By Susan Bromley

Staff Writer

Ortonville– Village officials should soon have a better idea of which properties in the village have a greater risk of septic system failure.

At their Sept. 26 meeting, the village council unanimously approved the hiring of Enviro-Assist to conduct a septic system risk assessment at a cost not to exceed $1,750.

The assessment is a vital first step in establishing a septic ordinance in the village proposed to govern maintenance of systems in the village, which has encountered numerous septic failures over the years. Elevated e.coli levels in the Kearsley Creek have raised environmental concerns regarding septic systems in the village as well.

The village began examining a septic ordinance after voters shot down a sewer proposal on the November 2015 ballot.

“We’re not going to even attempt to go after sewers again,” said Village Council President Wayne Wills. “Not until there is a mandate from the state. Until that comes, we need a septic system ordinance.”

Interim Village Manager John Lyons agreed, saying that failing septic systems are a health risk and having identified that there is a risk, to not do anything “would be irresponsible on the level of Flint with their water.”

Enviro-Assist is a septic systems inspections, consulting and engineering firm based in South Lyon.

Randy Gregory, founder and president of the company, said a risk assessment will determine the need for a septic operations and maintenance program in the village.

Actual testing of each septic system in the village would be costly, at roughly $300 per home or business, the total cost could be more than $200,000. Instead, for a cost between $1,500 and $1,750, Gregory will obtain documentation on the systems in the village from the building department, the assessor, and the Oakland County Health Division. The documents will tell him age and construction materials used for existing septics to derive risk levels.

“This way, the management program is not overbearing— not too much for what is needed and not too little,” he said.

He notes that if a system in the village was less than a year-old and designed according to current code, there would be low risk and no need for an operations and maintenance program. However, the ages of septic systems in the village are a wide range, as are the construction materials used for each.

Myths on septic systems are pervasive still, he adds, including a commonly held belief that pumping a septic system regularly will ensure it can’t fail; that additives prevent or correct failure; and that septic systems installed in sand are failure-proof. All of these beliefs are false. Perhaps the biggest misunderstanding is that a septic system that works great always will.

Gregory will look at the septic system records and compare system failure rates to those observed in other studies, including one he conducted in 2004 that looked at over 4,000 systems and the causes of failures, comparing it to various construction parameters.

“The assessment will tell how many homes in the village have systems with a higher rate of failure or are more prone,” he said, adding that systems installed under current codes with plastic piping that are inspected when installed and approved have only an 8 percent likelihood of failure. “It’s not so much an individual assessment as adding individuals together and looking at the risk geographically— how many homes are in each category and establishing an overall risk. The village council will ultimately determine what the program is going to be, but we will make recommendations.”

He expects the assessment to be completed in about six weeks.