Septic tanks are going down the drain in Lake Elmo, elsewhere in Minnesota

It's an old joke, but Al Thurmes laughs anyway.

"This job? It sucks," he said, over the roar of his vacuum-cleaning truck slurping the sewage out of a septic tank.

That describes the future of his business in Lake Elmo, too, because the city of 8,000 is installing its first sewer lines. Instead of calling on guys like Thurmes to clean septic tanks, thousands of customers soon will be flushing into new city sewers.

"We are going to lose business," said Thurmes, as he pulled out the hose and loaded it back on the truck.

The sewerizing of Lake Elmo is one phase of Minnesota's long-running battle with failing septic systems. Officials are increasingly persuading owners to replace or fix their septic systems, using incentives and low-interest loan programs.

Septic systems can be environmental time bombs.

According to Lana Meyer, owner of Meyer Sewer Service Inc. in Afton, septic systems cost $6,000 to $14,000 to replace.

The systems flow sewage into a septic tank, which retains most of the solids. The overflow runs into a network of perforated underground pipes, where it is naturally cleaned as it seeps into the ground.

But without maintenance, the pipes get clogged and wastewater backs up, eventually forming puddles on the ground.

"Then it is an imminent health threat," said Jeff Travis, a manager in the Washington County Health Department.

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Septic tanks are going down the drain in Lake Elmo, elsewhere in Minnesota