If your home is in a municipality in Chatham County, NC, it’s highly likely that you’re on a sewer system. It’s highly likely that the sewer system is a public system as opposed to a private sewer system. With a public sewer system, there’s an extensive pipe system in the municipality that raw sewage is flushed into and treated. Some subdivisions like Devil’s Ridge, Farrington, Governor’s Club or Reserve are on private sewer systems where the effluent is ultimately returned to the golf courses. A wastewater fee is typically charged by a private company for this service.
With a septic system, you literally have a tank buried in your back yard. Upon flushing, the effluent goes through your private system into that tank. The solid effluent is at the bottom and liquid is on top. It dissipates into the back yard, and nobody really notices except that the grass might be a bit greener where it dissipates.
There are certain things that you can’t do with a septic system like putting harsh chemicals in your system, they’ll kill the bacteria that make a septic system work. Then, your septic system won’t be breaking down the effluent. The basic difference between septic and sewer is that a septic system is a private system in your back yard. Sewer is a public system, but sometimes private. In Chatham County, if you’re sitting on an acre or acre and a half in Chatham County, you’re likely on a septic system. If you’re in a municipality on a quarter of an acre, you’re probably on a sewer system.