Homeowners will need to have septic permits

WAPAKONETA - All home-owners with septic systems in Auglaize County will be required to have operating permits in coming years.

Auglaize County Health Department Environmental Director Curt Anderson told the board of health on Tuesday all counties must submit a plan to the state by the end of 2016 to implement a permit procedure. The minimal plan must include a database with the addresses of all properties with septic systems and general information about where tanks are located, their size and other information.

Property owners with existing systems and those installing new ones will need permits. The new state requirement has no grandfather clause, he said. If a septic system does not meet permit requirements, the property owner may have to replace the system.

According to the Auglaize County auditor's office, the county has 6,332 rural homes with septic systems, Anderson said. Of those, 4,649 have installation permits on file.

"So that leaves us just a little shy of 1,700 homes we have no record of at all," he added.

Anderson said owners of about 300 properties with septic systems with mechanical aeration have operating permits. However, no owners of non-mechanical systems have one.
The planning is in its earliest stages and no decisions have been made, Anderson said. The board in the coming months must decide the parameters of the permit requirements and how much field work his department will need to complete to approve permits. He noted previous discussions included mandatory pumping by the homeowner or a required inspection the first year and at each renewal. Board members also must set a timeline for homeowners to comply.

"At some point we'll have to actually physically go to each address," he said.

Homeowners will be responsible for the cost of the program through the permit fee. Current three-year permits are $50.

"That's just to get us through next year and once we're through next year, we'll have to get those on whatever we decide as a board," Anderson said.

The average cost in other counties is $50-$75 for a five-year permit, he added. Permits could range from one year to 10 years, depending upon the type of system and the board's decisions, he said.

"It's a huge undertaking and it's just a matter of where we want to go in terms of the field work that will determine the cost of the permits," he said.

Anderson encouraged board members to meet in the next few months to start discussing which direction they would like to take. He wants to send letters to property owners after a final plan is created to give them plenty of time to prepare.

Also on Tuesday, county medical director Dr. Juan Torres said a recent national report stated deaths caused by heroin use have quadrupled since 2012. In a survey, a half million people reported using the drug.

Torres noted the demographic breakdown showed most users were white men between the ages of 18 and 24 with most living in the Northeast U.S. The economic breakdown showed most users earned $20,000 or less per year and had no health insurance or were on Medicaid.

Torres also encouraged all residents to get a flu vaccine.

"It's September already and people are back to school," he said. "Even though it's going to be hot today, the flu is around the next corner."

The doctor said everyone 6 months and older should get the shot, and women who are pregnant or breast-feeding also may safely be vaccinated.