Property owners who have a septic system with a low risk of failing would pay $60, while high-risk systems would be assessed $135 per year.
Low-income seniors and disabled persons who qualify would be exempt from the fees, which, if approved by the Thurston County Commissioners, would take effect in 2013.
The goal of the ordinance is to ensure through regulation and testing that septic systems don’t release untreated wastewater into the marine areas stretching from Johnson Point to the Nisqually River south of Old Pacific Highway Southeast.
Some 1,850 acres of commercial shellfish-growing ground from Johnson Point to the Nisqually Delta remain closed to harvesting because of bacterial pollution that enters marine waters from failing septic systems, animal waste and stormwater runoff.
“Work has demonstrated that human waste from failing septic systems is a contributing factor,” said county environmental health director Art Starry.
The Nisqually Reach and Henderson Inlet shellfish protection districts were formed nearly 10 years ago to remedy pollution that led to shellfish harvest closures in the two aquatic bodies.
A pilot project requiring property owners to pay fees and inspect their septic systems on a routine basis has been in place in Henderson Inlet since January 2007. Water quality in the inlet has shown marked improvement. The Nisqually Reach program would be implemented once a complete operation and maintenance program for the Henderson Inlet properties is in place.
Testing of shoreline septic systems in the Nisqually Reach in the 1990s revealed failure rates of 26 percent to 29 percent, twice the failure rate of other marine shorelines in the county.
Many of those systems have been replaced or repaired, but health officials think a mandatory operation and maintenance plan is the best way to prevent future failures.
“Property owners may not like the annual operation and maintenance fee that much, but as (a) general rule, they understand it,” said Nisqually Reach waterfront resident Tris Carlson, who has served on an advisory committee for the Nisqually shellfish protection area.
If approved, the program would be reviewed in 10 years. Fees could be increased annually to a maximum of 3.5 percent. The septic fees would be included on county property tax statements.
John Dodge: 360-754-5444
jdodge@theolympian.com
