Septic upgrade getting noticed

The health commissioner is baffled by the number of calls on this installation.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
BAZETTA -- How important is appearance? When you have a beautiful newer home along a busy road, appearance can be very important, a young Bazetta couple has found.
Bob Cunningham and Diana Carducci of 3200 Bazetta Road were living a dream when they closed on the purchase of the two-story home in January.
As with all real estate transactions, there were details to be ironed out, but they never suspected that upgrading their septic system would turn out to be such an emotional roller-coaster ride.
The couple has now learned more about the state of the septic system industry.
On March 25, just under two weeks after moving in, Carducci was driving by the house and saw that workers were in her front yard, installing their new septic system. It was a sand-filter upgrade that they knew was coming but had not picked out for themselves -- the previous owner had taken care of those details.
"They were working on it, and I was flipping out. It looked like a bomb went off," she said of her front yard.
Not only was the ground dug up, but a square, concrete structure standing more than 3 feet tall was now sticking out of the ground in the middle of what had been a normal-looking front yard.
People take notice
In following weeks, the couple received a number of visitors -- many of them strangers who stopped to ask about the odd-looking structure. The couple said their house had become notorious, with people from as far away as New Castle, Pa., talking about it.
Contractors who build septic systems also stopped, wanting to know who had built it and why it looked that way.
The couple learned the type of sand filter system they got didn't have to be that way -- that many are built so close to the ground that they can barely be seen from the road, and can be easily hidden with shrubbery.
Neighbors were also asking questions. One informed the couple that he was concerned the structure was going to make it hard for him to sell his house, Cunningham said.
The couple began talking with the contractor who built the system and with officials from the Trumbull County Health Department, which administers the county's septic system regulations and is the agency that determines whether a home needs a new septic system.
Three years ago, the health department changed its septic system regulations. Since that time, before a home in the county with a septic system can be sold, the system must be evaluated. Health department officials say 92 percent of such homes fail the inspection.
Cunningham and Carducci now believe their new system, which was built for about $5,800, could have been put lower in the ground for about $1,000 to $2,000 more. Cunningham said Friday he believes he will eventually pay the additional amount and have the system lowered.
"If we had known this might happen, we would have said we would be willing to pay the extra to make sure it was flush with the ground," Cunningham said.
Not an exception
Dr. James J. Enyeart, Trumbull County health commissioner, said there are about 50,000 septic systems in the county. He said details concerning the appearance of the septic systems are not of primary concern for his agency.
"If this is done according to the book, it's not our prerogative to comment," he said, noting that he is baffled by the number of phone calls he has received regarding this septic installation.
"I have spent more time on this one than all the others [in the past three years] combined," Dr. Enyeart said. He added that septic system installers are licensed and have to do their work according to regulations. He said he is not aware that the system fails to meet regulations.
Dr. Enyeart said he doesn't believe the Bazetta Road sand filter system is unique. He said he believes sand filters sticking that far out of the ground can be found at other locations.
Gary Zuga, owner of Z Tech Builders Excavators Inc. of Cortland, who installs septic systems in the area, said he understands how problems arise when people buy a home that needs a new septic system. He did not do the couple's installation.
The key, he believes, is for the contractor, real estate sales person and others involved to communicate effectively so that the home buyer is involved in system planning. Zuga said he spends 90 percent of his time talking to the seller, who is the one required to take out a permit for the new system and who is financially responsible for it.
He said he always tries to locate such systems in out-of-the-way places if possible. Sometimes that's difficult because the systems are usually built near the location where the plumbing leaves the house.
Zuga's company finished installing a sand filter system at David Ham's house on state Route 88 in Mecca last week. The sand filter protrudes less than 6 inches from the ground and is to the side of his property.
Ham said he bought the house in January, and the previous owner got three estimates for having the septic system replaced before selecting Zuga's company. Ham said the previous owner chose the contractor, but he involved Ham in the decision making and did not select the least expensive of the three bidders.
One week into having his new system, Ham is delighted, saying that the system emits water that is safe for the environment. "I really enjoy that part of it," he said.
runyan@vindy.com