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Parish details rollout plan for on-site septic inspections; inspections expected to begin after April notices
Summary
Tim Brown outlined the parish’s on-site septic inspection program: inspectors and supervisors have LDH training, homeowner flyers and tags (pass, exempt, inaccessible, fail) are being finalized, and initial notifications will be posted two weeks before inspection passes; failures may trigger enforcement after a 60-day correction window.
Tim Brown presented the parish’s implementation plan for the on-site septic inspection program and told the committee the program had not started inspections because final items remain under legal review and printing. He said the parish will use MPN (software) to track inspections once a contract/CEA is executed, and staff have a temporary workaround to begin outreach.
Brown described the homeowner materials and the inspection checklist inspectors will use on tablets: system type identification (conventional tank, aerobic treatment unit), discharge location, structural integrity, aeration, and whether the system creates an off-site nuisance. Inspectors will leave one of several tags: exempt (no off-site discharge), pass (certificate of compliance good for 3 years), inaccessible (door hanger asking the owner to schedule access) or fail (first notice of deficient condition).
Brown described the enforcement timeline for failures: minor issues (for example, aeration) receive an initial 30-day cure period, with a second 30-day extension if residents are cooperating; enforcement actions would be the earliest after a 60-day period if the homeowner does not remedy the deficiency. The parish will accept third-party inspections performed by licensed installers using the parish form.
Staff reviewed training and outreach: four inspectors plus a supervisor completed LDH installer training and department staff received communications and conflict-resolution training; materials were at the printer and staff expected to begin door-hanger notices in April and the initial pass shortly afterward, starting in neighborhoods such as Forest Glen in Lacombe.
Committee members asked for a plain-language public checklist and suggested a short sample video to explain inspections; Brown said staff would consider those ideas. He also agreed to provide more precise scheduling and to show when items on the internal schedule will be brought back on track.
