Voluntary septic re-inspection program to remain for 2021 at least

Craig Bakay | Mar 24, 2021

North Frontenac Township will continue on with its voluntary septic re-inspection program for 2021 and re-visit a mandatory program that the North Frontenac Lake Association Alliance has been pushing for after a report from the Public Works Manager in December, Council decided at its regular (online) meeting Friday.

In his report Friday, Public Works Manager Darwyn Sproule said that since 2005, 773 inspections have been completed with only three of those needing major repairs or replacement. That represents 26 per cent of the waterfront septic systems in the Township.

As part of the 2021 program several additions have been made including:

• Promoting the program and providing education regarding septic system performance.

• Township to continue covering inspection costs.

• Publish participation rates annually by lake.

• Address the fear factor by stressing that only a very small percentage of systems are identified as deficient and requiring significant repairs. The most common recommendation is for pumping.

• Making inspections even more convenient.

• Draw on the commitment and support among the membership referenced by the NFLAA and others.

• Complete some research and identify candidate properties that would warrant a mandatory inspection if there was such a program and specifically address the need in a letter sent to the property owner.

He said that there is currently $6000 budgeted for the program.

However, he said, if the program became mandatory, there would be significant staff time to establish and track properties resulting in a (minimum) cost of $22,000 which could be offset with a user fee.

“Enforcement for noncompliant property owners could be a significant issue with associated costs,” the report said.

In the Council meeting, Sproule said he himself is a licenced installer and has experience.

“If people care about mandatory inspections, they should care about voluntary just as much,” he said. “I care about lake quality as much as everyone else (but) there would be a lot of legwork involved with a mandatory re-inspection.

“It would take 10 years to inspect the 3,000 properties in the Township and I just don’t see us doing 100 per year.”

He also said that any such program would require hiring outside expertise as “none of us are water quality experts” and that there is a process for addressing poorly performing systems.

Council had varying opinions on a mandatory program.

Coun. John Inglis and Fred Perry advocated for it but the other five members weren’t so sure.

“I’m smack dab in the middle,” said Mayor Ron Higgins. “How serious is the problem?

“There’s no evidence that there is an issue that I’m aware of.”

“I don’t think that it’s reasonable to ask the residents of Cloyne to pay for inspections on Malcolm Lake,” said Dep. Mayor Gerry Martin. “Also, re-inspections should be every 20 years, not 10.”

“Making it mandatory concerns me,” said Coun. Fred Fowler. “It would have to build up a big bureaucracy (and) I know that while there are a lot of people moving here from the big city but they need to be told things like you can’t put bleach or fat into a septic system.”

“(And)I believe that for the most part, people want to do what’s right.

“I know that if my system was faulty, I sure wouldn’t want somebody inspecting it,” said Coun. Wayne Good.

Council decided strike up a committee with two or three councillors to look into a mandatory program but the committee won’t be including Sproule, who CAO Cheryl Robson said was going to be very busy this summer with a number of road and other projects.

Budget approved

Council formally passed its 2021 budget with a 1.71 per cent (municipal) increase that will add $6.75 per $100,000 of assessment.

Treasurer Kelly Watkins said they were taking $2.6 million out of reserves, leaving about $8 million in reserves.

“I don’t think we need to add to reserves at this time,” she said.

Landfill report

There have been minimal complaints and incidents with North Frontenac Landfill sites, senior project manager for Cambium, told Council.

“There have been some litter issues but they’re mostly due to ‘critters,’” she said.

She said the Township still has 49 years of capacity left, 40 if the Ardoch site is not reopened.

She said they are also petitioning the MOE to reduce the number of site visits to one per year, which would result in “substantial savings” to the Township.

“The Gull Lake Landfill Site has been closed for 20 years,” said Dep. Mayor Gerry Martin. “When does a landfill site become just land?”

“It was 25 years but the Province hasn’t held to that,” said Reeder. “There is a process to treat it like a brown field site.”

“The reason I ask is was to use it as a staging area for ATVs and snowmobiles,” Martin said.

“That’s definitely a possibility as long as there are no building or asphalt put on it,” Reeder said. “But you should be able to put down some gravel.”