11-26-1990 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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L Septic System Management Program August 24, 1990 Page 15 of 16 Septic Systems as "Second Fiddle" Most developers and many residents of Orono believe that septic systems are a "second class citizen", and that ultimately the City"of Orono will be sewered. There are certainly a number of people who take the opposite view, that the City's stated intent to "never sewer rural Orono", is a realistic, viable goal. Given the tenor of the courts in limiting special assessments to the equivalent increases in property value, it seems unlikely that city sewers will run rampanc through our hills and valleys for many years to come. Developers and home owners tend to place septic systems low on a list of priorities, hence other factors in development of a property are often given precedence. This often results in less than perfect conditions for designing/locating/constructing septic systems, and in probably 1/3 of the residential construction projects, the need for a strong presence by City staff is critical in ensuring that septic needs are properly met. The amount of staff time required to "ride herd" on a project from beginning to completion, has generally'exceeded that available, ever since the point at which the City no longer had a staff person devoted full time to the septic program. Conclusions 1.Not enough time is being spent on followups to make sure all failing systems get repaired. 2.Residents are not receiving the level of existing system inspections that was originally anticipated and which is required in order to limit the incidence of failed systems. 3.Septic system plan review, construction, inspection, and followup documentation is receiving fragmented attention from multiple staff members, with no one person comprehensively overseeing the entire process. This leads to a much higher potential that something can go wrong. 4.Record keeping has been inadequate due to a lack of staff time devoted to same.