Like much of the infrastructure in this country, the District’s piping network, plant, and many of our customer septic systems are aging and we are observing the resulting failures and leaks. This situation sometimes requires emergency repairs and replacements that are expensive and are not covered by normal operating budgets. We have two categories of leaks that we are currently dealing with. The first of these are leaks in old or failing septic tanks. These leaks allow rain and groundwater to inappropriately enter our system and may allow sewage to leak out into the environment. The Department of Ecology has directed us to systematically eliminate these problems. To deal with these growing situations the District has improved our inspection systems to better detect problems with septic tanks. We inspect residential septic tanks every other year and commercial systems every year. Failed tanks need to be replaced quickly. We also require inspections of septic systems prior to the sale of a property in the District.
The second type of leak is a failure in our sewer network where contaminated water in our pressurized system leaks out of our piping, typically at underground pipe joints, and percolates to the surface where it is a biological health hazard to the public. We repair these leaks as soon as they are discovered and dispose of the contaminated soil. In some cases, where we discover high frequency failures, we may replace an entire line. We are finding that both of these types of leaks are occurring with increasing frequency and that, in many cases, older technology and installation techniques are contributors to the failures.
