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Island County approves three five‑year septic/sewer franchise renewals for Camano and Whidbey systems
Summary
The Island County Board of Commissioners on March 24 approved three five‑year franchise renewals for on‑site sewage systems (LOSS/septic) on Camano and Whidbey islands after staff described record updates and testing requirements. Commissioners asked staff to explore title‑transfer notification options.
Ed Sylvester, the county engineer, told the Island County Board of Commissioners on March 24 that staff had identified multiple sales of on‑site sewage system franchises and recommended three five‑year renewals to align inspection and testing windows.
The board approved all three renewals by unanimous ‘aye’ votes. Sylvester said the transfers reflect record cleanup: the Bayview Camano LOSS system was sold in 2015 and currently serves one connection — the fire department — with an estimated ultimate capacity of about 12 connections. The Derek Living Trust system (Camano Island, central west) sold in 2018 and includes roughly 1,600 feet of county right‑of‑way pipe. The Modine/Lafrener system on Whidbey Island has sold multiple times, most recently in 2020; earlier franchise language had extended a prior term to 2034.
"This pipe is already in place," Sylvester said while describing the Bayview Camano route and the off‑site drain field parcel. For each system, staff recommended placing a five‑year franchise in the county’s protocol so the systems meet county standards and are subject to future testing.
Commissioners pressed staff on testing logistics and recordkeeping. One commissioner asked whether the testing standards and associated costs are feasible for single‑home systems. Sylvester replied that the county uses a dye test that is inserted into the tank and pushed through distribution lines and that the same testing requirement applies regardless of system scale.
Commissioners also raised the need for a better process to capture ownership changes. "Isn't there something when a title transfer happens that notifies us?" a commissioner asked. Sylvester said staff are manually reviewing records and will explore whether title companies can help by providing notice at closing.
Votes at a glance - PW20250128 (Bayview Camano LOSS franchise renewal): motion made by Commissioner; approved, 2‑0. - PW2024‑0266 (Derek Living Trust septic franchise renewal): motion made by Commissioner; approved, 2‑0. - PW2024‑0270 / PW202401270 (Mark Bodine & Donna Lafrener Trust sewer/septic renewal): motion made by Commissioner; approved, 2‑0.
The board closed each hearing after calling for public comment; no members of the public spoke. Commissioners scheduled follow‑up work for staff to consider procedural changes for notifying the county of property transfers that affect active franchises.
