As an alternative to septic inspections by onsite wastewater professionals, do-it-yourself inspections have been allowed in various counties in the state of Washington for more than a decade. Several thousand homeowners have taken certification classes that allow them to report on the performance of their onsite systems. Jane Mountjoy-Venning, senior environmental health specialist in Thurston County — which borders Puget Sound — explains to Pumper how the self-inspection program came about and how the reporting has worked out.Pumper: What was the impetus for do-it-yourself inspections?Mountjoy-Venning: One of our marine inlets experienced a shellfish harvesting downgrade, and in 2001 a Shellfish
