should be required that if you are getting grants and loans that are subsidized by all of us, then we should be looking at ‘where is wastewater treatment needed and how do decentralized systems fit into that management?’”

Sara Heger

Go Further

You’re invited to discuss the episode in our LinkedIn Group. If you decide to share on Twitter, please use the hashtag #TapTalkPodcast. And, of course, make sure to subscribe in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

About the Guest

Dr. Sara Heger was most recently a researcher and instructor at the University of Minnesota in the Onsite Sewage Treatment Program in the Water Resources Center. She conducted research and provides education & technical assistance to homeowners, small communities, onsite professionals, and local units of government regarding decentralized wastewater treatment. She also coordinated the research program at the university focusing on issues related to decentralized wastewater, chlorides, and milk house process water. Sara has served as president of the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association, on the NSF International Committee on Wastewater Treatment Systems, and Minnesota’s SSTS Advisory Committee.

She has a BS in Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering as well as a MS and PhD in Water Resource Science, all from the University of Minnesota.