Bitter temperatures bring out rural ingenuity

Lee and Dorothy Dadisman, of rural Nevada, are actually thankful for the snow this year its providing them with water while their pipes are frozen and their septic tank is not working as intended, frozen by the frost that has extended several feet beneath the surface.

The Dadismans bring snow into the house in five-gallon buckets; they let it melt, filter the water through a kitchen strainer and use it as needed around their farmstead, heating water in a kettle for bathing.

Its probably easier for us than it would be for younger people, said Dorothy, 77, about their situation. We grew up carrying water and using an outhouse when we were younger.

The warmth of the community has shone through these bitterly cold temperatures in the Dadismans time of need. An email was sent to members of Colos United Methodist Church one morning explaining the situation, and by the end of the day, the church had collected over 50 jugs for the couple to use for water collection and storage.

People in the community offered the use of their washers, but Dorothy prefers to head into Nevada to do several loads of laundry at once.

The Dadismans have lived at their address for over 40 years, but their septic problems began this winter. The couple added a bedroom onto the home in the spring of 2012, forcing them to move the septic tank to a different location. Their homes wastewater now must travel further from the house to the tank. Despite 2013-14 only being the systems second year in use, the Dadismans have already had to deal with more issues than they have in previous winters. They think that, because of the long distance between their house and the septic tank, the pipes do not stay warm enough to allow for the required amount of movement.

Story County Environmental Health Department Director Margaret C. Jaynes said that septic tank freezes are a widespread problem this winter not just in Story County, but across the entire upper Midwest. The daunting problem stems from the dry soil, an early deep freeze in December without snow cover for insulation, and the extreme depth of the frost. Jaynes noted that this is the first time in her 20-year tenure that her department has fielded more than a handful of frozen system calls. Frost levels are around four-and-a-half feet in compacted areas like driveways or areas without vegetative cover. Jaynes has also heard from a local septic system contractor and grave digger who has had to thaw grave sites for the first time in nine years. The soil in Story County also prevents rural homeowners from digging their septic lines deep enough because of the possible negative impact on groundwater.

State code restricts the installation of septic lines to no more than 3 freet, and a minimum of 3-feet above the seasonal water table. That means the average depth of the septic lines is 2 feet, according to the code.

As for the Dadismans, their only option right now is for their septic company to pump hot water through the system until the ground thaws and to use their houses heat to melt snow.

If we didnt have electricity, wed have to move out for a little while, notes Lee.

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Bitter temperatures bring out rural ingenuity