When it comes to land-spreading septage, you can follow the letter of the law and still face problems with your neighbors. Such is the case for Cary Zeschke, owner of Zeschke Septic Cleaning, in Bloomington, Ill.

Working closely with the local McLean County Health Department, Zeschke is permitted to spread septic waste on an 8-acre farm field. His procedures are inspected annually and he keeps careful records of when and how much he spreads on the property. He says he gets high marks from the county and the farmer who owns the land is satisfied with him.

But a few months ago, Zeschke’s operation captured the attention of a neighbor, who has started to observe his spreading and calling officials to complain, first about the odors, then about perceived environmental damage the spreading is causing. The person lodging complaints said Zeschke should be injecting the septage into the ground rather than spreading on the field.

Zeschke has introduced himself to the complaining homeowner and explained he is following the law. County health department officials have also assured the homeowner – who lives a quarter-mile from the spreading area – that Zeschke is doing nothing wrong. Still, the neighbor keeps watching and calling authorities.

“I’m trying to put him at ease, to make him understand that it’s not harmful,’’ Zeschke said. “He couldn’t grasp the fact that it was legal and said that we were poor stewards of the land.’’ Zeschke said.

Zeschke has a question for the pumping community: “Has anybody else had these problems and how do they handle it?’’ If you have comments or ideas for Zeschke, send them to me at editor@pumper.com, and I will share them in a future blog.