Septic systems can cause a stink

Rural home prices have risen because of stricter septic regulations, one man said.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
CORTLAND -- A home in the country sounds good on one level -- open spaces, clean air, peace and quiet, the sights and sounds of nature.
But in Trumbull County and places like it in the state, that idyllic picture is sometimes shattered by the problems connected with smells -- and the cost of having a septic system.
HomesIn recent years, homes with septic systems in recent years have been a headache to buy and sell, some say, because the state and county now require homeowners to pay for expensive upgrades to systems as well as annual inspection fees whenever such a home is sold and pay annual inspection fees.
Two men who attended a recent Trumbull County Health Department septic system seminar at the Agricultural Service Center said that they have made it through this process but that the effort has been painful.
Their experiences
Larry Haller, who moved into his home on Phillips-Rice Road in Mecca this summer, said he was becoming discouraged in finding a rural home because prices had gone up to cover the costs of sanitation improvements.
Haller lived in Warren for 27 years, even though he loved the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing. The previous owner of his house had to pay to have the septic system replaced at a cost of about $11,000, he said.
After doing some research, Haller learned that septic systems utilizing using a pump are more costly than others, so he looked for a home where the system wouldn't need one. He believesthinks his inspections will cost $50 every three years.
A man, who did not want to be identified bought a 36-year-old home in Johnston Township north of Cortland, did not want to be identified. "I've been a city folk for 30 years, and I came out here, and it's been a real eye-opener," he said. "I wouldn't go through it again."
The man will also pay a $50 inspection fee every year because the pump has to be inspected annually. He wondered why his perfectly good system has to be inspected every year while homes all around him have failing systems and don't get inspected.
Justifying the action
In addressing the issue, Loretta Ecklund, Trumbull County Health Department septic inspector, said, "You have to start somewhere." She said inspections will gradually cover more and more of the systems in the county as time goes on.
She and fellow inspector Richard Curl also said those homeowners with failing systems don't escape inspection completely. If a system presents a nuisance, the health department can be called out and order repairs, they explained.
Tightening enforcement
In 1997, the county instituted a program involving focused on annual septic system testing, Ecklund said. But the county wasn't enforcing those regulations completely. "The state kind of cracked down on us," she said of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
So in 2002, the county began to enforce its testing regulations, and it initiated a "point of sale" or "transfer" system that involved an inspection of any septic system involved in that was part of a sale of property, Ecklund said.
Such inspections have led to many septic systems' having to be being replaced since 2003, Curl said. About 70 percent of septic systems built before 1980 are failing and have to be replaced, he said.
Additionally, all of the systems installed or upgraded since 1997 have to be inspected annually at a cost of $50, $85 or $125 per year, Ecklund said.
She said the inspections are finally having the desired effect of regulating systems and cleaning up failed ones. She said such a system should have been in place long ago.
Curl warned, however, that state legislators are again considering changes to septic system regulations that could make costs go even higher.
He said a typical septic system today normally costs between $8,000 and $12,000. "If the state has its way, the price will double by this time next year," Curl said.
He noted that with the cost of many rural homes being between $50,000 and $100,000, and median incomes being around $35,000 per year, a $20,000 charge for septic system upgrades would be pose an extreme burden.
runyan@vindy.com