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State Rules Ineffective in Rural Counties Like Tuscola and Lapeer
Mary Drier/Mike Kaufman
Sun, 10 May 2026 00:43:19 EDT
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There are times when regulations are not one size fits all.
During a recent Tuscola County Commissioners' meeting, the county's health department's position was explained by Amanda Ertman, Health Officer and Jerry White, R.S. Environmental Health Director.
Tuscola's stance is that non-residential sanitary sewage discharges of less than 1,000 gallons per day may occur without a groundwater discharge permit when approved by the local health department in accordance with either the requirements of the local sanitary code on subsurface sewage disposal.
Meeting the state's regulations would be difficult and expensive for rural homeowners and small business owners.
The county's decision on how it operates will be noted during the state's next accreditation evaluation that is conducted every three years.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) regulations regarding septic systems are much stricter, and are not feasible in rural areas and would impact small business and some residences.
Because of that, Tuscola is not following them to the letter, and the Lapeer County Health Department also decided they are not following the state's directive.
