King County backs off septic tank proposal after voters raise a stink

King County decided to shelve a proposed septic tank program that proved highly controversial and angered homeowners.
The program would have implemented a fee on septic tanks — residents insist it is a tax.

County officials announced at a Tuesday night meeting in Fall City that the program is not moving forward.

“There’s still a lot of concern because this doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen,” KIRO Radio anchor Kim Shepard told the Dori Monson Show. “It means it’s not going to happen right now. There’s definitely a possibility that this is going to come back. A lot of people think it will come back pretty soon.”

Related: Dori Monson breaks news of King County septic proposal

Shepard – a homeowner with a septic tank in unincorporated King County herself — attended the meeting which drew such a large crowd that it had to be moved to a larger facility. The meeting lasted more than two hours and was flooded with public comments, she said. Many residents argued that there are other sources of contamination to area waterways, such as animal waste, and that there is no proof their septic tanks should be suspected.

“It’s not just this fee to have inspectors, but they possibly want to require yearly inspections costing several hundred dollars, which would mean them digging up your property,” Shepard said. “And if they found any issue with the system, you could be forced to replace it. That could cost tens of thousands of dollars.”

Shepard related the story of one 31-year-old homeowner who argued he doesn’t have the $30,000-$50,000 to replace his septic system, and that requiring him to pay that cost would put him out of his home.

“So they are fearing the county is going to come and literally take people’s land away — that is a fear,” Shepard said.

From the county’s perspective, the tax was actually a proposed fee on septic systems. The fee would fund a program to monitor septic systems in King County.

Director of King County’s Environmental Health Services division Dr. Ngozi Oleru previously told KIRO Radio, “It is needed because we have a state mandate to protect water quality that protects both human health and environment, generally, and specifically in Puget Sound.”

Septic systems can fail, leak, and cause damage to the environment. If waste gets into waterways, that can add to the problem — waterways lead to Puget Sound. Under the proposed program, a county employee would be allowed to go onto private property and check septic tanks.

But residents argue the county’s approach is too invasive and could lead to expensive repercussions.

Follow @https://twitter.com/DyerOxley