atom
Advocacy
County Provides Update on Non-Conventional Septic Systems Requirements for Homeowners
Late last year, the Board of Supervisors passed County Ordinance 1067 requiring annual inspections of non-conventional onsite systems and civil penalties for non-compliance. Over 1,200 property owners received
letters in May 2009 announcing the new requirements and guidelines for compliance. Bob Lee, Manager, Policy Development & Environmental Engineering, Loudoun County Department of Environmental Health, provide a
special update for members on the new requirements. For more information visit the county site which provides detailed information on the new requirements for homeowners.
Comments (1)
Re: Septic system inspections:
Most realtors will agree that annual inspections of septic systems makes good sense. It is predictable that a homeowner who has spent over $40,000 on a "non-conventional" system, as with an expensive car, will be more likely to uphold the rule and pay for such inspections than people with often very old gravity systems.
Gravity systems are inherently more likely to fail and have no alarm or warnings of failure. Many owners are not aware of what is under the ground, until it fails, by which time it is possibly too late to avert a health disaster.
If newer systems are required to be inspected, then all septic systems should also be required to be inspected.