Septic waste haulers cooperate to draft regulations

MONTROSE — Local septic waste haulers recently came together to benefit not only their industry but the region's environment and its inhabitants.

"Over four meetings, nine of 11 haulers in our area have come to the table at least once to express their opinion and support," Montrose Roto-Rooter owner Kevin Smith said.

Last fall, haulers cooperated with local entities in submitting an audit request to the Environmental Protection Agency. EPA agents spoke in November at a monthly meeting of the representatives of regional governments, waste receivers and haulers. An investigation of the haulers ensued and the results are pending, Montrose County Environmental Health Coordinator Richard Thompson said.

The issue of hauler accountability was brought to the parties' attention after a handful of incidents of illegal dumping and a lack of loads being delivered to the waste receivers. The haulers pay an average of about $160 to the receivers when they empty their trucks; this creates an incentive to dump illegally.

"I think all of us as an industry would like to operate on a level playing field," Smith said of the haulers who've come together.

Their primary objectives include educating people involved with their industry and the general public; establishing regulations for haulers and ensuring a permanent disposal location. Their efforts led to a draft of regulations derived in part from those of Mesa, Gunnison and Delta counties. Montrose County doesn't have specific regulations for its septic waste haulers.

"They've indicated that the (Montrose) county doesn't necessarily have the resources to take a strong hand in it," Smith said. "But I do believe they have some strong role models that will help them and help us get a reasonable set of regulations implemented."

Montrose County Sanitarian Greg Pink said it's admirable the haulers have formed an association. He also said establishment of a permanent disposal location is the primary concern.

"If it's a fact that we have a major issue with illegal dumping and dumping of septage in places that are going to create health issues, then certainly the county's gonna be looking into that," Pink said. "I haven't been bombed or overwhelmed with calls in the last 10 years."

West Montrose Sanitation District is the county's only official septic waste receiver. The amount of waste it can receive is limited and biosolids must be removed periodically. District Manager Randy See said he's applied for a $100,000 Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs to aid in the removal.

"The money will get rid of the biosolids on hand now," See said. "My hope is that we're able to use some new technology that would allow us to get rid of biosolids on a more regular basis."

The haulers' association would like a draft of its regulations to be adopted by six counties encompassing the haulers' service area, including Montrose, Delta, Ouray and San Miguel.

"I don't believe there's much hope for reciprocity from county to county, but we're hoping for some uniformity," Smith said.

"I think it helps improve the public perception of the industry if we have a written set of guidelines that we follow, from a safety standpoint as well as a quality standpoint."

Thompson said the draft is "a little bit bare bones right now," but that it can be ironed out in additional meetings. He said he hopes something can at least be adopted by Montrose County within three months.

Issues addressed in the haulers' draft include:

• Licensing of haulers with annual renewal fees

• Successful completion of a written test for license applicants

• Criteria to ensure septic tanks are sufficiently cleaned

• Maintenance of hauler's equipment to prevent spillage

Contact Robert Allen via e-mail at roberta@montrosepress.com