Correspondence • - p i_./v1 200(,P — 00 Z
/ �I r Wednesday, May 2006 TIGARD
Joe and Joann Lear
13065 SW 121St Ave.
Tigard, OR 97223
RE Septic system effluent, requirement and costs to connect to public sewer.
Dear Joe and Joann,
Thank you for coming in to meet with Tom Imdike and me last Thursday. As we discussed,
this will confirm for you the fees that will be due to the City of Tigard for connecting your
property at 13065 SW 121St Ave. to the public sanitary sewer.
Since I will be copying Susan Watt at Washington County on this letter and since either you
or she may subsequently share its contents with others, let me affirm for all concerned that
you have been most courteous and cooperative as we have looked into this matter and that
the City of Tigard appreciates having your active cooperation. Even though you, as the
property owners, are responsible for correcting the septic effluent problem I want to make it
clear that the City does not consider you to have directly caused the problem and we are
happy to be able to work together with you to resolve it.
As you know, we found that effluent from your septic system was being discharged into the
open public storm drainage ditch in front of your house through an old concrete pipe 8
inches in diameter. We do not believe that this pipe is directly tied to your septic system,
rather it appears to be a storm or surface water drainage pipe coming from another property
or properties to the West of yours. Its installation may predate the construction of your
house in 1950 and it appears that the leach field from your septic system was installed over
the concrete pipe. Concrete is brittle and subject to cracking, the joints in this piping were
probably not watertight, and concrete is inherently porous. Any or all of these factors may
have allowed effluent from the leach field to enter the concrete drain line but the net result is
that effluent from your system is entering the concrete pipe and being discharged into the
open ditch.
Laboratory testing of the discharge from the concrete pipe has shown a bacterial count of
24,190 parts of E.coli per 100 ml, which is within the range expected for raw, untreated
sewage. The discharge of such contaminated water into the storm water system, let alone
into the open public ditch, is a violation of the plumbing provisions of the Oregon
Residential Specialty Code and constitutes a public health hazard. We have ordered that this
discharge be terminated and you have agreed to do so.
13125 SW Hall Blvd., Tigard, OR 97223 (503) 639 -4171 TDD (503) 684 -2772
Whether the problem is the position of the leachfield and the concrete pipe, the condition of
the pipe, or the condition of the leachfield itself, the fact is that repair, replacement, or
relocation of the leachfield is not an option, primarily because a public sanitary sewer is
already installed in the street immediately in front of your house. Under State regulations
repair or replacement of a septic tank or leachfield is not permitted and connection to a
public sanitary sewer must be made when a septic system requires repair, replacement, or
relocation but a public system is available.
Accordingly, you must connect the sanitary drainage system of your house to the public
sewer and you have asked for confirmation of what the various City fees will be for that
connection. They will be as follows:
1. Sewer Connection Fee: $2,635.00 (Billed as a Sewer (SWR) permit fee.)
2. Local Improvement District Fee: 6,000.00 (Represents the allocated cost of
construction of the public sewer.)
3. Plumbing (PLM) Permit Fee: 78.30 (Minimum for up to 100 ft. of
$8,713.30 building sewer. $137.70 if plumbing
also requires "reversal. ")
Please let me kno if you have any questions or need any further information.
Sincerely,
Al rt S • - •
Housing Inspector, Building Codes Enforcement Officer
cc: Tom Imdike, Hap Watkins, Greg Berry, Property File, Susan Watt WACO.