OK, I know of someone whose home has a septic tank. I don’t know the details, but the bottom line is that it doesn’t seem to work well. There are, ahem, “boggy” spots in outlying areas from it.
In addition, at the bottom of the hill is a pond. There is definitely seepage from the the tank to the pond.
So. . . any chance the fish would be safe to eat? I don’t mind taking my chances with mercury, but sewage. . . .
I sure wouldn’t eat anything downstream from a leaky septic tank!!!
I can’t answer your main question, but if the possibly leaky septic tank bothers you (and it should), contact the local government sanitarian or health office. There are usually laws that prohibit this kind of behaviour and the owner will be forced to fix it.
There is a fair chance you could get away with eating fish from that pond if you are in good health. That said, don’t do it unless you enjoy the contents of your stomach coming out one end or the other at roughly the speed of sound.
I’d throw back the brown trout…
The seepage is usually the drain field. Raw sewage is spilled in flooded areas.
Here in the land of sky blue waters, there are many systems that still daylight the drain fields. They are being upgraded when property is sold, and also when building permits are applied for.
As for eating fish, Just where do you think the fish poop?, and the ducks, Geese, frogs, beaver etc.
Most of the problems caused by septic overflow is high nitrogen and that causes algae blooms.
Fish don’t carry hep C, cholera and other nasty things like humans.
By your logic, we should never eat fish at all.
Don’t you think dilution should be considered? A septic system is concentrated poop; a healthy lake or river is not.
There are some that could fit that but I would be much more concerned with chemical than I would with the bacteria.
The bacteria from animals like ducks and beaver have sickened many people. Its got a lot to do on your exposure to these bacteria.
Hey do you know where most septic pumping loads get dumped?
Maybe you don’t want to know, or you shouldn’t know!
Our municipal sewage system is piped into ponds, and then released into the Mississippi water way via 1 very nice lake. No chemicals are used at any time to treat the sewage. The ducks love to sit in the stinking pond # 1 that is mostly # 2 
One of my duck hunting buddies kids were bringing ducks home from the ponds, as the shooting was out of this world. He said the ducks smelled like shit. Then he found out where the boys were shooting them :smack:
The boys were trespassing. :dubious: