Public invited to discuss septic and well-water services and fees

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - Public Health-Seattle & King County's Eastgate office will be holding a public meeting to discuss Public Health's proposal to increase certain home "septic" sewage and water source fees homeowners pay when applying for septic system permits or for approval of new water sources. The proposed fees are intended to cover the actual cost to the department of providing the services associated with the permits.

In the public meeting, attendees will have the opportunity to discuss and ask questions related to the following applications for which fee increases are proposed:

Building remodel applications. When seeking to remodel or add on to an existing home with an on-site septic system, the homeowner is required to get approval from Public Health - Seattle & King County. Public Health determines if records exist for the property's septic system, visits the property, and evaluates the impact of the proposed remodel on the system. The purpose of these activities is to ensure that the septic system is able to handle new water use demands, because septic system failures can lead to contamination of local surface waters. In order to cover the cost of these activities, the proposal is to raise the existing $210 fee established in 1999 to $300.

Private Well/Spring Site Source Inspection: When an existing private drinking water supply needs to be replaced, Public Health is required to approve the new location to ensure that the new water source will provide water that is safe to drink. The department is proposing to raise the existing $115 fee established in 1999 to $200.

Septic fees are unrelated to monthly sewer rates collected by local jurisdictions and sewer agencies that contract with King County for providing wastewater treatment.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on April 22nd, 2004 at
Eastgate Public Health Center, Conference Room A
14350 SE Eastgate Way
Bellevue, WA 98007

For more information about Public Health's wastewater programs visit http://www.metrokc.gov/health/wastewater.

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