The Commission on Environ-mental Quality adopted proposed revisions to the septic system code. Changes include:
• Eliminating a requirement that installers be certified by aerobic treatment plant manufacturers to maintain their systems.
• Allowing designated representatives (DR) to inspect any system at any time, and requiring homeowners to obtain a maintenance contract if they fail to correct a violation within 10 days.
• Eliminating the requirement of an Installer II or DR license to renew a site evaluator license.
• Basing ATU tank sizing on 120 gallons per bedroom.
• Allowing homeowners to maintain their systems without training or filing reports provided the county has not changed its control orders.
• Requiring maintenance providers to have an Installer II or Class C wastewater license or three years of verifiable experience.
• Designating food-serving sites to have a high-strength waste system that produces less than 1,200 mg/l BOD5.
The regulations are at www.tceq.state.tx.us.
Idaho
As of July 1, 2009, Idaho has a new method for estimating wastewater flow from single-family dwellings. The new rules will “provide for a more refined soil classification system” for more precise sizing of drainfields, according to the public notice. Visit www.deq.state.id.us/rules/subsurface/58_0103_0801_notice.pdf.
Flow rates for single-family dwellings have been updated, and there is a new definition of the terms “bedroom” and “module.” The number of soil classifications was increased from three to six, and the maximum allowable size for a standard drainfield was increased to account for the increased estimated flow rates.
Maine
After extending the public comment period, the state Subsurface Wastewater Program has proposed new regulations dealing with septic systems. A published list of changes indicates the rules were to become effective April 1, 2009. The pro-posals came after study by an outside task force of site evaluators, local plumbing inspectors, system installers, system inspectors, and equipment suppliers and manufacturers. Visit www.maine.gov/dhhs/eng/plumb/index.htm.
Maryland
The state now offers free septic system upgrades for low-income households to help protect water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. The Bay Restoration Fund is offering to fund new equipment, installation and five years of maintenance for systems that qualify. Others may qualify for financial assistance to upgrade systems. Visit www.mde.state.md.us/Water/CBWRF/osds.
Michigan
An Ingham County circuit court judge ordered Worth Township to stop unauthorized discharges of raw or partially treated sewage from failed septic tanks and tile fields within its boundaries. The state attorney general’s office filed suit after unsuccessful attempts to resolve the matter with the township, according to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, which found high concentrations of E. coli and fecal coliform in water samples taken from the township near Lake Huron. Judge Joyce Draganchuk ordered the department and the town to agree on a final order to determine how the problem will be solved.
Delaware
The Class H Inspection Program now requires installers to use the new Class H inspection form and guidance document. Notable changes include mandatory pumping during inspections, scaled drawings and more detailed reports.
The state Ground Water Discharges Section is amending regulations to allow spray irrigation for systems larger than 2,500 gpd. It also prescribes the use of site-specific soil evaluations, infiltrometer tests, and preliminary groundwater assessments as the basis for system selection and sizing. The draft is at www.wr.dnrec.delaware.gov.
Virginia
The Chesapeake Bay Nitrogen Reduction Act of 2009 would strengthen restoration plans for the Chesapeake Bay by requiring new or replacement onsite systems to have nitrogen removal technology. The Bay Restoration Fund would help homeowners pay the difference between conventional systems and those with nitrogen removal.
Alabama
Will septic system users in Jefferson County, Ala., be forced to help pay for the $3.2 billion in debt facing the county’s sewer utility? It was one recommendation issued in January by “special masters” assigned by the U.S. District Court to help the county deal with a bond market meltdown that left it with debt it can’t pay. Sewer rates have increased 329 percent since 1997 but the sewer utility is still facing bankruptcy.
Despite statements from county officials indicating that such a fee is not being considered and would not be instituted, several municipalities have passed or are considering local ordinances that would prohibit the suggested $20 to $30 monthly fee for nonusers of the sewer system.
Florida
The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority is offering people $500 to convert old septic tanks into cisterns for watering their lawns and gardens. The idea came about after people in the Keys were required to abandon septic systems and hook into central sewer.
According to the Miami Herald, a retired engineer came up with a way of making the conversion for $500, about what it costs to properly abandon the septic tank. The state Department of Health has approved the conversion as safe for irrigation. Tanks have to be tested by local health departments before they can be used.
Illinois
The Department of Public Health has withdrawn proposed changes to state codes dealing with private sewage disposal systems. According to a posting on the department’s Web site, it will reopen discussion in order to restructure the rules to “properly address issues related to alternative technology, subsurface drip irrigation, portable sanitation requirements and NPDES requirements.”
British Columbia
The 2005 change in septic system regulations that relies on industry self-regulation is “a classic case study in regulatory failure,” according to a report from the University of Victoria Environmental Law Centre. A release from the Centre says British Columbia is “virtually the only North American jurisdiction that doesn’t require a government official to examine a sewerage system before it goes into use.”
On March 4, a coalition of groups issued a statement calling for immediate reform. The government’s Healthy Living and Sport Department oversees the regulations. Its minister, Mary Polak, told the Vancouver Sun that the majority of the coalition’s recommendations actually came from her department’s staff. She also said the provincial government acknowledges problems and will issue a plan to address them in September.
Correspondents Doug Day and Scottie Dayton contributed to this report.
