More than 150 residents attended a town hall meeting hosted by Assemblyman Gaines last week to share their concerns regarding new potentially costly septic tank compliance fees.
This week, Assemblyman Gaines will be introducing legislation to repeal Assembly Bill 885, which would require residents with septic tanks to pay costly inspection fees.
''Assembly Bill 885 is a one-size-fits-all solution imposed by the Legislature that would force costly burdensome requirements on many local residents, especially rural property owners,'' Gaines said. ''Instead of pushing excessive regulations that will hurt working families in their pocketbooks, the Legislature should let local elected officials decide for themselves what works best for their communities, not pass ridiculous and extreme measures like this one.''
Assemblyman Gaines and panelists from the State Water Resources Control Board, the County of Placer and the City of Auburn shared the following information with residents:
Septic Tank Regulations:
In 2000, the Legislature passed Assembly Bill 885, which called for the State Water Resources Control Board to develop a septic standard to prevent wastewater from contaminating both
underground and above ground water storage.
The proposed regulations that were released in November of 2008 will require residents who have a septic system to pay for an inspection fee to receive a waiver, exempting them from the new regulations.
If the inspection fails, homeowners would be forced to pay tens of thousands of dollars to replace and upgrade their septic system.
''It's time for the Legislature to give local communities the freedom from septic tank regulations that are unnecessary and painful for families,'' Gaines said. ''That's why I plan to introduce legislation to repeal Assembly Bill 885 and continue fighting hard this year to give local governments like Placer County the responsibility to set regulations that make sense for the constituents they serve.''
Join Assemblyman Ted Gaines at an upcoming town hall near you! Let your voice be heard about issues important to you.
El Dorado County septic town hall
Wednesday, February 18, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
El Dorado County Board of Supervisors Chambers
330 Fair Lane, Placerville, 95667
To submit your comments and concerns, please visit assembly.ca.gov/gaines or contact the Roseville District Office at (916) 774-4430 or the Capitol Office at (916) 319-2004 or submit an e-mail to assemblymember.gaines@asm.ca.gov.
The email to submit comments to the State Water Resources Board is AB885@waterboards.ca.gov. For those who prefer to write a letter, the address is:
State Water Resources Control Board
Division of Water Quality
Attn: Todd Thompson, P.E.
1001 I Street, 15th Floor, P.O. Box 2231 Sacramento, CA 95812
