OLYMPIA – Sen. Jan Angel acted to help homeowners struggling to navigate the expensive process of connecting to public sewage after failure of an on-site septic system. Senate Bill 5871 passed unanimously on the Senate floor today after Angel introduced this measure to provide a new appeals process to homeowners whose septic systems failed.

“This will provide much needed relief for homeowners in our community,” said Angel. “The costs of connecting to public sewage can be extremely steep and often homeowners are not given the chance to make improvements to their property that will save them this setback.”

The bill sets up an appeals process for single-family homeowners who have been denied a permit to repair or replace their failing onsite septic system and are being forced to connect to the public sewer system. Costs for connecting to the public sewer system can range from $37,000 to $150,000.

“Bringing everyone to the table to address the problem has been a long process but the result has been fantastic,” said Angel. “Allowing an appeals process will greatly reduce the number of homeowners adversely affected by the high cost of a public sewer connection mandate.”

Senate Bill 5871 will be delivered to the House for consideration.