Phase Out Septic Tanks, Board Orders

Despite the objections of about 200 irate north Oxnard residents, the state Regional Water Quality Control Board voted Thursday to require homeowners north of Oxnard to phase out the use of septic tanks within eight years to protect against further ground water contamination.

The number of affected property owners was unclear, but the board staff estimated there are about 3,000 septic tanks and nearly 15,000 people in the communities north of Oxnard, including El Rio, Strickland Acres, Saticoy and Oxnard’s College Park area.

Although the cost of the sewer project has not been determined, several public officials said the previously reported $25,000-per-household estimate was incorrect. Arthur Goulet, director of public works for Ventura County, said it could cost $10,000 per property, but grants and loans could offset the cost to homeowners.

“Because the board took this action, it should place us in a better situation in terms of getting supplemental funding,” he said. “It could include loans or grants, or both, but under no circumstance will the property owners get off scot-free. That is never the situation.”

During most of the four-hour, filled-to-capacity board meeting, residents vented their anger and opposition to footing the bill for a project they say is unnecessary. One resident likened the proceedings to the Boston Tea Party, an 18th-century protest over taxation without appropriate representation in government.

“If the septic tanks are working properly then they won’t put out much contamination,” said Tom Markgraf, a 10-year resident. He said farms and agricultural runoff from pesticides and fertilizer are the main cause of nitrates found in ground water.

The new state edict specifically excludes septic tanks that sit on properties five acres or larger, many of which are used for agriculture.

County Supervisor John K. Flynn said it is not possible for the affected residents, most of whom live in low- to moderate-income housing, to come up with the money necessary for such a public works project. He estimated it would cost between $10 million and $12 million for the whole project and not more than $1,000 per household, after government assistance.

“What I’m committed to is finding the money to put the system in,” Flynn said, referring to state and local grants to subsidize homeowners. “We assure people it will be paid for like that. Many people out there cannot come up with the money. This is not Bel-Air.”

The edict did not include a provision for any monetary assistance.

The initiative was proposed because studies last fall discovered nitrates in ground water. In high doses, nitrates can be toxic and can cause dysentery.

“Everybody agreed that something had to be done because there was clearly a nitrate problem that threatens the reservoir in the Oxnard riverbed,” Goulet said.

He said officials have been trying to get a sewer system installed in the El Rio area for 20 years but there have been problems with funding as well as identifying the exact nature of contamination in the area.

Patricia Fontes, 64, a lifelong El Rio resident, said not enough time and consideration were given to the issue. “I have no problem with the idea of a transition,” she said. “But our wells are tested monthly and this is the first thing I’ve heard about a crisis. How are seniors on a fixed budget going to pay for this?”

Wendy Phillips, chief of enforcement and remediation for the water quality board, said “misinformation” caused the residents to react with such hostility to the proposal. There was frequent clapping and shouting during the public hearing, held at Camarillo City Hall.

“They think they will be hit with a $25,000 bill and they won’t. [There are] utility costs that everybody, everywhere has to pay,” Phillips said, adding that Oxnard area residents already pay lower utility bills than other communities.

She added that community leaders and local agencies need to step forward and help find grants and loans to assist needy residents.