You are here: News - Local

Published: 11:37 pm Monday, Oct. 24, 2011

Updated: 5:05 am Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011

Residents raise concerns about state septic proposal

tool name

close
tool goes here
| dsneed@thetribunenews.com

A proposed state policy on septic system management is an improvement on initial draft rules, according to city officials, real estate agents and property owners, but they also told state water officials Monday that they still have concerns about its cost and possible restrictions.

Officials with the State Water Resources Control Board held two public hearings in San Luis Obispo to outline the proposed rules, get public feedback and answer questions. The new policy replaces one proposed in 2008, which was criticized as too restrictive and expensive.

Darin Polhemus, who heads the team that drafted the policy, said the new policy eliminates several unpopular provisions from the original. These include mandatory domestic water well testing and mandatory solids testing for septic tanks.

The new draft also allows regional water quality control boards to adopt local programs tailored to meet local conditions. This is important to Atascadero because the city has more than 5,000 septic systems.

“Flexibility is a big component,” said Russ Thompson, the city’s public works director.

Polhemus said the new policy would affect only about 5 percent of septic system owners. That would include systems that are not functioning properly or are located near water bodies that the state has identified as having high levels of bacteria and nitrates.

A five-minute video about the proposed policy features Los Osos as an example of the environmental problems that can be caused by improperly functioning septic systems. Morro Bay has high bacteria levels, and underground aquifers in the community have high nitrate levels.

State water officials have placed a building moratorium on most of Los Osos, called a prohibition zone, and the county is set to start installing a sewer system. The new policy would not change the prohibition zone, Polhemus said.

About comments

Reader comments on SanLuisObispo.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Tribune. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.

What you should know about comments on SanLuisObispo.com

SanLuisObispo.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. See our full terms of service here.

Here are some rules of the road:

  • Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "report abuse" button. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
  • Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
  • Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
  • Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand. If you want to discuss an issue with a specific user, click on his profile name and leave him a public message.
  • Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
  • Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
  • Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
  • Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.

You should also know that The Tribune does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at webmaster@thetribunenews.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.

If you submit a comment, the username of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to webmaster@thetribunenews.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.

Our news, your way

Get breaking news on your cell phone

Sign up for breaking news alerts from SanLuisObispo.com and get the latest news sent to your cell phone via text message.

Type in your cell phone number

( ) -

I accept the terms and conditions (click to view)

Keep your phone handy!

Upon hitting the Sign up! button, you will receive a message with a four-digit code at the end. Enter this number on the next screen and press the Confirm button.

Terms and Conditions:

By signing up for alerts from this site, you are signing up for a program that may include up to 5 SMS text alert(s) per alert category per day. There is no service fee charged per month but your carrier's standard text messaging and other charges may apply. You may stop this subscription service at any time by sending the text message "STOP" to 72737. You must be at least thirteen (13) years of age to use our alert services. If you are between 13 and 17 years old, you agree that you have received parental permission both to complete the registration process and to receive SMS content on your cell phone. For help, send the text message "HELP" to 72737. This service will work with ATT, Verizon, Sprint, Nextel, Alltell, US Cellular, Cincinnati Bell, Boost, Virgin Mobile USA, Celluar South, Telos, Centennial, East Kentucky Network, Cellcom, Immix and Rural Celluar.

Quick Job Search
Top Jobs