After a utility is established, public education must continue. Maintenance and septic system information should be distributed by inspectors, telephone help lines should be established, and staff should be available to answer owners questions. User Fees Fair and equitable user charges must be enacted. User fees can be based on costs of maintenance, water meter readings, number of bedrooms in a house or water usage projections. In some states the Public Utilities Commission sets the rates.
User fees can cover yearly maintenance only or can provide additional money for repairs.
In instances where individual owners are responsible for maintenance, low or no interest loans should be available for owners unable to afford costly repairs. The service provider can mail cards to the utility certifying completion of individual maintenance and repairs. Tracking and Enforcing Maintenance Software that provides efficient record keeping is available from other public agencies across the country. These systems can also be tied to geographic information systems for more sophisticated information management such as wastewater and groundwater flow or nitrogen loadings. A database can be kept with the specifics of each septic system such as pumpout and maintenance records, and schedules and inspection periods, failures and problems.