Rumor Control

Because this is, after all, a Symposium of Shameless and Spellbinding Septic Sentiment, I would like to bring forth another, less concrete piece of the Septic Replacement puzzle that plays a large role in our lives at Community Development: the rumor mill. We were thinking about a sidebar on the website called “rumor of the day” where we could share with the world the most recent one we had heard. This would be a good way to make light of an issue that has a much darker and damaging side to it than people probably realize. In the course of a week, we hear everything from “The City made things worse out at Alpine Woods” to “None of the systems were installed correctly” to “All of the systems out there have failed” to “The City spent $40,000 on septic systems that don’t work and now they aren’t going to do 10-mile snow removal anymore”. It’s okay to laugh, we sometimes do, but the damage these rumors do to the smoothness of the program’s implementation and the delay these rumors cause to the timeline is undeniable. They undermine the faith people have in a program that was generously put in place by the City Council to protect the health and safety of the neighborhood. And the truth of the matter is, when rumor after rumor comes to Community Development and the staff has to spend as much time implementing the program as they spend patiently listening to someone rant about how abused they are because they heard the City is going to evict them from their house unless they accept a system that will ruin their life forever, etc., etc., etc., its hard on morale. So, for our sakes as well as for the benefit of the neighborhood, we would like to set the record straight:

Before Phase I, several residents were using outhouses and neighbor’s bathrooms because their septic systems had failed completely. Some systems were leaking raw sewage onto people lawns and others were cesspools below the surface. The City cleaned these situations up, free of charge. Brand new septic tanks and secondary treatment pods were set up to clean up effluent. As an added precaution, UV light filters were installed to further disinfect effluent. As an additional added precaution, all new tanks were discharged into existing or brand new drainfields (neither precaution was a requirement from the DEC). How this situation, regardless of a person’s faith in an AdvanTex system, could be worse than raw sewage on the ground we can’t be sure. But that’s the rumor.

Installation was done late in the year at the end of a very rainy season last year. In our lessons learned meetings, the main thing everyone wanted to avoid was a fall / early winter install again. They were difficult and yards couldn’t be cleaned up before the snow flew. However, at each critical point during installation an inspection was conducted by a licensed engineer. These inspections were documented and photos of all installations were taken. The city has kept all the documentation and photos to back up that the systems were installed correctly despite the difficult construction conditions. Additionally, Mike Congel, the licensed maintenance man for the AdvanTex systems, did inspections and system start up check lists of his own to verify everything was working and installed correctly. Several installation sites do have some small remaining checklist items to take care of and Mike Congel will likely make some spring / summer time adjustments to the system when he does his annual septic system health check up, but by no means does that mean they are all falling apart. Anyone who would like to see how the systems were installed is welcome to take a look at our documentation and decide if they think 18 systems were installed wrong. It sounds hard to believe. But that’s the rumor.

A particularly disturbing and prevailing rumor is that some or all of the AdvanTex systems out there aren’t working properly or have failed. This is simply not true. All the systems have worked properly all winter long. There has been no raw sewage on the ground. None of them have backed up. The one instance we had in which a homeowner was without septic for a while was due to an old pipe collapse. This old pipe had nothing to do with the AdvanTex system and was hooked into to save damaging a well-liked tree. Along these lines, a point on which there is some confusion is whether or not cold temperatures mean the septics have failed. The Alaska Department of Environment Conservations (ADEC) has written several letters to Alpine Woods residents saying cold temperatures are not a surprise and the systems are still in compliance. The City has taken measures to insulate systems, both in Phase I and for the remaining phases. Furthermore, the temperature data is a small sample of systems reflecting the most extreme conditions in the neighborhood and one cold system does not mean they all have failed. It’s important to remember even running cold, these things are still running through a UV light for disinfection and they are still being pumped into drainfields where normal septic system treatment also takes place. Under no circumstances are they creating more of a health hazard then was already there by running colder than their optimum temperatures. More importantly, the temperature monitoring data and the AdvanTex alarm systems have shown they do not freeze in extreme cold conditions. Adding insulation to the systems will only make a good situation better. When someone says it’s ridiculous that city would spend $40,000 on septic systems that don’t work - it is ridiculous. The City has too many processes, approvals, and safeguards to allow for that to happen. There have been no AdvanTex system failures. But that’s the rumor.

We would like to think it goes without saying that the City is not going to discontinue snow removal in Alpine Woods nor will they evict people who do not put AdvanTex systems on their property. The program is entirely voluntary and we meet with homeowners continuously throughout the process to make sure they get the best system for their needs and that fits into their lots. The City studied package treatment systems extensively and picked AdvanTex for a variety of good reasons, but other systems like the Garness Quanics system and the Lifewater Engineering systems are reasonable alternatives for residents. The City would happily reimburse any resident who chose a Quanics or any other reasonable treatment system. Mound systems, when they can fit in a lot, are also an acceptable alternative. We are installing 8 for Phase II and expect many more before the program is over. We are not forcing people to accept an AdvanTex system or move out of their homes. But that’s the rumor.

There are of course, many other damaging rumors floating around town and surfacing in surprising places and we will try and keep everyone abreast of the rumors and prove ourselves over and over again to the community, but at some point there is not enough time in the day. We invite you to really think about the next allegation you hear against the Septic Replacement Program and if it sounds outrageous and doesn’t make sense, it probably isn’t true. The simplest conclusion is usually the best. And if someone tells you there are evil gremlins plotting the demise of Alpine Woods in the Community and Economic Development office of City Hall, well, that probably isn’t true either although we certainly invite you to come and see. At least I hope it isn’t true. But that’s the rumor… :)