County coming down on septic systems,, opinions wanted.

[Beltzington]

Wife and I recently received a letter in the mail from the county health department concerning septic systems in the county. Evidently every home owner that lives in the country or has a private septic system will receive one of these letters over the next year or two. I am going to write a section from that letter and see if any of you have a response.

I don't have an answer to your question but am curious if you had any previous notification of the county's decision to change the laws. We recently received notification of city/county water being considered for our area, I personally would prefer county sewage be made available but I have not installed a septic system yet although I do have a well. I also googled how health departments derived their authority and did not find any clear explanation. Appears if somebody decides their is a health risk they can proceed with enforcement regardless of cost to the property owner. Maybe someone could enlighten us on the scope of the local health dept power. Good luck to you.

 

[wagne223]

Sounds to me like the septic providers bribed the county council to pass new legislation.

Anyway, how much is the service?

The only way out would be to get several property owners together, and hire a lawyer to sue the county. You could probably be successful at getting the interval increased to 3 or 5 years. It would force the county to prove why they went from no inspections to annual inspections.

 

[Diggin It]

Wife and I recently received a letter in the mail from the county health department concerning septic systems in the county. Evidently every home owner that lives in the country or has a private septic system will receive one of these letters over the next year or two. I am going to write a section from that letter and see if any of you have a response.
Requirements: Your septic system must be serviced one time per year by a manufacturer qualified service person.

Seems more of nanny state BS. Every year is ridiculous. Being forced to have the system checked (outside of a sale) at all is ridiculous.

Sounds to me like the septic providers bribed the county council to pass new legislation.

Exactly my thought. Reads like it was written by a Septic company to ensure continued business. Lats time mine was opened was in '99 not too long after I bought this place. Nobody remembered when it was done before that. No inspections here at all.

 

[herm0016]

We just had our system replaced and it was a huge headache.

our new system is 8 x 96 foot latterals with infiltraters ( plastic domes) and a 1500 gallon usable tank. it took a crew a week to install and we had to cut down half of our trees. I am fairly certian that the my giant apple in the center of our yard is going to die due to the digging as well.

we have crazy requirements for the systems, but no annual inspection requirement.

 

[fishheadbob]

You don't give us a lot of background info.
What type of soil are you on? What's the reason your county went onto such a strict routine? Maybe what they're doing is reasonable, maybe not? You need to get more information. Try calling your Health Dept. or county legislator, or alderman, whatever they're called where you live. Maybe all the drinking water is crawling with e-coli because of lousy systems. Maybe the local waterways are full of algal growth because lots of people still have pipes into the lake for waste removal. Maybe many people still have a pipe into the woods and no more like my house had until the 1980s. I would guess that they're looking for the lousy or non-existent systems, but if they just go after the known stinkers they will miss a lot more than they find, and someone else would start a thread about selective enforcement.

FWIW in N.Y. a septic inspection is required on sale of property or on obvious malfunctioning systems. The usual method is to dump some dye down the toilet then come back in a few days to see what surfaces.
And yes, once a year sure sounds excessive.

 

[wagne223]

Exactly my thought. Reads like it was written by a Septic company to ensure continued business. Lats time mine was opened was in '99 not too long after I bought this place. Nobody remembered when it was done before that. No inspections here at all.

Yeah, dont get me wrong, we need some oversight to make sure our waste does not contaminate drinking water or bodies of water.

What I dont like is Gov overreach. Going from no inspections to every year is suspicious.

The studies and reports are public records so the OP should easily be able to get that.
Who owns the company that did the study will tell if it is a legitimate study or not.

Also, there should have been council meetings on this.

I advise everyone to get on your local government email list. You will get an email of upcoming meetings and the agendas. If something like this is on the agenda you need to attend the meeting.

 

[RustyA]

Wisconsin is mandatory service every 3 years. Pump tank, clean tank filter if equipped, inspect tank for cracks from inside. Service provider returns card to county certifying system is in good working order. Minnesota this same service is required for any property transfer with private septic. Once per year is crazy, most providers say 3-5 years depending on system size and load. Newer systems have an inspection cap and end of each leg of drainfield for observing any outflow that indicates a problem with percolation.

 

[Lelandwelds]

Sure seems excessive.

Are you leaving any info out? Is your county a superfund site? Are there lakes and waterways everywhere? Was there an e. Coli or cholera outbreak? Is the Commissioners Court full of septic company spouses?

It takes about five years to fill my tank up with solids enough where pumping is needed. I compost instead of use a garbage disposal. Grease goes to the garbage or maybe the dogs. No filters or air blowers to fail. Grinder pumps are reliable. I have four 750 gallon chambers and a stamped, engineered system.

It has been boringly reliable. Thank goodness.

 

[HEC]

Be glad you don't live in an area of Port Charlotte Fl.. My buddy moved there a couple years ago and just got a letter stating they were putting in a sewer system and everyone must hook up to it at a cost of each home to the tune of $18,000 , to be paid in full or over 10 years plus interest . They are seriously thinking of moving out of Fl. . They do live on a canal so that might be a reason for the sewer system , I don't know .

 

[turnkey4099]

Mine was last pumped four years ago. I just did my 6 month eval last week. Based upon the solids accumulation in the first compartment of the septic tank - I'll be able to go, at least, another 12 to 14 years before needing to be pumped. Its only me on a system designed to handle six people.

However - as efficient as you may feel a septic system is - even a system with such light loading as mine or Gary F - they will need eventual pumping.

My pressure drain field area alway looks really weird this time of year. Three bright green rows - each 100 feet long by 2 feet wide - in an otherwise sea of dead field/bunch grass.

This time of year and until late Sept or mid Oct - the scene out here is tan, tan and a lot more tan. And still another day of smoke, ash & crud from area wildfires.

I'd have to check the records to know when my last pump out was. It wasn't even needed then. Used to be about $300. Doubled the last time it was pumped. There is only me now so I don't expect to be calling a for a pump out for many years. The system was new in 1967. I have heard reports that system inspections will be required in the near future.

Whitman co, Wa. South of OOsiks county.