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Local News

Hastings City Council hears TOST overview in its 10th year

Regina Young, Environmental Health Director at the Barry Eaton District Health Department Monday gave the Hastings City Council highlights of the health department’s regulation called time of sale or transfer (TOST) now in its 10th year.

 

“This is a program you all may have heard about recently,” she said. TOST calls for individual properties that have an on-site well and sewer system to have the systems evauated at the time of sale or transfer of the property.

 

“If there are any challenges or environmental hazards that are high enough in a level threat to public health (it is) required that they be corrected,” Young said.

Barry County residents have criticized the administration, intent and cost of the program for years, and recently an Eaton County Commission committee authored a resolution to drop TOST to save money in a budget crisis.

 

“Obviously there is a discussion in the community… one of the problems we have had at the health department the last ten years is to get out into the community and share information about what the program is, as well as information and data of what we’re finding,” Young said.

 

Answering questions, Young explained the appeals system and options for property owners during the TOST process. Before TOST, testing of water and sewer systems was completely voluntary for property owners, which didn’t always protect ground and surface water and possible impacts on upstream and downstream neighbors, she said.

 

There is no way to measure, “here’s where we were, here’s where we are,” because there is no long term, on-going testing of the water supply, she said, however, they can tell by their records where they have found problems and corrected them.  //

 

The evaluation fee by health department registered, certified evaluators are in the $450-$500 range, and the evaluation is good for one year, she said.

 

Also, Young said the health department knows that the Thornapple River has areas of e-coli, which can come from mammals, sewer systems, natural wild life or agriculture. “We have work to do, to find it and correct it.”

 

When Councilman Bill Redman asked Young to comment on an Eaton County Board of Commissioners committee’s effort to cease participation in TOST, she said she was not the appropriate person to answer the question.

 

Council members were given a packet of information on the first 10 years of TOST.  Still being written, it will have more information, an overview and objectives and strategies regarding overall water quality.

 

Young also reported on progress in a rat infestation at an empty feed mill on Railroad Street, saying the Orkin Company employee hasn’t seen a live rat in over a week, but gnawing marks show they are still some there. The health department will continue to monitor the progress of the eradication, with reports to the city council and police department, until there is full closure of the rat problem, she said. Redman visited the mill last weekend and reported he saw just one rat.

 

 

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