New Law Will Require Residents to Have Septic Tanks Inspected Every Five Years

The town of Bedford will adopt a local law requiring all residents and businesses to have their septic systems inspected every five years. The new ordinance will be effective May 2011, but the plan stipulates that all tanks must be pumped by May 2016.

Local officials, including town board members and County Legislator Peter Harckham, who chairs the county’s septic subcommittee, will present the details to residents in a public information session on Tues. Mar. 1 at 8 p.m.

As for how residents will react, Bedford Supervisor Lee Roberts predicted a mixed bag, noting that some homeowners inspect or pump their tanks every year while others don’t even know they have a septic system.

"People may fight it, but we have no choice," she said.

Bedford’s adoption of the new law is needed to comply with Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4) requirements—federally mandated and enforced by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation—which compel municipalities in the watershed to minimize the adverse affects of stormwater runoff.

The ordinance was also a condition of a deal brokered by the Northern Westchester Watershed Committee with Westchester County from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection on projects designed to protect the drinking water in the Croton Watershed.

Some of that money will be used to build a county-wide database of septic inspections to ensure compliance.

“The database is still being built, but we’ve been collecting block and lot data for each town,” said Harckham. “It’s good for septic companies; we’ve met some who say only about two-thirds of the population are now pumping, so this should be an increase in business for them.”

Tony Ferreira, a partner at United Septic in Bedford Hills, said that may be true. “I have seen customers that have their tanks pumped every ten years, and that causes real problems,” he said. “So this law is great for the general public’s awareness about the importance of maintaining your tanks.”

Neglecting septic tanks can cause damaged or missing parts and repairs costing thousands of dollars, said Ferreira. “But an inspection can average as little as $300 every five years. That’s a lot better than having to install a new septic system for $10,000.”

Carol Vogler, owner of , said the new law would not make any difference in the way they operate. She also said the new requirement wasn’t frequent enough.

“The county board of health currently recommends homeowners should inspect their systems every two to three years, and in my experience, that schedule is ideal for system maintenance," she said

The stormwater regulations stem from the 1997 memorandum of agreement signed by Westchester County to protect New York City's drinking water supply, which serves almost 9 million New Yorkers. About 80,000 county residents also receive their water from the watershed's 19 reservoirs.