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Supervisors not ready to vote on sewage systems
The Board of Supervisors decided March 10 to hold off on a vote to restrict the installation of more so-called nonconventional on-site sewage systems in Loudoun until a later date.
These systems are found mostly at housing developments in western Loudoun, where access to municipal treatment facilities supplied by the Loudoun County Sanitation Authority is limited.
Nonconventional systems are more complex than a conventional septic tank and drain field and thus require regular upkeep, officials say. One example is a system that relies on filters made of peat.
Opponents of these systems argue that most homeowners use them improperly and don't seek regular maintenance. Failures, they worry, could spill waste into local water sources. County officials estimate there are about 1,200 of these systems in Loudoun, compared to 13,000 conventional systems.
More than 30 property owners and water experts turned out for a hearing on the issue Monday in Leesburg.
"People are not capable of maintaining them by themselves," said speaker Owen Snyder, a farmer from Round Hill. "If we have an error with a lot of these systems, then the groundwater is going to be contaminated."
Tom Ashton, a soil scientist from Bluemont and proponent of the systems, said such a ban is an attempt to derail future construction, since developers require these systems to build homes in some rural areas.
He called the proposal, made by Supervisor Jim Burton (I-Blue Ridge), "political" in nature. "This is a no-growth ordinance," he argued.
Besides restricting new installation, the board may also require that existing nonconventional systems be inspected regularly.
The board sent the issue to its public safety/human services committee for further vetting.
Contact the reporter at jjacks@timespapers.com
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