SEPTIC DISCUSSION SUMMARIZED
LOCAL GOVERNMENT, REAL ESTATE LEGISLATION, SHASTA COUNTY
December 22nd, 2008
Last Thursday evening, residents from all corners of the north state packed the Shasta County Board of Supervisors Chambers to listen as State Water Quality Resource Board Members summarized the proposed statewide septic regulations then the board listened as local politicians and residents commented. None of the 30+ speakers spoke in favor of the regulations.
Aside from a few outbursts from the audience, speakers lined up in an orderly fashion to address the state bureaucrats. The majority understood these government officials had the unenviable job of drafting regulations due to a bill (AB 885) passed by our state legislature in 2000. The proceedings were civil, and at times, hilarious. One local Aussie transplant gave a spirited lecture about overly strict civil servants interfering with private property owners efforts to peacefully enjoy their rural lifestyles.
Many valid points were submitted for the board to consider, and hopefully modify the final regulations, if they deem appropriate. Review my two earlier posts on this subject for a summary of comments I presented to the board. Here are some points made by others, including several engineers that work in the field as designers or regulators:
- The cost to repair a failed septic system will be much more expensive than the numbers quoted in the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR).
- The regulations could create a black market for unscrupulous excavation contractors that will repair or replace septic systems without permits. This would happen if property owners opt to bypass local health authorities to avoid the potential cost of an alternative or engineered septic system.
- The requirement a monitoring well be installed when a new septic is installed will generate data of little value. At least three wells are needed to detect the direction of flow of the underlying water table.
- The elimination of sidewall filtration capacity when designing a leach field will likely require these fields be enlarged considerably. The new regulations will allow only the area under the leach lines be counted for percolation. If a lot has limited space, there may not be room enough for the expanded leach field.
- The requirement that septic systems and wells be tested every five years, even if no problem exists, will add millions of vehicle miles traveled yearly by well and septic engineers and pump trucks. The DEIR did not address the pollution that will be generated by these additional vehicle miles.
- Landfills have limits on how much septage can be dumped. This could create a problem of septage disposal for pump truck operators.
- The new requirements will make development of upland areas of California with rocky clay soils, high water tables, perched water tables, fractured rock or lava caps difficult or impossible, which will force growth to deeper soils typical of fertile agricultural land on the valley floors.
These regulations essentially presume a property owner is guilty of having a failing septic system or a contaminated well, until they prove their innocence by spending hundreds of dollars to periodically test both for problems. One speaker, George Theobald, got to the point when he said he tests his systems every day. He drinks a glass of water from his well in the morning, and if by noon he doesn’t have dysentery, his well is fine. He then sends his wife out into the backyard. If she doesn’t come back yelling about the stench of a failing septic system, the septic is working fine. Sorry, George, this won’t be good enough for the state come 2010!
530-224-6767 or 530-941-7492
BRAD GARBUTT
REALTOR/BROKER ASSOCIATE
REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS GMAC
QUARTER CENTURY LOCAL REAL ESTATE EXPERIENCE
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