By Sara Jerome,

@sarmje

Sewage is not a cottage industry and it should be left to experts. At least, that’s the critique neighbors are making of a sewage business operating out of two private homes in Albuquerque, NM.

“It’s unimaginable. It’s horrible. It’s nauseating. Everyone in the house gets sick,” said a neighbor who asked to remain anonymous.

The U.S. EPA’s SepticSmart Week ran from September 18 to September 22. The week was devoted to raising awareness among wastewater pros, local officials, and homeowners about effective septic systems.

“Each year, EPA holds SepticSmart Week with outreach activities to encourage homeowners and communities to care for and maintain their septic systems,” according to a flyer.

One private business in New Mexico is an example of how to be anything but smart about septic pumping.

KRQE reporters visited the property. They found two large septic trucks in the backyard and a sign that read “septic pump starting at $179.99.”

For neighbors, the stench is often unbearable.

“We think they’re pumping the sewage back into the city’s sewage system,” one neighbor said.

Operating a private sewage business like this breaks various city rules, including permitting requirements.

In addition, the business appears to violate water utility codes in the area, per the report:

According to the Albuquerque Water Utility Authority code, you must dispose sewage at an “approved facility,” and disposing at an “unauthorized site is illegal, and can result in civil fines and possible criminal penalties.” There is no online record of “Discount Pumping” in Albuquerque or surrounding areas.

Local officials are looking into the operation.

The Albuquerque Water Utility Authority maintains a system “of some 2,400 miles of sewer line that carry wastewater from homes and businesses to the community’s Southside Water Reclamation Plant for treatment prior to release into the Rio Grande.”

For similar stories visit Water Online’s Wastewater Regulations And Legislation Solutions Center.