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Lawmakers delay Iowa DNR rule change for type of septic system
Lawmakers on a panel that reviews state regulations have temporarily blocked a proposed change in state guidelines for a specific type of septic system, a change that would make it cheaper to install.
Republican Representative Mike Sexton, a farmer from Rockwell City, proposed the delay. “If these were livestock farms we were talking about instead of homeowners’ septic tanks, the shit would hit the fan,” Sexton said.
There are tens of thousands of homes and businesses in Iowa that are not connected to a public sewer system and use a septic system to trap and filter toilet waste. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has proposed ending the requirement that aerobic treatment units which circulate air to treat sewage have a final step that sends discharged water through soil or sand filters. Sexton said blocking that change from going into effect until at least the middle of next year will hopefully pressure lawmakers to crack down on a related issue.
“Folks, raw sewage is coming from these septic tanks that aren’t maintained,” Sexton said. “There’s not a reporting mechanism on failed systems. We have homes that aren’t being inspected.”
The legislature’s Administrative Rules Review Committee voted 8-2 to block the rule from taking effect now, a delay that will last until the 2026 legislature ends. The vote came after more than 40 minutes of public testimony from people who strongly supported or opposed changing state guidelines for aerobic treatment units.
Nick Laning, a lobbyist for Infiltrator Water Technologies — a company that makes these type of septic units, told legislators very few aerobic treatment units are being installed in Iowa today because state regulations are outdated and unnecessary. “Delaying these rules only prevents Iowans from accessing ATUs which are already available in every other state,”Laning said, “and they can be more affordable, better suited to local geography and capable of treating nitrates other water quality issues.”
Jim Carroll, a licensed engineer who designs and maintains wastewater systems in Iowa, opposed getting rid of the filtering requirement for aerobic treatment units. “Environmental protection is really our primary concern, not whether that product is affordable or not,” Carroll said. “If it’s going to pollute the environment, it doesn’t matter what it costs.”
The water quality bureau chief in the Iowa Department of Natural Resources told legislators the proposed change “creates a level playing field for all types of (septic) systems” and it fulfills the governor’s executive order that requires agencies to reduce “regulatory burdens.”
