Top Science Fair Entry on Septic Systems

Astronaut Clay Anderson awarded Ronnie Brust first place for her project at the Strategic Air and Space Museum, competing with over 70 entries from schools in eastern Nebraska.

Ronnie, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Russell Brust, Ithaca, needed a project to enter in the 5th, 6th, and 7th grade 2008 science fair. She decided to focus on her father's area of employment – septic systems. Learning that toilet paper often causes problems for septic tanks by clogging up the inlet tees or baffles, Ronnie learned that toilet paper that breaks down during the flushing process is the best choice for septic system users. So Ronnie set out to determine how different types of toilet paper fared during flushing.

To model the flushing process, she built a water-filled shaker to control water and agitation in her experiment. Then she tested 6 brands of toilet paper, with each receiving the same number of shakes with equal force. She conducted 4 trials on each of the brands of toilet paper. She noted that each of the brands had labels that read “safe for septic systems” but that this wasn't always the case. Some brands broke down better and faster than others. Ronnie made a poster with the results of her test .

Congratulations, Ronnie! We hope you continue to conduct research on septic systems.