Maryland
The Department of Environment proposed new onsite regulations in April to require nitrogen removal technology on new systems on land that drains to the Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic coastal bays, or other impaired waters. The proposed regulations also set minimum operation and maintenance requirements for the life of the equipment. Companies that install or maintain the equipment must complete a state course and be certified by the manufacturer. Existing systems that fail could still be replaced with conventional systems under the proposal.
The state's builders association says the required equipment is about double the cost of conventional systems. The Department of Environment estimates the cost of an advanced system to be around $13,500.
www.mde.state.md.us/programs/PressRoomPages/042712NRnewproposedBATreg.aspx
Hawaii
The U.S. EPA has issued three fines totaling more than $140,000 against companies for using large-capacity cesspools that have been banned nationwide since 2005. The EPA reports that 2,800 such cesspools have been shut down in Hawaii, but there are still 1,200 in use.
Florida
The Hernando County Commission was the first to opt out of routine septic system inspections. Florida law exempts counties from such inspections if they don't have first-magnitude springs (flows exceeding 64.6 mgd). The 19 counties with such must conduct limited inspections unless they opt out by Jan. 1, 2013.
The governor approved the appropriation of $1.5 million for phases 2 and 3 of the Nitrogen Reduction Project, an ongoing study to develop alternative, cost-effective, science-based passive nitrogen reduction strategies that can be retrofitted to conventional septic tanks. The money will allow the completion of field testing.
Pennsylvania
Upper Salford Township officials announced they did not approve a plan for a centralized, publicly owned wastewater system, stating it would be too difficult to implement. The township's Sewage Facilities Plan names onsite systems as the permitted means of wastewater disposal.
Virginia
New septic system regulations enable property owners to install alternative systems using peat, plastic or sand because they require less space than conventional drainfields. The changes also removed a requirement that alternative systems have an emergency drainfield in case of failure. To meet the Chesapeake Bay total maximum daily loads, the state Department of Health proposed that all new onsite systems must use alternative technology because they remove nitrogen.
