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WPCA to step up enforcement after finding more than 1,000 missing pump‑out records
Summary
The Old Lyme WPCA said it will press haulers and homeowners to close gaps in septic pump‑out records after staff found roughly 1,000 properties with no recorded pump‑outs; the board will use Carmody data, stronger mailings and direct receipt collection to improve compliance.
The Water Pollution Control Authority opened a renewed enforcement push on septic pump‑outs after reviewing Carmody system data that show widespread missing entries. Chair (speaker S1) told members the board will notify haulers, ask homeowners to return proof of pump‑outs, and remove noncompliant haulers from the town directory if records are not corrected.
"So we are going to address that," the Chair said, describing outreach steps that include reissuing letters to registered pumpers, asking assessors to provide property files for regular data feeds, and asking homeowners to submit receipts when a hauler fails to record a job. The board reported that postcards sent to roughly 1,100 properties returned about 70 undeliverable notices and yielded a response rate of roughly 10 percent. The WPCA discussed adding a clear deadline to future mailings and creating a return card homeowners can use to report pump‑out dates.
Board members agreed that responsibility ultimately rests with property owners to keep receipts, and S6 offered to enter current receipts into the Carmody system to reduce historical backlogs. The WPCA also discussed quarterly (rather than annual) data updates and working with the assessor’s office to improve matching between hauler records and town property files.
