Congressman Eric Burlison aims to address the concerns of property owners at Table Rock Lake whose septic tanks extend underground onto the property of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
There are 23 septic tanks that currently cross into Corps property. Up until now these property owners had been paying a lease to the Corps for the land their tanks occupy.

“We want to ensure that the property owners on Table Rock Lake that currently have septic systems that were once approved by the Army Corps of Engineers are not required to remove them by the deadline that the Corps has established,” Burlison said. 

The tanks were shown to have no environmental risk to the land when the Corps last evaluated them. But recently, Burlison said that the Corps changed their position on allowing property owners to lease the land occupied by their septic tanks, saying that the leases will not be renewed as they expire.

“As of 2011, the Corps determined that these septic tanks were not causing ecological harm,” Burlison said. “I'm advocating on behalf of my constituents.”
Property owners have been given until 2030 to uproot and relocate these septic tanks, which could cost upwards of $250,000. Burlison’s bill, the Table Rock Lake Property Protection Act, would add a grandfather clause to allow these septic tanks to remain where they are.

“Imagine your dream home is now a nightmare because you now have a liability that you've got to pay for,” Burlison said. “It would be financially ruinous to a lot of people.”
Burlison said that one area proposed as a new site to install the septic tanks is currently a community space housing a children’s playground.

This issue could have a detrimental impact on property value for these homes, because homeowners looking to sell their house would also be selling the new owner the burden of digging up their septic tank.
Homeowners would be required to disclose this to potential buyers, although Burlison said that not all of the current property owners were aware that this would be an issue when they first purchased their home and were able to lease the land from the Corps.

“The current landowners were not given that indication when they purchased it, because up until 2011, everything was okay,” Burlison said.
There are some discrepancies between the maps kept at the local county courthouse that detail property lines and what surveyors have plotted. Many property owners relied on the county maps when adding onto their houses or decks, or when constructing small sheds in their backyards, only to later discover that some or all of their construction touched Corps property.

For one property owner that Burlison met with, the septic tank was only three feet from his property line. Another homeowner found that the awning of his roof extended into the air space of Corps property, although the actual foundation of his home did not.
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This legislation is the first in a series of bills that Burlison will unveil in hopes of finding a remedy that satisfies both the property owners and the Corps. 

“The Corps has been very willing to meet with me and hear me out and talk about some of these issues,” Burlison said. “While we may not agree completely at the end of the day, they fall under the direction of the legislature and the bills that we pass, and so I'm trying to provide them with the direction that I believe represents our districts.”
Burlison will officially file his legislation on Tuesday, and he hopes to see it swiftly progress through the necessary committees it must pass before coming before the full U.S. House of Representatives. 

via The Springfield News  Leader