The other day I was
clearing moss from around the hatch to the septic tank. I lifted the
metal hatch to ease some moss out to find that we have squatters in
the septic tank. One – a large toad – was on the ledge where the
hatch sits. Further down what I think was a frog could be seen with
its head stuck into a hole where the pipe from the cellar pump sits.
It was just like a small child playing hide and seek – “If I
can't see you, you can't see me.” A movement in the water revealed
two more frogs or toads. Goodness knows how many there are living in
the tank, as the area of water revealed by the hatch makes up not a
twelfth of the water surface and no doubt there were more in the
depths.
I was surprised by our
squatters, as I had always thought the water coming from the house
with its mix of detergent and other chemicals would have caused them
problems. But I suppose the majority of the water going in is pure
spring water and the silt at the bottom must be feeding all sorts of
worms and other food. That combined with the protection from
predators and cold weather, probably makes the septic an amphibian
des' res'. I put the hatch back carefully so as not crush the toad
and let my squatters get on with it.
