Published June 2007

Letters to the Editor

(page 12)

Readers sound off on 'A Wake-Up Call,' which was printed in the April issue.

Thanks for lid security reminder

Dear Editor:

Great article! (“A Wake-Up Call,’’ April Reading Between the Lines) It is important that we continue to “hammer home” this message! I have to continue to admonish people with regard to the safety hazard of an unsecured lid.

Unfortunately, I have had to write a letter to a county health department about an inspection protocol, whereby the regulator required that the lids to the tank be left unsecured until they could inspect it, simply because the person did not want to carry the tools necessary to unscrew the lid. We have had our share of completely unnecessary and preventable deaths of children in Michigan due to open access to septic tanks. This is simply unacceptable negligence to safety!

We have made it our company policy to never, never, never leave a site without securing the lid and making it child-proof. When no other means were available, I have often rolled the largest rock I could find on top of a makeshift cover until I could return with an appropriate and safe lid. Even though the homeowner may not have small children, the neighbors certainly may. Like it was mentioned in the column, we fence around a swimming pool to protect the neighbor’s kids, too.

We will certainly incorporate this message into the newsletter of our state association, the Michigan Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association, to drive home the importance of this danger.

Thanks for your diligence.

Mike Stephens

Stephens Consulting Services

Haslett, Mich.

Tragedy shows importance of system maintenance

Dear Editor:

I just read, with horror, your editorial (“A Wake-Up Call,’’ April Reading Between the Lines) regarding the 3-year-old boy who drowned in a septic tank. My heart goes out to the parents of that little boy, as well as to the owners of the home where this tragedy occurred. This is something they will have to live with for the rest of their lives, knowing that a simple repair could have been made to avoid this truly unnecessary tragedy.

I am not trying to be critical of any one individual, however, I have two questions that I feel to be of major concern:

1. Why would anyone allow a 3-year-old boy to walk by himself (and on a very foggy night, as your article indicated) to an unattended vehicle, while going back inside to collect another child?

2. Why was this riser above ground? Why was it simply not brought to ground level and covered with something a little safer than a plastic lid? In my own yard, my septic has been brought to grade with a riser and covered with a concrete manhole cover, allowing easy access when it’s time to have the tank pumped, but still making for a safe area. My previous home had the septic brought to grade and covered with a metal manhole cover.

While I am not professing to be an expert in the septic business (my expertise lies in portable restroom rentals and service), I have been involved to a point in my family’s septic business over the years and cannot recognize any good reason for a riser to bring the opening of a septic tank above ground, rather than to grade.

A horrific tragedy occurred here, but I believe that more than just the homeowner’s failure to make a repair (regardless of whether they knew what repair was necessary or how to make the repair) was at the forefront of this tragedy.

Linda L. Conrad

North Jersey Portable Toilets Inc.

Sparta, N.J.