Click the link to read the article on The Pagosa Springs Sun website (Clayton Chaney). Here’s an excerpt:
October 14, 2026
During a meeting held by the Archuleta County Board of Health (BoH) on Sept. 17, the board heard from Water Quality Manager Jessica Green about potential changes to the county’s regulations involving on-site wastewater treatment systems (OWTS). Green commented that the OWTS program “has been pretty overwhelming” for staff since the beginning of the year…Green explained that the inspection ensures the condition of the system is evaluated at the point of a property title being transferred, “which prevents failing systems from being sold without disclosure of risk.”
She also explained that it provides oversight with higher-risk properties through existing exemptions, adding that the state does not define what exemptions are possible and that the county can adjust those exemptions to meet its needs…Green “strongly” recommended that the BoH keep the transfer-of-title program, noting that there is a $115 permit cost associated with the program. She added that if the BoH chooses not to keep the program, there would be a risk that failing systems could be transferred to new property owners without knowing there is an issue.