Indiana

The Charlestown City Council adopted an ordinance to penalize residents with onsite systems in two subdivisions who do not connect to the district's sewer in 30 days. About 15 to 20 homeowners face fines of $50 to $1,500 each day if they do not pay the $1,600 impact fee and $2,300 connection charge.

Minnesota

Mower County will examine 1,800 onsite systems spread over 16 townships to ensure that they comply with regulations adopted in 2009. Counties have until 2014 to complete the process. Two inspectors who answered the county's request for proposals will conduct the work. County officials estimate that 180 systems pose a health risk.

New Mexico

Contractors who pump septage now must be certified through the National Association of Wastewater Technicians vacuum truck technician training program or an equivalent program approved by the state Environment Department. At least one qualified person must be on site during every pumpout.

New York

More than 4,000 septic systems have been repaired or replaced since 1997 to protect groundwater in the Catskill-Delaware watershed. Owners of failed residential and small business septic systems can receive assistance from the Catskill Watershed Corp. if they are located within 250 feet of a waterway. Full-time property owners get 100 percent funding of eligible costs and part-time residents get 60 percent. There is an assistance program to help maintain systems installed since 1995. Homeowners can get up to 50 percent funding for inspections and pumping.

Washington

Staff from Clark County Public Health and Washington State University Clark County Extension plan to offer hands-on training classes to homeowners on how to inspect their gravity-feed onsite systems. The new hands-on format, if approved by the county health board in late November, aims to save homeowners money and invest them in their systems. Certification enables homeowners to have a professional inspection every six years instead of every three years. The county has more than 30,000 onsite systems, 80 percent of which are gravity-feed systems.