Jefferson County resident urges clearer rules and communication on septic system repairs

John Erickson, a Conifer resident and real‑estate agent, used the public‑comment period at the Jefferson County Planning Commission meeting on June 25 to urge clearer county guidance on on‑site wastewater treatment system repairs and upgrades.

Erickson said engineers appear to default to searching for new leach fields and frequently recommend higher‑level treatment systems on repair—sometimes at substantial cost to sellers—rather than allowing repairs to certified existing drain fields. He said he has encountered sellers who faced dramatic cost increases when engineers sought higher‑level treatment, and he provided written materials to the commission for staff review. “What this is doing is it is putting people that are in the position to be able to make a repair because they have a functioning drain field that is certified by an engineer… and they are being forced into high level treatment systems,” Erickson said.

Erickson described an example in which a needed repair initially was estimated at $14,000 but ballooned to $36,000 under an assumed higher level of treatment; after further inquiry and testing, he said the estimate reduced to $22,000. He said the variance process can take multiple months and that sellers are effectively penalized in a weak real‑estate market. Erickson asked the county to provide clearer written guidance to engineers and septic companies so qualifying repairs are not automatically escalated to higher treatment levels.

The chair thanked Erickson for providing a written letter and confirmed staff had received it; no formal action on the issue was taken at the hearing. Erickson identified himself as a RE/MAX agent; no county staff responded with policy changes during the meeting.

The planning commission proceeded to its agenda after the public comment period.