The Rouge Project performed a nationwide survey of Onsite Sewage
Disposal Systems (OSDS) evaluation and maintenance programs to learn
how OSDS were being managed in other areas. The survey looked at
the process others used in developing an evaluation and maintenance
program; assessed existing programs for management of OSDS including
financing alternatives to replace OSDS; and septage disposal practices
being used by other locations. Information was compiled on the following:
the governmental agency in charge of the OSDS program; the management
activities associated with the program including permit issuance,
education, inspections, monitoring and reporting; funding alternatives
for the program; components of the full program; why the OSDS program
was started; and the legal basis for the program in that geographic
area. . Information on the nationwide survey is available in the
following report, Strategies
to Address On-Site Sewage System Problems, October 1998.
The following table summarizes what was found from the survey and
comments regarding the programs.
|
Monitoring Entity
|
Management Activities
|
Funding
|
Components of the Program
|
Why Started
|
Legal Basis
|
|
Allen County, Ohio Department of Public Health
1972
|
Operational permits, 3000 covered.
Education
Inspections
Notifications
Reporting
|
Annual bill. Non-payment goes to small
claims court. $20/yr for aerobics, $5 for others
|
Annually inspect aerobic systems, others
at time of sale. Covers 40-50% of inspection and billing
costs. Pays for 1 FTE.
|
Maintenance needs of aerobic units.
|
Health Code?
|
|
Cayuga County Health Department, NY.
1993
|
Issue discharge permits.
Inventory
Education
Notification
Reporting
Certification
Water Quality Monitoring
|
Grant.
Fees for certifying inspectors, $300 for two years, $100 for
next two years.
|
To issue discharge permits. Notify property
owners of need for inspection. Inspection required at
time of sale. Training of inspectors. Dye testing and
visual inspection of all systems every 5 years and at time
of sale of property.
|
Beach closed due to high coliform.
Task force recommend-ation was that all septic systems be
inspected.
|
Health Code?
|
|
Santa Cruz County, Cal., San Lorenzo River
Watershed 1985
|
Inventories
Education
Inspections
Reporting
Water Quality Monitoring-monitor 22 stations for Fecal coliform
and nitrate.
|
$6.50 /year for all parcels in county.
In San Lorenzo watershed, cost is $21-958 /yr. Collected as
fees on property tax.
|
There are 12,900 systems. Form signed by
owner acknowledging non-standard system. Monitor surface water.
Covers data management, education, water quality monitoring,
septage hauling, capital needs. Visual inspection every
1-3 years in sensitive areas. Inspections every 6 years
for standard OSS. Homeowner not notified when inspector
is coming.
|
The San Lorenzo River is a major recreation
resource and provides 60% of the water supply. Bacterial contamin-ation
and nitrates have been a problem.
|
Legal access un-
resolved.
|
|
Stinson Beach, Cal.
Stinson Beach Water District
1978
|
Inventory
Education
Inspections
Reporting
Water Quality Monitoring
|
$53 every two months
|
Inspections, water monitoring, data base,
administration. Inspection consists of uncovering of
septic tank, hydraulic of tanks and dye test. Inspections
done every year for commercial, monthly to every 3 years for
others.
|
1992 Building moratorium, sewage problems.
|
Local code.
|
|
Sea Ranch, Cal.
1990.
Sea Ranch Home-
Owners contract with Sonoma County.
|
Education
Inspections
Notification
Reporting
Water Quality Monitoring
|
$71 - 90 per year in tax assessments
|
Inspections of OSS every 3 years for standard
OSS, every year for alternative OSS. Send abatement
notices. Permits and abatement notices recorded on deed
of parcel. Test 10 groundwater stations for nitrates,
ammonia, F. coliform and Total coliform. 35 wet weather
stations tested. Inspection consists of hydraulic tests of
OSS, examination of system.
|
?
|
Contract with Sonoma County
|
|
Town of Paradise, Cal. Enterprise Zone
1992
|
Inventory
Education
Inspections
Notification
Reporting
Certification
Water Quality Monitoring
Issues permits
|
Inspection fees are $50-125.
Annual fee of $14.70 collected with water bill.
$40 fee when property transferred to record escrow.
|
Licensed evaluators inspect existing OSS
when repaired, modified, pumped, when building permits issued,
title transfer or change of use. Requires licensed evaluators
to certify systems.
Certify evaluators. Provide low interest loans for repairs.
Monitor 12 surface water stations. Innovative OSS inspected
quarterly for first year. Standard OSS inspected every
7 years.
|
Sewer project turned down, started monitoring
program in 1995. Had 14% failure rate.
|
Enterprise zone authori-zation.
Municipal Code, OSS treatment manual.
|
|
Jefferson County Health Department and Jefferson
County Utility District #1 Washington 1987
|
Education
Inspections
Notifications
Reporting
|
Inspection fee of $35 plus mileage
|
Require inspections, follow up and enforcement
or repairs, upgrades. Inspect at 6 months and 1, 3,
5, 10 and every 10 years after approval.
|
To deal with development pressures and protect
sensitive surface water.
|
Memor-andum of Under-standing, Jefferson
County Resolution, Contract between owner and Public Utility
District #. Agreement with home-owner.
|
|
Southwest Washington Health District. 1993
|
Inventory
Education
Inspections
Notification
Reporting
Certification
|
Septage tipping fee of $ 0.035 per gallon
and $10 surcharge on permits for new and modified OSS.
|
Maintains data base for 4000 systems.
Inspections required every 4 years. Notify property owner
of need for inspection. Property owner or contractor
can do inspection. Visual observation of drain field,
measure sludge depth in septic tank.
|
To improve overall maintenance and management
of OSS.
|
Resolution adopted by District
|
|
Thurston County , Washington Department of
Environment-al Health. Late >70s
|
Issues operational permits
Education
Inspections
Notification
Reporting
Water quality monitoring
|
Fees.
|
Maintain computer data base. Issue
operational permits for 1-4 years. Operational permits
issued for all new OSS, when a property is sold or when it
is repaired. 40,000 OSS covered. Statement of record
filed with county auditor when operation permit is issued.
Conduct inspections as part of permit. Monthly reports
submitted by septic tank pumpers.
|
To protect public health and water resources.
Dye tests of OSS found 12% overall failure rates. Problem
areas had failures of up to 30%.
|
County Code. Court has upheld two lawsuits
regarding inequality and illegal tax.
|
|
Bremerton-Kitsap County, Washington
~1995
|
Education
Inspections
Reporting
Certification
|
Fees from surface water management utility
funds monitoring program. Septage tipping fee of $0.02
per gallon. $10 filing fee. Plus other fees.
|
Certify on-site maintenance specialists.
Notice placed on titles of properties that have alternative
systems. Provide low interest loans. Developing computerized
data base. Maintenance specialists provide monitoring
and maintenance services. Alternative systems must have
contract with certified maintenance specialists for monitoring
and maintenance. 50,000 OSS in the county.
|
To improve performance of OSS and to comply
with requirements of state.
|
County Code is being phased in over 5 year
period.
|
|
Mason County Washington Health Department
|
Education
Inspections
Certification
Notification
Reporting
|
Fees are proposed.
|
Program was proposed in 1995. Information
on implementation not available. There are 16,000 OSS
in county. Proposed program would require monitoring
and maintenance of OSS. Four phases proposed over a
4 year period. Maintenance specialists to be certified.
Low interest loans proposed. Computerized data to be
developed.
|
Failure rates of as high as 25%, increasing
use of alternative systems. Also to meet requirements
of state regulations.
|
To be adopted by local board of health.
|
|
Benzie County Health Department, Michigan,
1990
|
Inspection
Notification
|
Sliding scale fee from $85-270.
|
Transfer of ownership of properties cannot
occur without evaluation of OSS by health officer. OSS
must be in substantial conformance to code. For property
sales, if not in substantial conformance then written contract,
bond or cash guarantee or covenant required to complete corrections
in 150 days of sale.
All owners required to submit notifications to health department
describing their system if they did not have a permit or approval.
Department maintains files of notifications submitted. Inspection
of an OSS to be made following notification.
|
To protect public health and degradation
of ground and surface water.
|
County environmental health regulations.
|
|
Cuyahoga County Board of Health, Ohio
1992
|
Inspection
Education
Annual permit
|
$30 annual fee from all homeowners with OSS.
|
Inspection of the septic systems. 15,200
OSS are in the county. Plumbing connections are checked,
dye tests made and visual observations of the OSS are recorded.
Documentation of OSS problems helps communities qualify for
Issue 2 money for infrastructure funding.
|
High bacteria levels in the surface water.
|
Board of Health legislation,
Ohio Revised Code
|
|
Georgetown Divide Public Utilities, Cal.
|
Education
Inspection
|
$12.50 per month fee paid by all homeowners.
Undeveloped lots pay $6.25.
|
Continued communication with homeowners after
construction of OSS along with regular inspections.
|
|
|
|
Massachusetts Department of Environmental
Protection, 1995
|
Inspections at time of sale of residential
property.
Certify inspectors
|
$25 million earmarked from State Revolving
Fund for OSS repairs, $5 million for sewer connections.
|
Tax relief offered to homeowners who must
make replacements. Inspections required prior to sale
of properties, when there is a change of use, or expansion
that requires a building or occupancy permit. State
Revolving Fund (SRF) money is used for loans for repairs.
About 26,000 OSS inspected in first 12 months. An alternative
to an inspection at time of sale is that all systems be inspected
once every 7 years.
|
Problems with existing OSS.
|
State regula-tions, 310 CMR, Title V of State
Environ-mental Code.
|
|
North Carolina Division of Environmental
Health, 1992
|
Operation Permits
Inspections of alternative OSS by certified operators
Training of operators
|
Services provided by local health departments
as unfunded mandate
|
OSS classified into six types. Alternative
systems are required to have a maintenance contract with a
certified operator to regularly inspect OSS. Improvement
permits and operation permits required for all OSS.
|
Surveys found that lack of maintenance resulted in failures
of 30-60% in some alternative systems.
|
State Law
|
Other locations reported to have septic systems maintenance programs
are Rhode Island, Douglas County Oregon, Cowlitz County, Washington
and Cresswell, North Carolina.
It became clear from information gathered from this survey that
there are several methods that can be used to effectively manage
OSDS. It also became obvious from the information gathered that
there are compelling reasons for the Rouge River watershed to develop
and implement an evaluation and maintenance programs for OSDS.
Using the above information, the Rouge Project developed and proposed
a strategy to address OSDS issues in the watershed. Information
on the nationwide survey described above and on the proposed strategy
are available in the following report, Strategies
to Address On-Site Sewage System Problems, October 1998.
