Pa. townships soon to require septic plumbing

Every township in Franklin County soon will require residents to pump their septic tanks on a three-year schedule, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

“Every municipality will have the requirement at some point,” said Sandy Roderick, spokeswoman for the state DEP.

The requirement is part of a state initiative designed to improve local sewage management and protect groundwater.

In 1997, the state amended Act 537 to require regular maintenance of septic systems, Roderick said. The legislation mandates that municipalities require all on-lot septic systems to be pumped every three years.

“Act 537 is the municipality’s responsibility, but some have yet to show progress,” Roderick said.

“We have areas in Pennsylvania that are rural, and only have on-lot systems,” Roderick said. “Some are old, malfunctioning and contaminating drinking water.”

Local septic tank specialists S R Daley Sons of Greencastle, Pa., say that once a system malfunctions, the only remedy is expensive alternative systems.

“When a system goes bad, it is because it is not maintained,” said April Daley of S R Daley Sons. “It costs $139 to pump a tank; a replacement can cost up to $20,000.”

Read full article at Hagerstown Morning Herald