There’s an ongoing debate in the world of septic systems about how well they work and how often they fail. Of course professionals know they work fine, and last long, if they are installed correctly, and if they are maintained properly.
That second “if” is the big one, and it’s at the heart of controversies over local ordinances to require homeowners to have their septic systems inspected and cleaned periodically. There seems to be almost a frontier mentality that says if I live in the country and own a septic system, no one should be able to tell me what to do with it.
Well, South Dakota’s Pennington County recently collected some data that shows what can happen when septic system owners are simply left to their devices. According to the Rapid City Journal, a county ordinance regulating septic systems, passed in July 2010, came with controversy. “Opponents said there’s no proof that septic systems were polluting groundwater and, besides, owners are capable of maintaining their own systems without inspections,” said an editorial in that newspaper.
But after the ordinance was adopted, the county sent letters to the owners of about 750 systems – out of the 5,000 or so systems in all – saying those systems were on the schedule to be pumped and inspected.
“The inspections so far have found 56 systems with ‘minor’ repairs needed and 105 systems that required ‘major’ repairs, including 10 systems with overflowing drainfields,” the paper reported. That first set of letters focused on properties closest to streams and groundwater.
The newspaper’s editorial board concluded that this data justified the ordinance – that clearly may people were not taking care of their systems, and therefore the ordinance was not just a “costly intrusion on private property” as its opponents claimed.
A logical question is: What sort of results would be typical if all counties’ systems were inspected? What do you think the results would be in the counties where you work? If you have impressions on this topic, send a note to editor@onsiteinstallers.com. We’ll publish your comments in an upcoming issue of Onsite Installer magazine.
