Mahoning County is home to more than 200,000 people...and some 17,000 septic systems.

Wednesday, more than 100 people who have one gathered to learn about changes to a state mandate to have them inspected.
There was already a program like this for mechanical septic systems and ones that discharged high volumes, but in 2015 the state mandated all septic systems be inspected.

Mahoning County waited to learn from other Ohio counties how to best implement its inspection program.

"We need to make sure that these systems are taken care of because when they fail, it doesn't just affect the person who has that system. It affects the whole community," said Colton Masters, Mahoning County's director of environmental health. 

Meaning sewage can leach into the ground and into water supplies.
The inspections are yearly and cost most folks 30 to 40 bucks.
More complex systems that require lab testing will cost $125 to inspect.
A small price to pay when you consider what fixing or replacing a septic system could cost.

"Things that may happen from not pumping their system or not keeping up with inspections, it can get costly, we're talking the thousands of dollars," says Cory Jursik, owner of Tom's Sewer and Septic in McDonald. He was among the experts consulted when the state made its changes to this program several years ago.

"If you're keeping up with your system, having it pumped every three years the way we usually like to go about it, there shouldn't be any issues," Jursik said. 

If you weren't able to make it to the informational meetings, Mahoning County Public Health has posted the presentation on its website.