Ohio's new rules fight broken, leaking septic systems

Helpful Links Headlines from ThisWeekNews.com The City Blog Local Stories from ThisWeek More Articles By Mary Beth Lane The Columbus Dispatch Saturday October 4, 2014 8:50 PM

The Logan-Hocking school superintendent was at a meeting at Logan High School in the spring when he smelled sewage.

Stephen Stirn asked a maintenance worker if there was a problem in the building. No, he was told. The high school has been connected to the Logan city sewer system since opening in 2008. Stirn contacted the Hocking County Health Department.

His tip led sanitarians to a recurring problem raw or partially treated sewage seeping into a ditch across the road from the high school on Rt. 328. It was leaking from a failing septic system or systems among the 14 houses along that stretch of road.

Sewage has been leaking into the ditch since at least 2009, health-department records show, and despite inspections and some repairs, nothing has been done to permanently stop the escape of effluent.

Its a pretty bad odor, Stirn said.

Whats more important, raw or inadequately treated sewage also contains bacteria and viruses that pose public-health and environmental threats.

State health officials hope that new rules governing septic systems across Ohio will help residents install and maintain well-running systems that capture, treat and disperse their household sewage safely.

The rules are to take effect on Jan. 1, replacing rules in place since Ohio enacted its septic-tank law in 1977. The rules are expected to reduce the number of failing septic systems, mainly by requiring county health departments to inspect systems regularly rather than wait until problems occur, and by requiring modern design methods for new or altered systems.

An estimated 31 percent of a reported 628,493 home septic systems in Ohio are leaking untreated waste into the ground and streams, the Ohio Department of Health reported in a 2012 survey of county and city health departments.

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Ohio's new rules fight broken, leaking septic systems