County health official outlines state-mandated septic operation program; five-year permits to begin countywide
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Summary
A Geauga Public Health official told South Russell council the county is phasing in a state-mandated septic operation and maintenance program with five-year permits costing $100; high-risk systems already face stricter annual requirements and the county will use dye tests and sampling where records are missing.
Christy Pinkley of Geauga Public Health briefed South Russell Village Council on Feb. 5 about the state-mandated septic operation and maintenance program established by an Ohio Department of Health rule update in 2015.
Pinkley said the county began rolling the program out in earnest in 2023, starting with systems judged highest risk — including NPDES discharging and aeration systems that already require more frequent checks and sampling. For the bulk of traditional on-lot systems, the county plans to issue five-year operation permits that will cost $100 each and will be valid for five years. "These 5 year permits...they cost a $100," Pinkley said.
She said the $100 fee is intended solely to cover administrative costs: staff time to review pumping and service reports, data entry into a new online records system, postage and limited oversight. The county is not using the permit fee to replace the service currently provided by private pumpers and service contractors; Pinkley emphasized that the county will rely on pumpers' reports and service-provider inspections rather than taking over routine maintenance.
Pinkley discussed enforcement and sampling: the county will send graduated notices — reminder letters and certified mail — and then carry out noncompliance inspections when records or reports indicate problems; that noncompliance inspection fee is currently set at $300. For properties with missing as-built records (common for systems installed before permits were required in the 1970s), the county will work with local service providers and may use dye testing or targeted sampling later to verify whether a system is discharging off-lot. Pinkley said the county plans to give owners a long lead time: in some cases officials will wait up to about 10 years before conducting an intrusive dye test or sampling, using a performance-based approach to avoid sudden replacement costs for homeowners.
Pinkley also noted that a failing system that cannot be repaired will require full replacement, and she cited an average replacement cost in the presentation of about $20,000. She encouraged homeowners who suspect their systems may be older or potentially discharging to consider more proactive inspections and to consult the list of approved pumpers and service providers on the county website.
Council members and residents asked about how the county will identify older systems without drawings, whether sampling would require well installation, and how communications to residents will be handled. Pinkley said the county will send postcard notifications in mid-March with meeting invites and that pumpers typically submit service records to the county; the county is building an online, public-facing database of scanned reports so residents and officials can see compliance histories.
Pinkley's presentation did not require a council vote; council members asked staff to work with the health department on public communications and to route county postcards and materials to South Russell residents when the county mails them.
