By Caprice Benifield-Sanchez | Posted September 19, 2024
The Montgomery Board of Health requires all septic systems to be registered and monitored. Many, however, fall through the cracks. Montgomery Township has many homes that rely on individual sewage disposal systems, which are costly to replace and repair.
An example of a septic system.
It can cost a homeowner $60,000 when something goes wrong — if the system needs to be replaced. Of the 8,143 properties within Montgomery township, 41% use a septic system. The remaining 59% are on the public sewer, according to the New Jersey Septic Management Group. These individual sewage disposal systems require maintenance to ensure they are in proper working order. Malfunctioning septic systems can contaminate both ground and surface waters, creating health risks to humans and impairing natural ecosystems.
Admittedly, Montgomery Board of Health officials say they struggle to identify the 800+ houses that are not a part of the township’s Septic Management Program, which was established in the early 1990s to ensure compliance with environmental health standards. The regulatory challenge involves older homes with unpermitted septic systems built before the 1990s.
Kristen Sargent, the township’s senior environmental health specialist, said, “As septic systems are repaired or replaced, they are integrated into the licensing program.” Jason Drift, owner of NJ Septic Management Group, LLC in Belle Mead, said, “All systems should be enrolled in [the township’s septic management program], but certain systems are not. “If there has not been a repair permit [filed with the township], or if it’s still the original septic system, those older systems are flying beneath the radar — meaning they have not been repaired, or there’s been no work done to them.”
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Septic tanks are buried, watertight containers typically made of concrete, fiberglass, or polyethylene. The tanks hold the wastewater long enough to allow solids or ‘sludge’ to settle out and the oil and grease, called ‘scum’ to float to the surface. It also allows partial decomposition of solid materials.
According to Montgomery’s Municipal Code, a septic system is considered malfunctioning when it pollutes the ground, surface water, or soil, contaminates private or public drinking water, and creates pest problems. Indications of a malfunctioning system include foul odors, breakout sewage on ground surface, backup sewage into connecting toilets and home, and soggy ground over the system.
“Most homeowners don’t know they have septic system problems,” according to Drift. “When they list their home [for sale], all of a sudden a buyer comes along and performs inspections. At that point, they determine the system needs to be replaced.” Drift said that the cost of a new septic system is dependent on the number of bedrooms a house has in addition to the engineering services’ fee that includes soil testing and designing the septic system based on the results.
A septic system for a 4-bedroom home in Montgomery can range from $40,000 to $66,000, plus an additional $6,000 for engineering services. “Most often where sellers make mistakes is they do not do a pre-listing inspection to know the health of the system before they list it. It becomes the burden and 100% responsibility of the seller. “And, time is always critical when you’re trying to sell a home. “To build a new septic, it’s a six- to eight-week process, and most often people don’t have that much time during a real estate transaction,“ he said.
Routinely pump out the septic tank, Drift said. It will extend the system’s lifespan and prevent it from prematurely failing, thus requiring a new system. Pump outs cost under $400 on average for 1,000 gallons, Drift said. According to Montgomery’s Municipal Code, “The contents of the septic tank shall be pumped out within three years after the tank has been installed.” Drift said, “One thing I believe, because it is my profession, is that the three-year time frame, is not often enough to pump your septic tank out.” “The rule of thumb for when a tank needs to be pumped is when it gets to about 20% solid mass versus liquid. That is not dictated by three years, two years, or one year. That is based on how many people are living in the home, what type of toilet paper, what are their habits, and their diets.” “My opinion, unfortunately, it (the program) has, in a sense, kind of brainwashed people to think that they’re doing the absolute right thing by only pumping a tank out every three years, where there are certain families that are very large families, and need their tanks pumped out every 12 months,” Drift said.
To sign up for the Montgomery Septic Management Program go to montgomerynj.gov/health/page/septic-systems.
