My Take: Well, septic inspections aren't broke, so don't fix them
I wanted to chime in on this conversation regarding the well and septic inspections in Ottawa County. My business has operated in Ottawa County for 59 years. I have been able to talk with numerous well drillers, septic installers, health inspectors, and real estate agents all in and out of Ottawa County. The general consensus is that this is work that SHOULD NOT be done by outside vendors.
I realize that Ottawa County may be an oddball in this area. However, the benefits of this being done by registered sanitarians operating on behalf of the local health department far outweigh the costs.
First off, there are no licensing or qualification requirements for someone to become a third-party well and septic inspector. As with home-building inspectors, these individuals often lack adequate knowledge of the rules and systems they inspect. There is also no official standard for the totality of their report. Sellers and buyers have been told they needed new well and/or septic systems when nothing was wrong. The opposite has also happened.
County inspectors also have institutional knowledge of the areas and immediate access to prior records for the parcels that are being sold. Ottawa County's point-of-sale program can be credited for the discovery and proper abandonment of hundreds, if not thousands, of unused water wells. These old/unused wells are a direct threat of contamination to the aquifers we use and the water that they contain. Our company has rarely, if ever, seen a third-party inspector report unused wells on a property. County inspectors are also the only ones with any statutory authority to enforce any meaningful change when code violations or any hazardous conditions are found. Without the ability to issue correction orders, any problems found by third-party inspectors are merely suggestions.
The timeliness of the real estate inspections is important and inspections by outside vendors may help speed the process up. However, a faster process only benefits the seller and unscrupulous real estate agents if the inspection is not thorough. The intent of these inspections should be to protect all parties involved, especially the buyer. Nobody wants to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to discover a year later that the property needs $10,000-$20,000 septic system or water well. Most real estate agents I have spoken with want to protect their own liability and like the current Ottawa County system.
A neutral county inspector also helps ensure impartiality in a final report. My company gets asked often to do these inspections. Even though we are qualified, I almost always decline and instead offer to help interpret the report. First, I cannot charge enough to make it profitable for the time and resources involved for a proper report. Second, either the buyer or the seller would likely be hiring me or any other third-party inspector. I want to preserve my professional integrity and do not want to be in a position where I feel I or any inspector needs to favor the group that has hired me.
I have worked with at least 10 different health departments. Ottawa County Environmental Health (OCEH) is one of the best. Yes, I have disagreements with my inspectors and county officials from time to time. Their job is largely a thankless one. Nobody is usually happy with the news they receive in the reports. From my perspective as a well driller, their job as inspectors is critical to protecting our precious resource of groundwater and ensuring that our homeowners have safe systems.
OCEH's systems work. Please do not change anything. If the board of commissioners feel there is a need to make changes to OCEH's structures, I hope you sincerely consult with all of the stakeholders involved (i.e., the well drillers, septic installers, realtors, sanitarians, etc). Based on my observations, I am not entirely convinced that the current board is really listening to and understanding all knowledgeable voices.
I love living and doing business in this county. I hope it stays that way.
— Steve Hecksel owns and operates Hecksel Bros. Well Drilling in Coopersville.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: My Take: Well, septic inspections aren't broke, so don't fix them
