Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Septic Compliance Backlog topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Kewaunee County faces septic inspection backlog, staff shortage and delayed software rollout, resident warns
Summary
A county resident and sanitation staff described a backlog in septic‑pumping compliance, a shortage of certified field staff, delays in new TTEC software and reliance on court referrals for failing systems during the Land and Water Conservation Committee meeting.
"Roughly 60% of the estimated 21,000 Kewaunee County residents use private septic systems and private water wells," Sue Weiser told the committee during public comment, urging that the county’s sanitation and zoning staff enforce the three‑year pumping inspection requirement in Ordinance 15.
Weiser said the county list suggests many properties are overdue for required pumping reminders and citations. "Of the 231 on the list, 81% ..." she said, and urged additional sanitation staffing and improved technology to handle the workload.
County staff reported they have not yet issued pumping enforcement citations for delinquencies. A staff member told the committee, "We have not done any septic enforcement citations or anything for pumping yet," and explained the office is limited by personnel and by its legacy software. The staff member said the county expects a new TTEC system to be deployed to the office but that the new technology, originally expected in December, had not arrived. Staff described a single county employee holding the required credentials for soil inspections and said a second sanitation technician is needed. "We only have 1 person in the entire county that has those credentials," the staff member said.
Staff said pumpers do report completed work and that the office reconciles pumper records with its lists, but that running delinquents and reminder letters is difficult in the current system. Staff also said some properties with failing systems have already been referred to court counsel and that the health department intervenes on active failures or public‑health complaints.
Why it matters: A large portion of county households rely on private septic systems and private wells; delays in pumping reminders and enforcement can affect water quality and public health. County staff signaled the county is constrained by staffing and by a delayed software rollout, and some enforcement has been handled through court referrals rather than routine citation workflows.
No formal policy change or vote was recorded during the meeting; committee members heard the public comment and staff reports and discussed scheduling and future coordination.
