Okay, Today was a perfect example of why we need septic inspections. Here’s the senario.
House is for sale, there are agents representing both buyer and seller.
Buyer wants to be sure that the house is in good shape and orders a house inspection, and septic inspection.
House is in great shape, and seller is stating that he has never had a problem in over 20 years with his system, and can’t believe that a septic inspection is required.
Buyer and seller are present for inspection. Seller complaining the whole time I am there. I do feel bad, cause he did state that there are no problems.
I locate the septic tanks and pump tanks. But cannot find the final treatment unit on file with the Health Deptartment. It is supposed to be a sand mound. But I can’t find this mound anywhere on his, or his neighbors properties. Mounds aren’t hard to see they are huge Mounds.
Seller states that the mound is old and overgrown, thinks I am making too much of this septic inspection.
I contact the health department to see where it is supposed to be located on his property. They state it’s 30 feet from the house.
I check and no mound. But as I walk on the grass I look down and notice a lot of sand and gravel. I start digging with my feet harder and find a broken pipe. I think to myself that this sand mound has been ran over with a bulldozer or something.
I check the pump in the pump tank. It is pumping over 85 gallons per minute. The seller is still very frustrated with me, and is actually starting to convince the buyer that he has wasted his money with me.
But then I hear something. Water, like a waterfall. I follow the sound to a hand-dug ditch. Sewage at about 85 gallons per minute is flowing in this ditch. A Direct release of untreated sewage. And the best part. His neighbor lives just down hill from him. He actually dug his drainage ditch to discharge into his neighbor’s yard.
When I discovered this, the seller came clean. His septic system had failed about 5 years back, and he bulldozed his sand mound. And dug a ditch to discharge his waste into his neighbors yard. This ditch was smelly, soggy, black, disgustion, bug infested, just plain gross. It was really hard to see, cause the grass had grown up so high around it, disguising it. I cannot tell you how fast the buyer started loosing his lunch. Even rodents or rats were living in there.
Now I am sure he didn’t tell his neighbors about this, who would. It’s gross and a bio-hazard. There are kids toys present in the neighbors yard as well. He simply did not care.
Well, needless to say, he is getting a new system. Health Department is all over the situation.
Buyer backed out of the housesale. Who blames him? I don’t. I mean, what else could the seller be lying about?
The neighbors who lived there, has been taking on his wastewater for 5 years. Now they have to have their wells tested. It’s possible that the wastewater may have entered the groundwater. Their yards may need dug up and sent away for disposal and treatment. New yards hauled in.
This neighbor is an innocent bystander. Didn’t do anything wrong. But now his property value just dropped a lot.
This neighbor and people have the right to know that their neighbors are treating the wastewater correctly onsite. I want to know that my neighbors are not releasing into my property or my well water.
This is the reason why rules and regulation had to happen. For as long as their are people who don’t care, there will be people who will get sick.
Thanks for reading,
Ronnie
