Septic meeting called off when too many people show up

<p>An overflow crowd forced the cancellation Tuesday evening of a public hearing for proposed new state regulations for septic systems, leaving rural property owners fuming.</p><p>More than 400 people packed a meeting room at the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts hoping to get the chance to tell state water officials what they thought of tough new rules aimed at cleaning up leaking septic systems.</p><p>But officials with the State Water Quality Control Board said they were forced to cancel the meeting before it started because the crowd exceeded room capacity and created a fire hazard. A line of traffic heading into the center backed up onto Highway 101.</p><p>"Basically, they have shut this meeting down," said Beth Bruno, a real estate agent from Healdsburg who opposes the new rules. "No people were even allowed to the microphone."</p><p>The public comment period for the new regulations ends Feb. 9, and many in attendance said they worried that the state wouldn't reschedule a new meeting before then, depriving Sonoma County residents of their right to be heard.</p><p>Tam Doduc, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, stoked those fears. When asked, she would not commit to holding a new local hearing before the deadline.</p><p>"We need to look at the logistics," Doduc said.</p><p>She noted people could still submit their comments by e-mail, or attend a meeting in Sacramento on Feb. 9.</p><p>The rule are aimed at setting new standards for septic systems, such as their size and how far they must be from creeks and wells.</p><p>But Bruno said she and virtually everyone she knows who attended the meeting oppose the regulations as costly and heavy-handed. "The costs to the average homeowner are astronomical," she said.</p><p>The rules impose a "one-size-fits-all" policy that in some cases could make it harder for people to sell their property, she said.</p><p>Rosemarie DeCarli of Petaluma said there is real fear among rural residents that the rules will force them to make costly upgrades to their systems, or in some cases ban people from using their property at all.</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com.</p>