ENVIRONMENT + HOUSING

How long should a tenant endure a failed septic system before it gets fixed?

Wildwood Mobile Home Park tenant has been waiting for 15 months… and counting

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The smell of raw sewage rising from the septic tank overflow next to his house has been disturbing Cory Zachariasen for 15 months.

Zachariasen has lived at Wildwood Mobile Home Park in Lacey for about six years. The first five were pleasant and uneventful, he said. But in May 2021, he started noticing a foul smell toward the back of his single-wide mobile home, for which he rents space at Wildwood.

In an interview with The JOLT, Zachariasen said he has reported the problem many times Wildwood management, Commonwealth Real Estate Services, based in Bellevue. They respond by sending people to pump the overflow whenever it happens. Lately, that’s been every week or so. And they spread powdered limestone around the top of the tank lids to keep down the smell.

Still, Zachariasen has yet to see a permanent solution.

What the landlord said

"Ryan Nelson (regional manager of Commonwealth) was extremely aggressive with me from the first time I spoke with him. He said I was trying to cause a problem," alleged Zachariasen.

Nelson confirmed in a quick interview with The JOLT that they are aware of the issues that their tenant raised.

"The city (Lacey), the Attorney General, the county (Thurston), everybody is involved and well aware of Mr. Zachariasen, and they're all working to his benefit," said Nelson.

"We're pumping an adequate amount at the present moment," he added.

Nelson said they are working on connecting the existing septic system where the mobile house of Zachariasen and five other mobile homes are connected, to the public sewer system. However, they can't still provide a specific date as to when this will happen.

Nelson suggested that the problem might be partly Zachariasen’s fault, saying "There's a lot to unpack there. You might want to talk to Mr. Zachariasen about what else has happened underneath his house."

What the city said

Lacey Development Review Engineer Manager Tom Stiles confirmed that Wildwood’s owner submitted civil engineering plans to the city's Public Works Department to connect Wildwood to the public sewer on October 14, 2021. The construction plans were approved on March 5 this year. 

Stiles explained that it is reasonable for the project to take some time to start because of the delivery of materials.

"It is my understanding that they are currently waiting on some of the materials to arrive in order to begin construction. For city projects, I have heard some materials are six months out," wrote Stiles in an email. 

"So, the fact they are still waiting doesn't surprise me."

However, Stiles claimed that Lacey does not have "any relief through city regulations for situations like this," adding that issues on septic systems are under the jurisdiction of Thurston County Environmental Health.

What the county said

Speaking for the Water Quality/Operation and Maintenance Program of Thurston County, Maggie Morehouse, through an email exchange in March, said that the Wildwood management must keep the sewage pumped as often as needed to stop the surfacing sewage until the completion of a sewer connection.

"While the sewer connection will bring a permanent resolution to the problems, it is a process which takes a lot of steps and is not quick," wrote Morehouse.

Morehouse also advised Zachariasen of ways to extend the time between sewage overflows as a temporary solution.

"After the tank is pumped, you can extend the time between sewage surfacing by minimizing your water use," wrote Morehouse. "You can take shorter showers, use disposable plates and utensils, and take your laundry to a laundry mat."

While that advice might be helpful for users of a single-family septic system, Zachariasen lives next to a septic tank that receives wastewater from five of his slightly uphill neighbors.

What did the tenant’s lawyer accomplish?

Zachariasen hired a lawyer last year to help him negotiate with the property manager and local authorities. The lawyer received assurances from the landlord that they’re managing the situation and talked about plans to convert part of the site to city sewer.   

Zachariasen said that he ran out of budget to pay for the lawyer.

Waiting continues

As of writing, the involved parties have yet to provide a specific timeframe for the construction of the sewer connection, seen as the permanent solution for the overflow of the septic tank behind Zachariasen's house.

Zachariasen currently has no choice but to keep requesting that the tank be pumped, then waiting a day or two for the pumping to happen, as he endures the foul and stinky sewage overflows behind his house until authorities take concrete action.

Comments

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  • Honestyandrealityguy

    Tough subject. A well written lease would be helpful. Who has to maintain? Who is responsible for governmental, quasi governmental or normal idiocracy? Tough subject.

    Wednesday, August 17, 2022 Report this

  • bigcat90

    I wanted to add both me and my room mate have breathing poblems from breathing that sewage smell...

    Wednesday, August 17, 2022 Report this

  • JulesJames

    Landlord seems to be spending big bucks to fix this correctly. It’s a failed septic system, not broken. Tenant has every right to move out if the inconvenience is too much. I’d be moving out because digging the trench and laying in pipe is going to be far a worse inconvenience than the bad smells now. It sucks, but renting isn’t an absolute guarantee of trouble-free housing forever.

    Wednesday, August 17, 2022 Report this