Would nearly $7,000 convince you to say goodbye to your septic system? Lynden hopes so

The city is waiving a $6,682 fee for homeowners who want to disconnect from their septic systems and connect to Lynden’s sewer system.

Approved in March by the City Council, the offer is for septic systems within city limits. There are as many as 183 such systems, most of them once out in the county but now on land annexed by the city on the east and west sides of Lynden.

“If we get homes off septics and onto our sewer system, we can’t help but think it will be better – particularly for homes that are near a stream or (other) body of water,” Mayor Scott Korthuis said.

Giving people an incentive to get off their septic systems is part of the effort to get fecal bacterial pollution out of area creeks and streams, which empty into the Nooksack River as it flows into Portage Bay.

The bay is home to the Lummi Nation’s commercial, ceremonial and subsistence shellfish beds, where about 800 acres are now closed six months out of the year because of fecal pollution in the Nooksack River and streams that empty into it.

Fecal coliform bacteria come from human and animal feces. It’s a problem throughout Whatcom County – officials even brought in a dog in July to sniff out human “poo”-llution – where just 20 percent of sites being monitored are meeting water quality standards for bacterial pollution, according to the county Health Department.

The bacteria enter Whatcom County’s waterways from a number of sources – horse and cow manure, pet and wildlife waste, and failing septic systems – and indicate there could be pathogens absorbed by the shellfish that may sicken people who eat them.

In January, the tribe and seven dairy farms in Whatcom County reached an agreement to keep their cows’ manure out of the bay and to compensate the tribe’s shellfish harvesters for the loss of their ability to harvest because of fecal coliform pollution.

The tribe and farmers formed the Portage Bay Partnership. The partnership and another group, Whatcom Family Farmers, have been discussing water quality with City of Lynden officials.

“We’re doing what we can, but what about the city?” Steve Banham, the city’s Public Works director, said of those conversations.

Lummi Chairman Timothy Ballew II supported the city’s efforts.

“The tribe doesn’t oppose this effort and definitely supports this infrastructure initiative. I could see this would benefit the city’s citizens,” Ballew said. “We commend them for making an attempt to address the cumulative impacts to the habitat. We hope this will have positive effects for shellfish harvesters of Portage Bay.”

Whatcom Family Farmers also praised the city for offering a financial incentive to those who want to decommission their septic systems, saying it could substantially improve water quality.

Offering an incentive

Although the city is waiving the fee, homeowners still will bear the cost of re-plumbing their home to physically connect to the Lynden sewer system. How much that will cost will vary, depending on the layout of the house as it relates to the city’s system.

How many homeowners will take the city up on its offer isn’t known. But officials said waiving the fee could encourage people, including those with aging septic systems, who may be daunted by the thought of paying thousands of dollars more for the fee after already paying to re-plumb, which can be costly.

“This helps make that more of a viable option,” Banham said.

Once they connect, the monthly sewer bill for a house in Lynden is $47.91.

Records from the Whatcom County Health Department, which monitors septic systems throughout the county, show there were 183 septic systems in city limits.

About 130 of them were more than 30 years old, according to Mike Kim, environmental health supervisor for the health department.

There were no known failures or defective systems, Kim said in an interview last week, adding that 75 percent of septic systems in Lynden complied with operation and maintenance requirements, and the majority of systems have been evaluated relatively recently.

He praised the city’s decision to waive the connection fee.

“Dealing with a failing septic system can be a significant financial burden,” Kim said. “Waiving the connection fee is a big incentive that will assist property owners, and hopefully encourage them to connect to the sewer before their system fails.”

This story was originally published April 12, 2017 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Would nearly $7,000 convince you to say goodbye to your septic system? Lynden hopes so."