An Impossible Situation

Normally, I write my reflections on scriptures on this blog. Today, I want to share something a little more personal. Actually, it has to do with my septic tank. How much more personal can you get than that?

We are caught in the middle of an impossible situation at Casa Del Miller in Sioux City. I have tried just about everything I could try and nothing has come of it yet. There seems to be no solution to the problem at this point.

Let me give you the short story. A few months ago, we began to get water backing up in our basement. They came and pumped the septic tank, hoping that might solve the problem. Then, it backed up again. That's when one thing after another began to go wrong.

1) The leach field is evidently bad on our septic tank and needs to be replaced.

2) The septic tank, which is in fine operating condition, will probably have to be replaced because it doesn't meet new codes. This has nothing to do with function, but codes are codes and we have to follow the codes. If we replace the leach field, we have to replace the tank itself.

3) The company came to do the work, and realized that our well (which we just replaced at tune of several pesos) is in the back yard where the leech field needs to be. Since the leech field has to be 100 feet from the well, there is no place in our back yard where the leech field can legally go.

Once again, the well is 200 feet deep, and we have been told by several experts that there is no danger of our water being contaminated by a surface leech field, but codes and codes and we have to follow the codes.

4) The inspector came and gave us two options. We could put a large tank the back yard which would not have a leech field and we could pump it regularly. This costs about $120 every time we do it, and it has to be done at least monthly, so we don't like this idea.

The second option was for us to put our leech field in the neighbors lawn. To the north, we are neighbors to an Assembly of God church, and there is a wilderness area between our properties. To the east, there is a corn field with a fifty or so foot lawn between my property and theirs. Both seemed like possibilities.

5) The church, we found out, is planning a major building project and will put a road through the wilderness land. They think the leech filed could undermine the road and are not too thrilled about the possibility.

6) The guy who owns the corn field (which seemed like the best possibility) plans to develope the field into a housing development and doesn't want my leech field on his development.

7) Both the church and the corn field guy are exploring the situation with their experts, and could possibly be willing to sell me a small piece of land, but I don't know if that is economically feasible.

8) Some of us have explored the option of just digging it up ourselves and fixing the thing on our own. It's not rocket science, just hard work and minimal expertise. However, it is probably illegal for me to fix it myself, and I am not sure that would be the best way to honor God in the situation.

No one has been mean or unkind. The church and the corn field guy were nice about it, they just don't want my septic drainings to bless their land. The county inspector is a little bit of a by-the-book guy, but other county officials have tried their best to help me. There is not a bad guy in this thing. There is just not an easy solution.

So, I have a faulty septic system and absolutely no way to fix it. It is an impossible situation.

So, why am I writing about this? Because, I am hoping and praying that God will make a way. The God who parted the Red Sea can surely open up a solution to my septic sorrows. I am at the end of my rope and my options. I don't think there is an easy solution.

When God brings a solution and works this out, I will be able to tell you that God has done a marvelous work.

In the meantime, I am going to ask the people who pump the tank if they give volume discounts. Maybe they can do like the Pizza Ranch - Buy six, get the seventh for free. Maybe I can get a punch card or something.

I ask for you to pray for us. But more than that. I am hoping to be able to give you a praise report sometime in the near future, and you can witnesses with me of the goodness and power of God.

Waiting for that day.

**Important note: I did not know whether our problem was a "leech" field or a "leach" field, so I did a little research. No one else seems to know either as the online literature spelled it both ways. So, I spelled it both ways. These things matter, folks!