MPCA SSTS Bulletin

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SSTS Bulletin

July 2015

Otter Tail County again tops in SSTS compliance inspections in 2014

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Minnesota counties and other local units of government conducted a total of 12,805 compliance inspections on existing septic systems across the state in 2014, according to information submitted for the 2014 MPCA SSTS Annual Report that is currently being compiled and analyzed. It will be published later this fall. The total number of compliance inspections performed in 2013 was 11,566.

table1

As Table 1 above shows,11,490 inspections in 2014 were reported by counties. Cities reported 992 compliance inspections and townships reported 296 compliance inspections. A Water Management District reported 27 compliance inspections.

Approximately 532,000 SSTS were reported in Minnesota in 2014. About 2 percent of those existing systems were inspected during the year.  Inspections are a very important part of improving SSTS compliance. When old systems are inspected, those that pose an environmental or human health risk get on the list to be upgraded in the near future.

Many local governments have included inspection triggers in their septic ordinances as a way of finding and fixing problem SSTS. Events that can trigger a compliance inspection include when a property is sold or when a homeowner applies for a building permit to add a bedroom, for example.

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Table 2 shows the number of compliance inspections grouped into 11 categories. Ottertail County reported the highest number of compliance inspections at 1233 inspections. The other four highest reporting counties, all reporting more than 500 inspections were: 2) Cass County at 808, 3) Crow Wing County at 745, 4) St. Louis County at 635, and 5) Morrison County at 593. The four counties with the most reported compliance inspections in 2014 also reported the most compliance inspections in 2013.