How Do We Convince Homeowners Onsite Systems Are A Smart Investment?

Residents in a small Iowa town are rattled by the projected cost of a new community onsite system. How do we convince them of the value of wastewater treatment?

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Some homeowners need to adjust their priorities. Case in point is the community of Alexander, Iowa, in the north-central part of the state, where residents have been warned for years of the need to upgrade their onsite wastewater systems. Faced with a threat of a $5,000 per day fine for failing to upgrade their wastewater disposal, the townsfolk gathered recently to rail over their plight.

From an account published in the local Belmont Independent newspaper, this small Iowa town doesn’t sound anything like that quaint, fictional River City from The Music Man. Residents sounded a whole lot more ornery and ignorant about the importance of advanced wastewater handling.

“People move to small towns because it is inexpensive to live here,” local Council Member Tom Schear was quoted as saying during a three-hour meeting. “Do we save money for our kids’ college education, or pay it to flush our toilets? The damage caused by the DNR is worse than a tornado. They are a sociopathic, criminal organization. We can never get out from under the DNR. We’ll die first.”

COST AN ISSUE

Rather than a patchwork of outdated and poorly performing septic systems, the state would like to see Alexander build a community system where pipes connected to each house pump waste to a sewage lagoon. Not an uncommon solution in rural Iowa, this plan was proposed in 2010, but then no action was taken. The lagoon system is seen as more cost-effective and viable than replacing all the individual inadequate onsite systems.

Cost appears to be an issue for some residents. The group was told the median household income in Alexander is just under $31,000. With federal grants paying part of the bill, the 65 to 70 users would pay $40 to $45 per month to pay for the remainder of the price of the estimated $1.6
million system.

To gain an understanding of the situation in Iowa, I called Kenn Deike, of Deike Inspections, located about an hour east of Alexander. Deike is past president of the Iowa Onsite Wastewater Association (IOWWA) and works as a maintenance provider, mostly for advanced onsite systems requiring annual inspections and maintenance.

Deike explained that systems meeting safe standards in Iowa are allowed to discharge effluent to the surface rather than a drainfield. It’s common for treated wastewater to flow from the septic tank right out into a dry ditch at the road. So it’s not unusual for homeowners to expect to incur little cost for wastewater disposal.

“When it comes to wastewater, it’s not supposed to cost anything,” Deike related. “You hear it … Oh my gosh, it’s going to cost $12,000 to put in a septic system, but they’ll spend $30,000 to put in kitchen cabinets. Years ago they could buy a septic tank for $1,000, run a line to a road ditch and never have to worry about it.’’

COMMON COMPLAINTS

When it comes to consumer education, Deike voices frustrations commonly heard in the onsite industry. He says many people expect they should never have to maintain a septic system and that people who move from the city to the country ignore that they should change their water usage habits.

He talks about a customer whose system failed a point-of-sale inspection.

“We haven’t done anything for 30 years, by god, I don’t understand why we have to do anything with it,’’ the homeowner said incredulously. When Deike walked him to the road to show him feces and toilet paper rolling out of the pipe, the man said, “I guess I’ve got a problem, don’t I?’’

“They think the septic system is just going to digest everything and it’s not going to fill up,’’ Deike said. “It’s just in their minds that a septic system shouldn’t cost anything … Grandpa had a system for 40 years and never did anything to it. Why do I need to now?’’

Ask Deike how to get homeowners interested in their septic systems, and he doesn’t know what to say. His state association has held workshops and they’ve expected hundreds to attend. But only a handful show up.

“I don’t have an answer for you … Just keep talking, I guess,’’ Deike said.

That’s what Deike plans to do in the future. When he eventually leaves the IOWWA Board, his mission will be to visit health department officials in all of the state’s 99 counties and try to convince them to sign on to the association’s certification program. That he wants to spend his days promoting industry professionalism and communication is to Deike’s credit, and I wish him luck with that mission.

WE’RE INDUSTRY ADVOCATES

In the spirit of continuing a dialogue, I’ll share a few talking points you can use with current or prospective customers to drive home the value of proper wastewater treatment. You may not turn them around overnight, but maybe we can make some headway.

Sanitation is the single biggest advancement in human history.

Where would we be without modern wastewater disposal? It wasn’t so long ago that my mother was born and raised on a farm and her bathroom was an outhouse behind the barn. A few hundred years ago, folks in crowded cities used a bucket that they dumped out on the street, not making the connection between unsanitary conditions and death and disease. A properly functioning onsite system is a blessing and arguably the single most important feature of your home.

You’ll recoup a portion of the cost when you sell.

People invest big dollars in their homes all the time, justifying the expense of a new kitchen or three-season room addition, for instance, by factoring in a return on that investment when they sell the house. Heck, watch the shows on cable network HGTV for five minutes and you’ll see folks who think nothing of dropping thousands of dollars on something as frivolous as a granite countertop.

What’s more important to you, a granite countertop or the ability to flush away your wastes? It would be refreshing if people thought of their septic system as an asset when it comes time to sell the house. Because that’s what it is. Did you ever try to sell a house without functioning toilets? Can you imagine what those hypercritical TV House Hunters would say when they tour a house with nonworking toilets?

Compare your costs to friends in the city.

Spread the cost of your new onsite system over its life span. If you paid $10,000 for the system and it will last 20 years, the cost is $500 per year, or less than $42 per month. Throw in an occasional inspection and tank pumping and it’s maybe $60 per month. Ask your friends or relatives in the big city what they pay for a sewer and water bill. You might be surprised how economical your onsite wastewater treatment is.

You are the protector of your drinking supply and recreational watershed.

Do your customers think of themselves as environmentalists? Maybe not in the sense of a “tree hugger,’’ but I’ll bet they care about the environment around them. Everyone wants to ensure clean, safe drinking water for themselves and their neighbors. And what about the streams and lakes in your hometown? I’ll bet people want to preserve those bodies of water for swimming, fishing and boating. Homeowners are responsible for their onsite system and need to be diligent to make sure it functions properly. Each onsite system owner is an important link in a community chain that preserves local water. If your link breaks, everyone suffers.    

MORE MONEY TALK

This month and next I’m like the stewardship committee at your local church. I’m talking money, money, money. This month we’re helping the public understand the value of investing in onsite system improvements. Next month I’ll share advice on how to justify your professional service fees to homeowners, some who might not understand the value of your expertise. 



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