Central Frontenac Approves Septic Inspection Program

Craig Bakay | Mar 01, 2017

Central Frontenac Council adopted a “Septic System Maintenance and Assessment Program” at its regular meeting Tuesday night.

It further directed staff to prepare a draft licensing bylaw to licence septic system pumpers and haulers for the purpose of reporting pump-out activities including a visual assessment of Class 4 and 5 septic systems.  A committee consisting of Dep. Mayor Brent Cameron, Coun. Philip Smith and Coun. Sherry Whan was set up to look at what type of financial assistance/payment options could be made available for residents found to have systems that need replacing but are unable to pay for it.

There was a provision for an “education campaign” but there were no specifics recommended other than the existing “septic sense” box on the Township website.

The plan was submitted by the Septic Re-inspection Committee, to be implemented in the Spring of 2017.

Under the plan (and assuming passage of the licensing bylaw for pumper/haulers and their willingness to participate) all residents will be required to have their septic systems inspected within the next five years.

The committee estimates there are about 4,000 septic systems in the Township and that about 800 per year can be inspected, thus the five-year window.

Before approving the plan by a vote of 4-3 (Councillors Riddell and Kelsey were absent) a vigorous debate took place.

“If the Township doesn’t have a report on your system after five years, we’re going to come looking,” said committee spokesperson Coun. Victor Heese.

The plan also uses a green-yellow-red classification system, with red representing the systems that need immediate attention. The committee estimates that 3-4 per cent of the systems in the Township would fall into that category. While costs to replace a septic system can vary widely depending on conditions, estimates in the $10,000-$20,000” range or higher have been thrown around at Council.

Cameron reasoned that if the figures are correct, that would mean 80-100 systems will need replacing and those burdens will fall “on taxpayers, many of whom have to go to social services to help pay for heat and hydro.

“My feeling is there are going to be many properties that will have to be auctioned off.”

Coun. Smith said that while he “actually like the plan,” he had the same concern as Cameron.

“If this report had something to address low-income homeowners, I could support it,” Smith said. “But as it is, I can’t support it.”

“That was my concern too,” said Whan.

Coun. Tom Dewey, who voted for the measure, also had a concern.

“How dependable will the haulers be?” Dewey asked. “If they ‘squeal’ on their customers, they won’t get their business any more.”

Heese said that homeowners don’t have to use a licensed pumper to have their tanks pumped out but if they do use an unlicensed pumper, they won’t get a report. Similarly, pumpers don’t have to get a license but they can’t issue a report.

The committee estimated the costs to the Township to implement the program to be about $8,750 including $4,550 in operational costs (staff costs, program review, reports and education packages) and $4,200 in capital costs (inspection reports set-up, software development, education package set-up and pumper training).