How About Septic Tank Inspections?

Nothing nearly as big at last night's board meeting as at the January meeting. Instead of a crowd of 60, we had a crowd of one (thanks, Bill, for dropping by to keep us honest!).

We considered a number of options for the district's next major project. The option that bubbled up to the surface was a septic tank inspection regime. The district currently inspects all septic systems when they are installed to make sure they meet the proper size specifications for the number of residents or users for the building. But after that, nothing. Some folks move out here to the lake and have no idea how their septic system works, or even where it is. And a lot of systems aren't even in our records.

Given that a central sewer system remains a distant hope, perhaps the best way for the district to carry out its obligation to protect water quality in the lake is to be a little more proactive with regards to the on-site systems we have. We discussed creating a septic system inspection regime. Basically, homeowners would have to certify that they've had their septic system properly inspected every so many years.

How often? Well, one consultant offers the following table for calculating how often a septic tanks requires service, based on tank size and number of users:

Table I. Septic Tank Pumping Frequency in Years
.	Household size - Number of Occupants
.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Tank-Gallons	Septic Tank Pumping Frequency in Years
500*	5.8	2.6	1.5	1.0	0.7	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.1	--
750*	9.1	4.2	2.6	1.8	1.3	1.0	0.7	0.6	0.4	0.3
900	11.0	5.2	3.3	2.3	1.7	1.3	1.0	0.8	0.7	0.5
1000	12.4	5.9	3.7	2.6	2.0	1.5	1.2	1.0	0.8	0.7
1250	15.6	7.5	4.8	3.4	2.6	2.0	1.7	1.4	1.2	1.0
1500	18.9	9.1	5.9	4.2	3.3	2.6	2.1	1.8	1.5	1.3
1750	22.1	10.7	6.9	5.0	3.9	3.1	2.6	2.2	1.9	1.6
2000	25.4	12.4	8.0	5.9	4.5	3.7	3.1	2.6	2.2	2.0
2250	28.6	14.0	9.1	6.7	5.2	4.2	3.5	3.0	2.6	2.3
2500	30.9	15.6	10.2	7.5	5.9	4.8	4.0	3.5	3.0	2.6

At my house, we have three residents contributing to a 1500-gallon tank. This table says we should get our tank pumped every 5.9 years. (We'll actually call the honey wagon every three years, just to be safe.)

Now if the board passed a mandatory inspection regime, it would be a mess assigning a different time frame for each building. We'd likely settle for an average that would ensure at least some accountability for every system.

To come up with a fair average, though, and to come up with other criteria to make an inspection regime worthwhile, we need some input. Before we pass any ordinance, we're going to invite the septic installers and inspectors in Lake County to our next meeting to tell us how often they generally recommend inspecting tanks and what they can determine in regular inspections. We'll also check with the DENR to ask them what objective criteria they set for septic tanks and ask what inspection regimes other districts may be using. And as always, we'll welcome your input as well. Comment here, call us, come to the meeting (Wednesday, April 23, 6:30 p.m., Madison Public Library meeting room).

Once we get some more information, we'll see whether an inspection regime would be practical. It's likely that if we do start any inspection regime, we'll combine it with some educational efforts. But you don't have to wait around for us to come by with a folder and a rule: there's lots of information online for homeowners who want to take good care of their septic systems and keep them working for a very long time.

Remember: maintaining your septic system may sound yucky, but it's good for the lake and for your pocketbook. If you can't remember the last time you had your septic system checked, that's a good sign that your tank is due for some attention.