HEATHER BOA Bullet News CLINTON – Stretching mandatory septic system re-inspections to once a decade will be the only way Huron County staff can reach every one of the 14,000 systems during a cycle, predicts a councillor from the Municipality of Central Huron.
Alex Westerhout said the alternative would be to hire more inspectors to hit the targeted 14,000 inspections every five years, a move that would drive up the estimated cost of $155 per inspection.
“It doesn’t look like it’s a doable thing,” he said. ���On the surface it looks like a great program and I agree it probably should be looked at. I really do think you should look at a 10-year [re-inspection] even though you say it has to be done every five years. Guess what? Every 10 years is better than what we’re doing now.”
On Aug. 8, 2012, county council decided to pursue an inspection program that would see septic system owners pay five instalments of $31 on their tax bill to cover the $155 inspection cost every five years. Under the proposal, each municipality will decide whether to contract with the county’s health unit or undertake the inspections using their own staff. The health unit expects to hire one additional inspector and rely on a fleet of summer students to complete inspections after haulers pump out.
Of the 14,000 septic systems in Huron County, there are records or permits for 10,000, meaning “there are 4,000 out there that are suspected to have either been installed prior to records or either on weekends or evenings without any permits to begin with,” said former county warden Bernie MacLellan, who accompanied Bob Worsell, the county’s public health manager, to answer questions from the municipal councillors.
Under the Clean Water Act, which came out of the inquiry into the Walkerton water scandal, amendments to the Ontario Building Code allow mandatory inspections that take into consideration the source of the water supply and ground water levels.
The plan requires a triple majority, meaning it needs approval by the majority of county council, the majority of the municipal councils in the county, and those municipal council that voted in favour must collectively represent the majority of voters across the county.
Councillors also raised concerns about the potential of confrontation between homeowners and summer students, asked about a phased-in approach that begins with the lakeshore and suggested including mandatory septic inspections when homes are sold.
David Jewitt, who is the municipality’s deputy mayor, said council should consider the intent of the program in making its decision to support or not support mandatory septic system re-inspections.
“Certainly I can understand the concerns with the process, although I think it’s somewhat disingenuous and I think it should be judged on the merit of the program itself,” he said.
“I think the intent of the program is to try to clean up some of the issues that we know are out there so if we judge it solely on that, I think it’s a program we should be supporting,” Jewitt said.
Central Huron deferred its decision last night, even as it remains the last municipality in the county to vote.
One Comment on "Ten-year mandatory septic re-inspection more doable, says councillor"
A decade between inspections. County councillors cannot be serious about this!! More inspections equal more inspectors. So if we in this County of ours, Huron County, are serious about more jobs then of course we either hire more staff OR farm the septic tank inspection service out to a newly incorporated business. This cost of septic inspections could in many cases be a tax deductable item.