However, by the 1920’s automobiles began changing how Americans lived and played. They released people from the bonds of the city and allowed them to roam the uncharted country back roads and trails. Occasionally the more adventuring souls would find a lake in the wilderness that had been virtually untouched from the beginning of time. The fishing was so good (as Grampa used to put it) that, "You had to hide behind a tree to bait your hook."

Naturally, no red-blooded sportsman could pass up such a hidden treasure so he would stake his claim by purchasing a postage-sized parcel of shore land. Now it was "his lake." As the seasons came and went, a small fishing shack was built with the barest essentials. But as his family grew and the kids and wife wanted to come with dad on his fishing trips he knew he would have to expand and install some of the creature comforts people were becoming accustomed to. Although Mom enjoyed getting back to nature, a few strategic insect bites prompted the addition of an indoor toilet.

Of course this was a weekend cabin with a limited budget so the money was used judiciously. Unfortunately very little thought was put into dealing with the wastewater generated by this expanding cabin. A high tech septic system was a 55 gallon drum (shot full of holes) buried in the yard. A low tech system was a straight pipe that went directly from the toilet to the lake. As disgusting as this sounds, this type of set up was not all that bad, with only one or two cabins on the lake and only used a few weekends a year, the damages were negligible and nature could keep up. Where the real damages began was with not with grandpa, but with his kids, the next generation of cabin users.

You see when Grandpa got to the age where keeping up a cabin was more work than fun, he either sold it or passed it on to his kids. Grandpa was satisfied with the barest essentials, this was after all a fishing shack. However the next generation were not content with these cramped, spartan quarters and began some serious changes to the cabin. Soon these one and two room shacks were sporting two and three bedroom additions, two bathrooms and a screened in porch.

Of course with such nice facilities encouraged "going to the cabin" for weeks, even the entire summer. Also sharing the "lake experience" with your closest friends was a regular occurrence which encouraged another situation....Soon you were not the only cabin on the lake.

By the 1950’s people were buying lake front property and building cabins at a feverish pitch. This process was made even easier with our improving road systems. What used to be a three hour drive on bumpy back roads was now a 45 minute jaunt on a smooth cushion of blacktop highway. This, combined with the urban sprawl, were turning many of the weekend cabins into full time residences. By the 60’s and 70’s, these lake front hideaways had become congested lake front communities.

The problem was, most of these areas were still considered undeveloped and no building codes [per dealing with wastewater] were enacted yet. If there were any codes they were seldom enforced. Many of the original fishing shacks had been replaced with modern full sized homes, yet they were still using the same direct discharge to the lake method of wastewater disposal.

Now, after the horse had left the barn, the government realized that something had to be done. So they began developing code requirements for these cabin owners. However, many of these people had inherited their property, they knew nothing about the waste disposal problem and did not feel they should be penalized for something their Grandfathers did. Many of them justified themselves by saying "It was good enough for Grand dad, it’s good enough for me."

Also, the damage to a lake is gradual. The people that had lived on these lakes for years had not’t noticed the changes, the excessive weeds, algae and the smell. And the stories the old timers told about being able to see the bottom [of the lake] at 20 feet were considered "fish stories."

Naturally, the method many of the government agencies used to enact these changes was less than effective. Typically they would go into an area and tell people they had to spend lots of money on these upgrades, but they never bothered to tell people why. Getting people to spend thousands of dollars to change things is tough enough. Many people felt it was and still is nothing more than bureaucratic red-tape, more needless regulations that costs the taxpayers money.

The sad fact is, if someone bothered to tell these people of the health and environmental damages they were doing, and throw in the fact that if their lake becomes a health hazard, their property will be worthless, most will voluntarily upgrade their systems. Those that don’t will be ostracized by their neighbors, after all, no one wants to drink today what the neighbors had for dinner last night.

Education and knowledge is a powerful tool and a vital part of effectively cleaning up one of the most common forms of pollution in this country today.