U.F. allows resident to install alternative septic
BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

"If you think you're not going to get a lot of these systems, think again." - William Miscoski deputy mayor

UPPER FREEHOLD - A Meirs Road landowner will be able to install an alternative septic system on his property, even though the township still does not have an ordinance to regulate such systems.

The township's Board of Health voted 4-1 at its Oct. 11 meeting to allow Margaret Jahn, the Freehold Area Health Department (FAHD) officer, to sign off on Alan Papp's application for an alternative septic system. The procedure is permitted by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Board member Dr. Curtis Byrnes voted against the measure. He voiced concern that the township may never have an alternative septic system ordinance, which could create an issue if Papp sells his house.

Papp said he would have to disclose that the property has an alternative septic system should he decide to sell his home.

Although Papp already had a permit to put a standard system on his property, he said he did not want to put that kind of system in and that it would be a "disaster waiting to happen." He also said putting a conventional system on his land would mean having to do an extensive amount of excavation.

He told the board that he would need to put his alternative drip system in the ground before there is a hard frost.

The Board of Health has been discussing an ordinance for alternative systems for several months, but has not yet come to a decision regarding the matter.

The board had put together an ad hoc committee to discuss an alternative septic system ordinance. The committee concluded that the maintenance of the systems should be the homeowner's responsibility, not the responsibility of the municipality.

In response to the committee's findings, Jahn said she understood that the town does not want to be "the septic police," but that having alternative systems registered is fairly innocuous.

Jahn said the registration process would provide the FAHD with information as to what systems are being used and if they are being maintained as they should be.

Papp said he and the service contractor for his alternative system would share information about the system with the FAHD. He called the DEP's sample ordinance for alternative septic systems "stupid," saying that the board was correct in removing some of the language "because it doesn't make any sense."

Alternative systems are better for the environment, according to Jahn, who called standard systems "40-year-old technology."

Board of Health Vice Chairman Nancy Amontis asked Jahn why more municipalities aren't allowing the use of the new technology.

"People are resistant to change," Jahn said.

Jahn also said towns are reluctant to review the new technology because they fear a building boom. However, she said Upper Freehold's proposed alternative septic ordinance would prevent the use of an alternative system on any lot that could not support a conventional one.

Deputy Mayor William Miscoski, who was in the audience at the meeting, said, "If you think you're not going to get a lot of these systems, think again."

He said if builders put in alternative septic systems, they won't have to spend all the money they do now excavating for the installation of conventional systems.

"If you do an ordinance," Miscoski told the board, "say that [the alternative septic] must be registered and that the [FAHD] will never charge another nickel for this system."

Jahn said the costs of inspecting alternative systems would be "fairly small," and covered under the general services the FAHD provides to the township.

Board of Health Chairman Dr. S. Perrine Dey said his main concern about alternative systems is that they are designed to operate under soil conditions that would not support a standard system.

If an alternative system does not operate correctly, it could put contamination into the groundwater without anyone knowing, according to Dey. He said that when a conventional system fails, it creates contamination on the surface of the ground. However, he added that alternative systems are closely monitored as provided by their service contracts.

Papp said his alternative system will cost between $35,000 and $40,000 to install. He said the company he is purchasing the system from would not sell him a system without a maintenance contract, which will cost about $350 per year.

"I'm going in with my eyes wide open that I am buying a system that requires maintenance and will continue to require maintenance," he said.

Papp has researched alternative systems and knows that they have a monitoring system. He said he was told that almost nothing can happen to an alternative system that the monitoring company can't fix remotely.

The FAHD and the Board of Health's ad hoc committee will meet before the board's next meeting on Nov. 12 to try to resolve some of the issues concerning the ordinance.