Beneath nearly half of the neatly manicured lawns in the New Dawn subdivision in western Nipomo lurks a huge problem, which is making residents fear for their property values and the developer scramble for a solution.

The 39-house tract was completed about four years ago off Division Street in Nipomo by Flatley Homes of Arroyo Grande, and within a few months several of the residents began to experience problems with their septic tanks.

Since the problem was discovered, about 18 homes in the development have had septic failures - a problem the developers say is being solved quickly with what they hope is a permanent solution.

Nothing can be too soon for the residents, who refuse to talk openly about the problems while Flatley Homes works on the solution. The company expects answers in a couple of weeks from engineers it has hired to determine the cause of the problem.

“I've talked to several neighbors that are so distressed over their situation,” said Bruce Buel, general manager of the Nipomo Community Services District (NCSD). “It's a beautiful project in a beautiful area and they are having horrible problems.”

Former New Dawn resident Ron Gesswein of Nipomo bought a home in the development in January 2004, and had minor problems with his septic system pretty quickly. Other neighbors have also had their septic tanks back up, requiring frequent pumping.

“I'm pretty sure it was just the (lack of) ground percolation, from what I found out,” Gesswein said.

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As one potential remedy to the problem, said Terry Flatley Sr., president of Flatley Homes, he had engineers dig dry wells in the properties that were experiencing septic failures. That additional holding capacity seems to be keeping the systems working, he added.

“We want to keep the houses functional,” said Flatley. “We're working hard, and I wish (these problems) wouldn't have happened.”

Since selling his house in January 2006, Gesswein said he's talked to the new owners often and they haven't had any reoccurring problems with the septic system.

“I was pretty happy with the fix,” Gesswein said.

Flatley said he bought the project after it had already been approved by San Luis Obispo County planners with septic tanks included in the plans.

What initially caused the septic tanks in the 18 homes to fail is unknown, but it could be a combination of faulty equipment, sandy soil or improper use by home owners, Flatley said.

“I'm taking the stand that it wasn't the right products to use in that soil,” Flatley said. “All we're doing is when people have a problem, we jump right in there and fix it.”

Engineers are running tests on the soil and equipment, trying to determine what caused the problems, and their results are expected in a couple of weeks, Flatley added.

Septic tank problems in Nipomo are not new, said Mike Winn, longtime resident and an NCSD director.

When septic systems fail, sewage can back up into tubs and showers when toilets are flushed, among other problems.

On the east side of the community, the soil is adobe sand, which cannot support septic tanks because it will not allow water to percolate through it, Winn said.

Similarly, there are sections of land on the western portions of Nipomo that have had problems similar to the ones experienced by New Dawn residents, such as the nearby Galaxy Park, Winn said.

However, Flatley said that he has built many houses in Nipomo and has never experienced problems like the ones at New Dawn.

Outside of installing new septic tank equipment or digging dry wells, another possible solution that neighbors have begun looking into is the feasibility of connecting the development to a NCSD sewer line. However, that would be a long and difficult road, Buel said.

While a sewer line runs near the property, the development is not in the NCSD's sphere of influence, so the San Luis Obispo County Local Agency Formation Commission would have to approve the project's annexation into the district, Buel said.

Even if those approvals were received, somebody would have to pay a significant amount of money to install new equipment and upgrade the existing sewer line, which otherwise wouldn't be able to handle the flow from the additional residences, Buel said.

“We're talking about some money and quite a bit of approvals that are outside the district's control,” he said.

Also, the NCSD does not offer sewer connections without also delivering water, and the New Dawn property receives its water from Golden State Water Company, he added.

Randi Block can be reached at 347-4580 or rblock@santamaria

times.com.

Nov. 4, 2006