Progress is Being Made

Good Morning Savvy Septic Readers! The City has lots of updates for you all today so let’s get to them:
Rockwell Engineering & Construction will be in Valdez at the end of this week. They will be coordinating site inspection for Group A and Group B of the AdvanTex installations with Dave Lanning. This is for their onsite crew to determine exact access, what (if anything) the homeowner needs to move, and whether they will have to have the electric and telephone companies move their utility lines. They expect their full crew to be here, starting their first AdvanTex installation in Valdez, around the 14th of August. This gives Phase II AdvanTex owners about 2 weeks to remove any private property that is in the way of access to the construction site or in the way of the construction site itself.

Due to the late start of the installs, it is unlikely that there will be time in the season to put finishing touches on any of the systems (Mound or AdvanTex) without a risk of wintertime and spring erosion. It is likely that the topsoil and hydro seeding will have to take place in the spring of next year (the way Phase I systems were handled) in order to ensure successful and strong growth in disturbed areas of properties. The systems will be fully operational and the only thing that will be affected by this delay will be the cosmetics of the yards.

It was brought to the City’s attention that mound tanks could also be insulated. Insulating mound system tanks is standard practice in Anchorage and, although the DEC does not require mound tanks to be insulated, the City decided to go ahead and insulate the remainder of the mound system tanks while they were still in Anchorage.

Last night on August 3rd, the Council approved the revisions and clarifications to Option 2 (homeowner installation) of the program. The City will be mailing out the new details to Alpine Woods Area residents who do not already have a new septic system (or for whom one isn’t planned for installation this year). The Option 2 details will also be available on the City website for reference (to see them now, click here).

There are just a few other things that have come up over the past week. The DEC went through the subdivision and did effluent testing for 16 of the AdvanTex systems. The city doesn’t have those results back yet but has heard by word of mouth that they looked good. Two systems had higher turbidity than the rest and this is likely because of improper things being poured down the drains into the septic systems. The EPA recommends that homeowners treat their septic systems like investments. The better they are treated the longer they last and the more value they add to the home. Pouring large amounts of grease and harsh chemical detergents into the system will harm the system and decrease its value and ability to last in the long run. For a general guide on how to take care of any septic system, click here.

Additionally, the City ran into some understandable confusion about tree felling and removal policies during Phase I and would like to clarify several points moving forward. The City will have its contractors fell the trees and it is up to the homeowner to either have the contractor drag the whole tree to an area agreed upon or to haul the whole tree off the property. If the homeowner wants to keep the tree for firewood and has the contractor put it somewhere they can work with it, it is no longer the contractor’s responsibility to deal with any part of the tree. After the homeowner bucks it up and takes whatever part of the tree they want for firewood, it is the homeowner’s responsibility to clear any remaining branches and mess. This was not made as clear as it should have been, but if the homeowner chooses to keep the tree for firewood they are responsible for all parts of the tree.

So, the Phase I systems are looking pretty green and healthy. The Phase II mound installs are moving forward steadily and the remaining six tanks will be insulated. And the Phase II AdvanTex systems (already insulated) will be starting up within two weeks. That feels like real progress! Let us know what you think about it too.