Clean up fee $3,200?

[beenthere]

only 600,000 people in whole state and lots of septic systems...only half to city serwer systems

[TQ60]

Properly sized and maintained system would never do what this one did.

If properly sized it would also need proper maintenance.

Clearly one or both are not correct so waiting to see how they react to legal response.

Local news station needs to be given the story...at correct time to properly be reported.

[Bucky1320]

It is all conjecture, except for the part about it not being the OP's fault. We don't know anything about this septic system, or how much it has rained, and if the system is water logged, or if they simply use it as a holding system and have it pumped out periodically, or even if it is a large enough park to have a mini water treatment facility.
It really doesn't matter the mechanics of what went wrong with THEIR system. It's THEIR problem, and the OP is redirecting it currently. It's crazy that he ended up with the bill in the first place.

[Ray,IN]

I would hesitate to get my insurance company involved. They will calculate/guesstimate expected cost of litigation and resources expended, and pay out if it's to their advantage. Then that claim will go on your record + deductible, while admitting your guilt.

[BennieH]

Originally Posted by Bucky1320

It is all conjecture, except for the part about it not being the OP's fault. We don't know anything about this septic system, or how much it has rained, and if the system is water logged, or if they simply use it as a holding system and have it pumped out periodically, or even if it is a large enough park to have a mini water treatment facility.
It really doesn't matter the mechanics of what went wrong with THEIR system. It's THEIR problem, and the OP is redirecting it currently. It's crazy that he ended up with the bill in the first place.

I absolutely agree! Who cares what is/was wrong with their system. The problem was with their system. The OP did nothing wrong.

[JMonroe]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

I would hesitate to get my insurance company involved. They will calculate/guesstimate expected cost of litigation and resources expended, and pay out if it's to their advantage. Then that claim will go on your record + deductible, while admitting your guilt.

If liability is not in question, and I don't believe that it is in this case, (the OP is NOT responsible) then no, the insurance company will not consider the cost to defend vs the cost to buy up the claim. Were that the case then every accident would end up with a suit filed and the truth is, a very small percentage do and a very small fraction of that percentage actually end up in a courtroom. Unless it is a commercial policy there will be no deductible. (30 plus years working for an insurance company)

When this is done, and it is, there has to be some liability attributable to you in which case a surcharge may be reasonable.

[wa8yxm]

Originally Posted by Bucky1320

It is all conjecture, except for the part about it not being the OP's fault. We don't know anything about this septic system, or how much it has rained, and if the system is water logged, or if they simply use it as a holding system and have it pumped out periodically, or even if it is a large enough park to have a mini water treatment facility.
It really doesn't matter the mechanics of what went wrong with THEIR system. It's THEIR problem, and the OP is redirecting it currently. It's crazy that he ended up with the bill in the first place.

Absolutly true.. However that does not matter because this we do know:

IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PARK TO MAINTAIN THE SYSTEM SO THINGS LIKE THIS DO NOT HAPPEN.. Thus we do not need to know any of that stuff.. We only need to know they failed to maintain the sytem.. Which is obvious.


A judge should determine why the RVer instead of the responsible party (The park) was sent the bill. (in my opinion) and how much the RVer should be compensated for his trouble.

[cimplexsound]

Don't pay the bill whatever you do. Sounds like someone is trying to scam you.


1979 Dodge Tioga Class C 24 foot. 1987 Fleetwood Bounder 34 Foot.

[ShapeShifter]

Originally Posted by cimplexsound

Don't pay the bill whatever you do. Sounds like someone is trying to scam you.

I agree about not paying the bill. But a scam? I don't think so. Saying it's a scam implies that someone is trying to intentionally defraud. I don't think that's the case. The municipality is trying to recoup the costs of the services rendered, and sent the bill to the first person on the report: the person who was actively performing some action at the time of the event. Without them knowing the extra details that we know, which are not part of the report, it's a reasonable action.

What is important here, and what isn't on the report, is that the person who was performing the action at the time of the spill (the OP) was not negligent in his actions: the negligence is on the part of the park who owns and is responsible for the improperly functioning system.

The OP was using the system properly, and in the customary manner, and had no reasonable reason to suspect that it would malfunction, but it did. The park owner, on the other hand, had a reasonable expectation that the system would be used in the manner that it was, offered the system for use by the OP in return for compensation (increased camping fees in comparison to a dry site) and therefore had the responsibility for maintaining the system in working order.

There is no scam here, just uninformed bureaucrats billing the wrong party. The key is convincing the municipality that they need to bill the park, not the OP.

[bamaboy473]

Small RV parks are often out in the boonies and FDs are almost universally volunteer. Not a big stretch to expect that there could be kin-ship between the CG and the VFD personnel.

If some effluent burbles up out of the ground, likely they watered it into the soil like the fertilizer that it is (farm animals leave it on the ground, too)

I can see a potential scam. Exactly what does $3200 cover? Too little for bull-dozing, and too much for water.

[Winepress]

Originally Posted by bamaboy473

Small RV parks are often out in the boonies and FDs are almost universally volunteer. Not a big stretch to expect that there could be kin-ship between the CG and the VFD personnel.

If some effluent burbles up out of the ground, likely they watered it into the soil like the fertilizer that it is (farm animals leave it on the ground, too)

I can see a potential scam. Exactly what does $3200 cover? Too little for bull-dozing, and too much for water.

Update- no response as of yesterday. We'll see what the mail has today. Hasn't been too long, so I am still hopeful for a quick zero cost resolution.
The fee on the demand notice was for county fire department response and clean up supplies, all itemized. If I had to guess, there was about 50 gallons of sewage dispensed from the clean out.
On a positive note, the toilet paper I use along with Happy Camper holding tank treatment dissolves everything quite nicely.


Try and live up to your dogs opinion of you.

[PushedAround]

Originally Posted by Winepress

Update- no response as of yesterday. We'll see what the mail has today. Hasn't been too long, so I am still hopeful for a quick zero cost resolution.
The fee on the demand notice was for county fire department response and clean up supplies, all itemized. If I had to guess, there was about 50 gallons of sewage dispensed from the clean out.
On a positive note, the toilet paper I use along with Happy Camper holding tank treatment dissolves everything quite nicely.


Try and live up to your dogs opinion of you.

50 gallons? Interesting. How much does your Black water tank hold? Maybe the blow back was a combination of yours and others. Just a thought.

[alpha99]

All I can say is, hope you have a paddle . . .

[SpaceNorman]

Originally Posted by JMonroe

If liability is not in question, and I don't believe that it is in this case.....

Having read what's been presented in this thread - I'd agree with JMonroe's assessment about the liability not being in question - BUT, the reality is it really doesn't matter what I think, what JMonroe thinks and/or anybody else. When push comes to shove - it's the court and only the court that decides who's liable in virtually any and every situation. Sadly, once the lawyers get involved and start twisting things - there's no predicting just how things are going to turn up.