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CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Elizabeth Dietzmann, J.D.
When Systems Fail
Small Flows Quarterly, Fall 2004, Volume 5, Number 4
That’s it. Enough is enough. If
one more person at one more conference
talks about septic system
failures, or failure rates or failure
studies, I will scream. The term
“failure” is routinely bandied about
with impunity, yet no one seems to
be able to agree on a definition or
even agree whether or not “failure”
is significant. I have danced
around this issue in previous
columns, but I can’t ignore it any
longer. Be warned—abandon hope
all ye who enter here. I have no answers—just
a series of perplexing
questions. By way of illustration, I
would like to share the following article
I stumbled across recently. It is
a typical example of the way in
which “failure” is used to describe
absolutely nothing, but great
weight is given to the pronouncement
that systems have “failed.”
York Dispatch
York Township septic systems
failing
Commissioners consider expanding
public sewers
By HEIDI BERNHARD-BUBB
For The York Dispatch
Monday, June 14, 2004—Septic
systems are failing in several York
Township neighborhoods, leading
the board of commissioners to consider
a major expansion of the
public sewer system.
Township manager Mark Derr
said only a few systems have failed
in the two main areas. One is off
Leaders Heights Road at Skylark
Drive and Wren Terrace; the other
includes Reynolds Mill Road from
Whispering Pines Trail past
Shenandoah Drive, as well as
homes along Kresta, Lentzlyn and
Amad drives.
Because of the age of the developments,
Derr said, it’s only a
matter of time until many of systems
start to fail.
Pre-dated regulations: Many of
the homes were built before new
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection regulations
that require lots to be large enough
to test for a septic system in two
places so that a second system can
be built if the first one fails.
The township water and sewer
authority has begun working with
York-based C.S. Davidson to design
the sewer project, and a timetable
for planning and building the system
is being developed.
The water and sewer authority
will plan the expansion and then
make a recommendation to the
board of commissioners, who will
have final approval.
But for now, officials are uncertain
whether the commissioners
will approve the project, who will
pay for the system if approved,
and how many homes will be included.
System design: Public works director
Scott DePoe said the township
would spend the rest of the
year designing a system and negotiating
rights of way for the project
with the Pennsylvania Department
of Transportation. The number of
homes included will depend on its
final design, he said.
DePoe said he expects the final
design to go before the board of
commissioners in January, with
bids going out in April and work
starting August 2005.
A major concern is who will pay
for the project.
Derr said the township expects
to see preliminary cost projections
this summer, and the commissioners
will debate several funding options.
The project may be paid for by
raising sewer rates for the entire
township, assessing individual
homes that will receive sewer service,
or a combination of the two
options, Derr said.
So let’s look at some of the confusing
ways in which “failure” is
used. Hey, and rest assured—this
reporter is no more or less guilty of
using the term in a confusing manner
than most of the professionals I
listen to at conferences.
“Septic systems are failing in
several York Township neighborhoods,
leading the board of commissioners
to consider a major expansion
of the public sewer system.”
Well, right off the bat this illustrates
the decentralized versus big
pipe mentalitly. Apparently public
sewer systems don’t fail. We don’t
know what caused the county to
decide that these septic systems
were “failing” (could have been in-
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