The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is drafting rule changes that forbid holding tanks and concrete chambers (galleys) for new construction and alterations. The rule changes treat replacement of prohibited cesspools as a repair, provided that flow to the system does not increase.
The proposal states that septic tanks must have two compartments, the first holding two-thirds of the tank’s total volume. Outlet tees must have DEM-approved effluent filters. Tanks must be certified watertight by the manufacturer or by onsite testing. Tanks assembled on the site must be tested for leakage using vacuum or water pressure methods.
The revisions would make licenses for onsite professionals valid for three years instead of two, and allow the DEM to rate continuing education events for their value and applicability, then assign unit values. The proposal would require all designer license classes to obtain at least 12 CEUs per renewal period.
In addition, applications for alteration of onsite systems would require a soil evaluation, including one evaluation for each lot in new subdivisions. The proposal decreases the design flow for residential use from 150 to 115 gpd per bedroom, and establishes a minimum design flow of 500 gpd for restaurants. For details, visit www.dem. state.ri.us/programs/benviron/water/permits/isds/pdfs/changes.pdf.
Nebraska
The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is proposing a permit application fee of $450 per lot for planned subdivisions requiring onsite systems on lots less than three acres. Previously, there was no fee for permitting and subdivision approval applications. The agency also proposes to increase its newly adopted $25 late registration fee to $150 for registrations received 46 to 90 days late, and to $450 for those received after 91 days.
Vermont
The Agency of Natural Resources has revised its onsite wastewater rules to allow constructed wetlands and subsurface drip distribution systems.
Under previous rules, systems for single-family homes had to be designed with design flow to accommodate at least three bedrooms. The new rules allow minimum flow sizing for homes with one bedroom. The rules also waive the replacement drainfield requirement if the primary system is built to handle 150 percent of the design flow. A replacement area is not required for mound systems if they are sized for 100 percent of the design flow.
The rules specifically allow composting toilets, which had been accepted for years. The rules allow for a septic system size reduction to handle gray water only, and eliminate the requirement that a project have enough area to build a septic system for a flush toilet even though a composting toilet is proposed. A new exemption allows homes with outhouses or outdoor water pumps to continue as is until they construct a piped supply or system that requires a permit. The rules are at www.anr.state.vt.us.
