Replaced systems reduce amount of contamination

By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Dr. James J. Enyeart, Trumbull County's health commissioner, takes pride in knowing more than 1,500 septic systems have been replaced countywide in the three years since tough new septic system regulations were established.
Those upgraded systems have reduced contamination going into the environment from every one of those systems, he said.
The difficulty, however, is that those new systems were expensive for the homeowners and that thousands of other systems in the county are still leaking contaminants.
Dr. Enyeart said he believes many people in the county do not take very seriously the potential for illness associated with failing septic systems.
He said one warning came courtesy of flooding problems during 2003 and 2004, when contaminants in the ditches found their way into water wells. Two-thirds of the wells tested were contaminated at the time, Dr. Enyeart said.
Problems at lake
He also noted the 60 or so homes in the Lakeshore development in Bazetta along the western shore of Mosquito Lake, which will be getting a sewer line within the next couple years if residents agree to the price tag sometime this summer.
Dr. Enyeart said the neighborhood's failing septic systems are contaminating Mosquito Lake, source of Warren's drinking water.
New septic system regulations being formulated by state officials, and expected to take effect sometime in 2006 or 2007, may not hurt as much in Trumbull County as in many other parts of the state, Dr. Enyeart said. That's because the county is already following fairly progressive policies, he said.
Dr. Enyeart said he and many other health commissioners around the state have commented on the proposed new regulations in Columbus and asked for changes. As written, the rules will cost homeowners significantly more than they already pay, he said.
"To add to that even more significant amounts of money is not in the best interests of the community here. We feel we're meeting and exceeding the requirements of the Ohio Board of Health. We are worlds better than we were before," he said.
Dr. Enyeart said the decision on whether to institute the new rules is in the hands of Gov. Bob Taft.
Dr. Enyeart expects the new rules will increase oversight of county health boards across the state in their permit process. He said the state will likely also institute a septic system fee for the first time.
Failed inspections
In late 2002 and early 2003, the Trumbull health department updated its regulations and began to require that all homes with septic systems sold in the county be inspected. Dr. Enyeart said 92 percent of those homes have failed their test and have been ordered to upgrade. Cost of the upgrades can range between $5,000 and $15,000.
Dr. Enyeart said that when these systems fail, the health department typically orders them to be replaced with a sand filter system, which consists of a square concrete container with sand inside about seven to 10 feet across, where waste water is treated before it is released into the environment. Such systems also include a septic tank that separates solids from liquids, an aerator and a chlorination and dechlorination system.
When a home is ordered to have a new septic system, the buyer and seller are both required to sign a document acknowledging that the problem must be fixed, Dr. Enyeart said. The parties then are given a set amount of time to get the work done.
All of the sand filter systems come with maintenance requirements that didn't exist before 2002, Dr. Enyeart said. Among those costs are annual inspections of $150 to $200 for private firms to check mechanical functions and a $125 annual inspection from the health department.
David Ham of Mecca, whose new sand filter system was recently installed, said that in addition to these costs, he also must buy chlorination and dechlorination tablets that cost around $140 per year. Routine maintenance also requires the solids to be pumped out of the septic tank every three to five years. Cost for that service varies.
runyan@vindy.com