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April 29, 2002 Septic System Inspection required by the Feds

The MLA should make sure the Kalkaska County Commissioners do it right.

INCREASED SEPTIC SYSTEM INSPECTION PROPOSED BY DAN WEST STAFF WRITER As county officials draft an ordinance requiring septic inspections, Drain Commissioner John McCulloch is pushing for inspections every five years. This is more frequent compared to rules in other counties. Federal regulations require communities to develop septic inspection programs by March 2003. Other counties, such as Wayne and Washtenaw, require these inspections and completion of mandated repairs before a house can be sold. What about homeowners, however, who hold on to their properties for years? “There’s concerns with many older waterfront homes with old septics in this county,” said McCulloch, who added his biggest concern involves homes around Wolverine Lake in Commerce Township. There are some 80,000 Oakland County dwellings tied to septic systems for disposal of wastewater. Many of these dwellings were built several decades ago as cottages. McCulloch fears many of these septics are aging and leaking. For septic-using homes that use wells for water, he said drinking water could be tainted. If there are leaky septics near lakes, dangerous levels of bacteria can infest areas where people swim, boat and fish. “In Wayne and Washtenaw, based on numbers from their inspections, they’ve found 30 percent of septics have failed,” McCulloch said. “We believe that number is closer to 40 percent in Oakland.” This is why McCulloch favors septic inspections every five years. These inspections, conducted by private companies during a pumping, cost up to $300 each. If violations are found, the homeowners need to correct them with repairs that could cost anywhere between a $30 for a part and $30,000 to install a new, engineered system. Financing programs such as federal government-backed loans and special tax assessment districts, a program used for new sidewalks and paved roads will be made available to Oakland residents who need expensive repairs, McCulloch said. County Commissioner Charles Palmer (R-Clawson) is concerned this inspection law will produce unnecessary government intrusions, but McCulloch said the county has no choice. Some of Palmer’s board colleagues were concerned about repair costs. “It’s not me pushing this, it’s a federal regulation,” McCulloch said. “But keep in mind, this law will help control septic systems that can compromise the quality of drinking water.” A resolution endorsing the concept of this law was already approved by the Oakland County Board of Commissioners. Specific ordinance language is being written by the drain office, health department and the county board’s planning and development committee. A draft is expected to be completed before mid-April. The health department will conduct a public hearing for scrutiny on the draft before the entire county board votes on the proposed law. This could happen in June or July. Reprinted from the OBSERVER and ECCENTRIC March 24, 2002

Story submitted by:     Bob Stein

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