My grandfather has been dumping sewage for years
So this is embarrassing and I’m scared to ask anyone in the legal field…
My grandfather has dementia so we are now in the process of moving things from his name into my grandmothers or my dads. In this process we have reviewed some of our cottage and the land. About 30-40 years ago, my aunt remembers a septic system being delivered and installed at our family cottage. However we recently learned that the septic actually broke when being put in, and so the sewage has been draining down the hill into a big pit. He has also thrown old pieces of garbage in there as well (like an old tub, a lawnmower) just to name what is visible from the top of the pit.
To say I’m horrified is an understatement. My family didn’t realize this was going on and now we aren’t sure what to do. If this goes into someone’s name; we are scared of being charged for environmental damage. We want to put in a proper septic setup as well, but are terrified to have any professional come to the property. Has anyone gone through something like this before?