New state rules will affect nearly 40K Mahoning, Trumbull homes

YOUNGSTOWN

For the owners of about 16,000 septic systems in Mahoning County and 21,000 in Trumbull County, new statewide rules taking effect Jan. 1 could change the options that will be offered to them if their system fails in the coming years.

The rules — depending on how they are carried out by each county health department — also could cause new requirements for some septic owners for telling their county health department what type of maintenance is being done on the system.

The subject has been controversial over the past decade in Ohio — so much so that one set of rules written by state officials in 2007 was rescinded a few months later.

In 2010, the Ohio Department of Health sought to arrive at a consensus on what the rules should include, and each county board was allowed to decide some rules for themselves.

An ODH committee that included 43 groups — including manufacturers, home builders, Realtors and engineers — met monthly for two years to establish the newest rules, the ODH said.

Septic systems, as rural folks know if their house is not served by a sewer line, take away the waste from toilets, showers and sinks.

An example of the rule flexibility is contained in a one-page ODH summary of 15 rule changes. Only three are “required” of every board of health. The others are optional.

Even one of the bigger “required” items allows flexibility — the one requiring boards of health to establish rules governing maintenance and maintenance-reporting.

Read more about the new regulations and how they will affect you in Sunday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.