LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Possible changes to septic system regulations are concerning homeowners across the valley.
Several Channel 13 viewers reached out to me to voice their frustrations.
"They are going to revoke septic tanks' permanent permits in Clark County," viewer Marie Campanella wrote. "We have no idea what the ramifications of this is or what our rights are."
"The same septic issue came up under AB220," viewer Christian Salmon said. "This story is about more than septic tanks — it's about fairness, transparency, and whether government agencies will keep promises to families who bought homes in good faith."
"Please help," viewer Paula Newman said in an email. "We had no communication from SNHD (Southern Nevada Health District) or SNWA (Southern Nevada Water Authority)."
I attended the health district's public hearing on Wednesday, where district officials reviewed the proposed changes, which include removing permanent permits for septic systems and replacing them with five-year permits.
You can read all the proposed regulation changes below.
Dozens of people attended the meeting, with the public comment period lasting nearly two hours.
Several issues kept being voiced by homeowners: cost and communication.
Cost
According to the proposed regulation changes, the operating permit fee would be $226 every five years, which is equivalent to $45.20 per year.
"There will also be a requirement to connect to sewer, if a sewer connection point is available directly adjacent to the property and if connection is feasible. This contrasts with the current regulations, which require a connection within 400 feet of the property," said Daniel Isler, an Environmental Health Engineer Supervisor with SNHD. "There will also be our proposed property transfer requirements, which include third-party inspections, which would be part of the normal sale process and also, well water quality testing for properties that receive their water from a well."
Isler explained that permit fees are necessary because "the program is not financially self-sufficient, hasn't been for years, and it reduces the funding for other health programs." He also said the fees are in line with other jurisdictions like Maricopa County in Arizona, which covers the Phoenix area.
A spokesperson also told me that septic systems can deteriorate or be modified over time and regular reviews allow them to confirm the systems are functioning as designed, prevent failures, and protect groundwater resources.
Several homeowners brought up the fact that while the permit costs are low, they would still be on the hook for the inspection costs and any costs that require them to connect to the sewer system.
Diane Henry, who has lived in the valley for 34 years, told anchor Abel Garcia that for her specific property, she would be out-of-pocket at least $40,000.
"It's actually more of a minimum of $40,000. If there were a sewer main running down my street right now, I live in the back of a cul-de-sac, and it would cost me over $100,000 to connect to that existing line," Henry said. "There just are not enough sewer lines that have been built in the older neighborhoods to make it feasible. The funding is just not there to help homeowners out with this ... Sewer connections are a good thing. They want to recycle our water. But at what cost is it feasible?"
WATCH: Homeowner shares frustrations about proposed septic system changes
Some homeowners suggested that instead of mandating the permits and fees for Clark County at the same time, these types of regulations could be rolled out in stages.
"There needs to be specific, targeted neighborhoods first that are having issues with crumbling systems and crumbling infrastructure," said Bridget Solvie, who is the president of the Northwest Rural Preservation Association, which represents many homeowners in the Lone Mountain and Centennial Hills area. "This money that is already in the bank with SNWA, who is driving this train, needs to be allocated to those locations of town and not just arbitrarily sweep through zip codes across the valley, which is what your document says, to create annual income throughout the five-year process. There needs to be a revision in multiple facets to this document."
In 2023, Assembly Bill 220 was passed into law, which requires homeowners with a septic system to connect to a sewer system if they are receiving water from the Colorado River. According to that law, the district board of health is authorized, but not required, to create "a voluntary financial assistance program to, on or before December 31, 2024, submit to the Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau a report setting forth the number of participants in the program and recommendations for legislation."
According to health district officials, that deadline was not met.
"In October 2023, we presented to the board of health what our proposal was for them to consider implementing that," district officials explained. "The directive was to get with SNWA to create a memo of understanding ... That's still being worked out."
You can read the law below.
I asked the health district if any programs are being considered to help homeowners with the additional costs.
"At this time, the Health District does not have funds to assist residents with sewer conversions," a spokesperson wrote in an email. "The Health District is exploring partnerships with supporting agencies to address this issue."
During the meeting, a homeowner questioned what would happen if someone couldn't afford to pay fees related to the proposed regulations.
"The Health District does not place liens on properties for non-payment of permit fees. If fees remain unpaid, the property would be considered out of compliance with Health District regulations," a spokesperson told me. "We work with property owners to resolve compliance issues and encourage them to contact us if they have concerns so we can discuss available options."
Another homeowner asked what happens if they fail the inspection.
"If an inspection identifies issues, the homeowner will be given the opportunity to make corrections as long as corrective action is possible," a health district spokesperson told me. "The intent of the regulation is to work with property owners, not to restrict water use in the home."
Communication
Many homeowners also voiced frustration at the health district for not notifying homeowners about the meeting.
"This will affect over 18,000 families in the Las Vegas valley. And yet, most of the families don't even know this meeting is happening. That's not transparency. That's not leadership and it shows no regard for the citizens of this community," homeowner Julie Wignall said. "None of the people in this room, that I know of, have been contacted in any way, shape or form by SNHD, but you did manage to notify 555 different business groups with a survey to see how this would impact them and how they would respond."
It's something that was echoed by homeowner Jay Samuels.
"You're just stepping on top of more and more people and making it harder for people to live with something they were told is okay," he said. "What all these people are saying is you're not listening to them. You're not understanding all their problems. You're going for the money that you need to run your organization instead of thinking you're here to help the people. You're hurting the people."
A spokesperson for the health district told me while they did post proper notice about the meeting, they have heard the residents' concerns and will do better in the future.
"Public notice of the proposed regulation changes and meetings was provided through multiple public record channels, including posting to the Southern Nevada Health District website, and posting in local publications. While we met the legal requirements for public notification, we recognize that some residents did not see the notices," the spokesperson said. "We are committed to improving outreach moving forward so that affected residents have the opportunity to fully participate in the process."
I also asked the health district about the claim that more businesses were contacted than residents.
"Businesses were contacted in order to complete the Business Impact Statement as required by statute," a district spokesperson said. "The Health District is actively collecting input from residents through public workshops scheduled throughout Clark County and through email submissions."
WATCH: Southern Nevada Health District workshop on proposed sewer and septic regulations
Several homeowners asked about the next steps and if their voices will be heard in future conversations about these proposed regulations.
Health district officials said they will look at common themes voiced in public comments and address concerns.
"We're not going to look at it as like okay, 100 [homeowners] out of 18,000 showed up. That means most people don't care. We understand that only a small subset of people are going to be able to show up," Isler explained. "But there are recurring themes. It's kind of like a sample size of the general population that we can extrapolate that many people will have similar comments if they weren't able to attend."
A spokesperson from the health district also told me that all written, emailed and workshop comments are being collected and will be presented to the Southern Nevada District Board of Health for consideration.
"The Board is composed of appointed and elected officials as defined by state law. All Board meetings are open to the public, and homeowners are encouraged to attend — either in-person or online — and provide testimony so their perspectives are included in the decision-making process."
Some homeowners pushed back against that suggestion.
"How do you get someone from the public to sit in and make sure you have a voice in that conversation? Right now, we're not getting notified. That was never given to us," homeowner Gwen Campbell said. "The reason we're here is because we take pride and we want to know how we're going to be shown in your committee and how it's going to be portrayed to the board ... We're not part of the decision-making process. We're not even sure how you're going to evaluate the comments made today. It matters to us."
How can you submit your thoughts to the health district about the proposed regulations?
According to the health district's website, you can submit public comments through Oct. 3.
Members of the public may submit written comments by emailing septics@snhd.org.
There will also be a public hearing on Thursday, Oct. 23 at 9 a.m., where the public will be able to weigh in.