HOMEOWNER’S UNSUNG HERO
You are a first time homeowner; you found your dream house in a rural area and it so happens to have an on-lot system. It means nothing to you at the time. Fast forward 15 years later when you learn that the system could have possible malfunctions or have violations with the DEP. Who do you call? What is your next move?
You call the one person who can help you find a solution and educate you on your responsibilities, a Sewage Enforcement Officer (SEO). The municipalities’ SEO can help find a solution to satisfy you and be in line with requirements of the municipality and the DEP.
An SEO is a great resource to homeowners with an on-lot system. They offer assistance in determining potential malfunctions and can help educate homeowners on necessary maintenance responsibilities. If you are experiencing a malfunction it can come at a large expense. An SEO can help educate you on the reasoning behind it or help you understand why your system has malfunctioned or how your system could become a potential issue.
Believe it or not SEO’s deal with situations as mentioned above all the time. A local SEO received a call from a resident with concerns regarding his on-lot system. The resident purchased his home 15 years ago and hadn’t had any maintenance on the system since he moved in. The SEO was concerned that there could be issues with the DEP that could be very costly. The SEO was able to assist the homeowner in determining what type of system he had and educate the resident on how often it should be maintained and what his responsibilities were. Luckily, the anticipated costly expense turned out to be fairly minor.
SEO’s have many responsibilities and have to be able to communicate and adapt to every situation they are in. Balancing the needs of homeowners, the requirements of the municipalities and the DEP can be challenging. To make sure they have the most update information SEO’s are required to attend classes/training seminars throughout the year to retain their certification. So the next time you have an issue with your on-lot system, who are you going to call?