By Sept. 15, Minnesota should know the location of all septic systems in the state. An audit was ordered by legislative action in 2009 requiring “directly or indirectly inspecting and providing an inventory for all subsurface sewage treatment systems.” It calls for direct inspection of each system “on riparian land or lake or near wetlands or other sensitive waters” to see if they are failing or provide an imminent health threat.
Minnesota has seen an increase in funding for sewage programs through the Clean Water Legacy sales tax amendment passed by voters in 2008. It raised the sales tax from 6.5 percent to 6.875 percent from July 1, 2009, through June 2034. A third of the revenue, expected to be $80 million in 2010, is earmarked for cleanwater projects.
Connecticut
The state Department of Environmental Engineering is changing to electronic distribution for all notices, training announcements and circular letters and will no longer use postal mail. To sign up, e-mail your electronic contact information to Kathy.graff@ct.gov. The change does not affect notifications from local health departments or sanitarians.
Indiana
The state Court of Appeals has ordered the City of Indianapolis to refund nearly $9,000 to each of 30 homes forced to abandon their septic tanks and hook up to the city’s sewer system. A class action lawsuit sought reimbursement for those who paid the 2004 special assessments in full rather than on installment plans.
When the city later changed its policy to require a flat fee of $2,500, those on payment plans were forgiven their outstanding balances, but those who had already paid received no relief. The city was also ordered to pay interest on the money along with the plaintiffs’ attorney fees.
Maryland
In response to President Barack Obama’s executive order calling for an overhaul of the Chesapeake Bay environmental restoration, a 24-point strategy sent to the Administration is said to be more stringent than a plan being developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
An official with the EPA says local and state cooperation will be necessary because the Clean Water Act does not have authority over septic systems and other matters. Officials promised a cleanup by 2010, but the effort has fallen about 40 percent short of goals. Maryland funded upgrades to about 1,000 septic systems, according to the Washington Post, but many of the state’s 420,000 systems need upgrades as well.
Michigan
A troubled septage plant in Traverse City nearly broke even in 2009, but still faces about $3 million in losses over the next five years. A holding tank collapsed shortly after the plant opened in 2005. Attorneys are looking into questions over liability for design problems and an independent review issued in January cited a lack of reasonable professional care on behalf of engineers and project managers.
Local governments issued nearly $8 million in guaranteed bonds to fund the project. The report states, “It is unlikely the aeration tanks were tested prior to the certificate of substantial completion or they would have collapsed then.” It also says the engineering firm that planned for, designed and built the facility overstated estimated volumes, leading to lower-than-expected revenues.
Missouri
Gov. Jay Nixon proposed changes to state law to help clean up the Lake of the Ozarks and other state waters. Among other things, the proposal would give the state power to inspect septic tanks, including 50,000 septic systems near the lake, a popular tourist destination.
The owners of failed septic systems could be ordered to make repairs, connect to a sewer system, or stop using the system. Nixon announced his proposal in December, several months after a newspaper investigation found that the state Department of Natural Resources had withheld a report revealing dangerous levels of E. coli bacteria in the Lake of the Ozarks. The Senate Environmental Committee is investigating the incident, which caused five DNR officials to leave the agency, and led to a two-week suspension for its director.
New York
The Catskill Watershed Corp. is offering assistance to homeowners in the Catskill-Delaware watershed who paid for the repair or replacement of septic systems in 2009. The agency will reimburse the cost for work done outside the priority areas for its Septic Repair and Rehabilitation Program if they were approved by the Department of Environmental Protection. Full-time residents are eligible for 100 percent reimbursement. Part-time residents can get 60 percent of their costs reimbursed.
