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from the mandatory hook-up provision, Mr. Shepherd said. He conceded that Mr. Atkins’ sewage disposal system does not meet current standards and that neither the flood plain septic tank nor the backup pit privy could be approved new today, but that they’re “grandfathered in as thousands upon thousands of others are.”
While never referring to Mr. Atkins specifically - “Whenever there’s the possibility of litigation, we won’t name the individuals” — Mr. Shepherd acknowledged that the hold-out poses a problem. “Even with no imminent health hazard, we do see our responsibility and we want to help . . . We don’t want the appearance in the community that the Health Department can’t be bothered. We don’t like that image ... If someone brings us clear evidence of a malfunctioning septic system, we’ll certainly move on it,” Mr. Shepherd affirmed.
No file in Richmond
According to the State Water Comtrol Board’s spokesman in Richmond, no pollution response number has been assigned to the connection hold-out case. “That’s for oil spills, chemical spills, those types of emergencies,” he said. “Sewage is considered to be a health matter and the standard operating procedure is to refer the problem to the local sanitarian.” Checking the files, he found that the matter had been referred by Mr. Shepherd to the SWCB’s Richmond headquarters but that the information had been passed on to the SWCB’s Northern Virginia office. “We have an interest in it . . . But we’re not the heavies who come in and lean on people in cases like this.”
Gary Moore from the SWCB’s Northern Virginia branch said that the Water Control Bbard’s involvement in pushing for construction of a Sperryville sewer system had centered on elimination of the “straight pipes” carrying waste water directly to the Thornton River “as opposed to malfunctioning in-ground systems.”
Mr. Moore maintained that the connection hold-out presents “no real clear cut problem.” He said he’d spoken with Mr. Shepherd and according to the regional supervisor, the Health Department has dyetested the system four times without finding any indication of a direct sewage discharge into the river. With no evidence of a direct pipe discharge and no sign of sewage on the ground, the SWCB cannot conclude that a water quality problem exists, Mr. Moore said. And even if the septic tank system could be shown to be malfunctioning, Mr. Atkins has an approved pit privy, Mr. Moore pointed out. “We’re taking Mr. Shepherd’s word on this... It would be a waste of time to send our staff to investigate,” he concluded.
The man who finds a truth lights a torch.
—Robert Green Ingersoll
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