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Septic shock in state’s outback: The state needs to find “new rules won’t be punitive, unworkable or overly broad as government regulation expands”, says editorial

Posted by: Maven on February 2, 2009 at 6:47 am

From the San Francisco Chronicle, this editorial about the new septic tank regulations:

The regulations, based on a law passed in 2000, gained notice as the state Water Resources Control Board put the final touches on the package expected to take effect next January. But over the past two months an uprising took place as homeowners – and interest groups such as contractors, real estate agencies and property-rights groups – assailed the package.

The final straw was an overflow gathering in Santa Rosa last week that spilled out of the Wells Fargo Center and even backed up traffic onto nearby Highway 101. State water officials, pummeled in earlier meetings, canceled the session, and, days later, gave in. The year end deadline will be postponed indefinitely, it was announced.

Call it a victory for the owners of ranchettes, vacation homes and round-the-bend abodes. But it’s an issue that won’t -and shouldn’t – go away. There are an estimated 1.2 million septic systems, and they are only inspected when first installed. After that, the tanks designed to process you-know-what are largely forgotten until they back up or leak badly. As California hunts for more clean water, it can’t afford household pollution to contaminate supplies.

The state needs to find “new rules won’t be punitive, unworkable or overly broad as government regulation expands”, says the editorial. Click here to read the full text from the San Francisco Chronicle.

February 2, 2009 · Filed Under Groundwater

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