Alabama counties would be barred from instituting sewer fees on properties not connected to their sewage systems under a proposed bill. A measure similar to House Bill 306 passed the Alabama House of Representatives last year but didn’t get through the state senate. Rep. Dickie Drake (R-Leeds) has re-introduced the measure in the House and contends it’s not fair to charge people for something they don’t use.
MINNESOTA
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency ruled that licensed pumpers may store 50,000 gallons of septage in registered underground tanks without a state disposal system permit when fields are inaccessible. The agency is drafting a general permit for businesses needing to store more than 50,000 gallons of septage. The agency will limit permitting to larger storage and treatment facilities. The Program Management Decision on Septage Storage is at www.mowa-mn.com.
GEORGIA
The Septage Disposal bill (SB 467) in the state senate allows pumpers to dewater septage, return the recovered liquid to onsite systems, and dispose of the solids in landfills. An amendment to the waste management bill (SB 110) in the state senate would postpone implementing the Department of Natural Resources land application rules from July 2012 to 2014. The proposed Septic Tank Owners Protection Act would prevent municipalities and counties from forcing single-family property owners or farms with functioning onsite systems to connect to sewers.
MICHIGAN
House Bill 4578 has passed, making it mandatory that communities provide a septage processing facility if they ban land spreading of septage. The bill was signed by Gov. Rick Snyder on March 6.
FLORIDA
Lawmakers repealed a 2010 law mandating septic tank inspections every five years. It does require counties and municipalities with large springs (called first magnitude springs) to have a local evaluation program, but local governments can opt out of the state regulation with a majority vote, plus 1. Gov. Rick Scott is expected to sign the bill.
NEW MEXICO
Bernalillo County commissioners voted to postpone a decision until September on a program requiring the inspection of the oldest onsite systems in the county. The proposal would have required systems at least 30 years old and on lots 0.75 acre or smaller to be inspected. About 450 systems would be subject to inspection immediately; about 750 systems by 2020.
WYOMING
The House of Representatives passed legislation (SF85) allowing the Department of Environmental Quality to sidestep a court ruling and continue issuing blanket general permits for septic tanks and wastewater discharges. The permits cover an entire area of a project rather than requiring permits for individual systems.
Last year’s court decision stated that general permits had to go through the rulemaking process, which requires approval by the state Environmental Quality Council, secretary of state, and the governor.
NEW JERSEY
The Department of Environmental Protection adopted rules requiring the abandonment of cesspools when any correction is needed or when the property is sold. Additional new requirements include NSF/ANSI Standard 46 effluent filters in septic tanks, risers to grade, watertightness testing of tanks after installation, and a protocol for inspecting systems during transfers of property. The rule also provides for drip dispersal and reduced size disposal fields when NSF/ANSI Standard 40 and 245 devices are used.
The department also adopted a rule allowing officials to waive environmental legislation that produces unreasonable, unfair, or unintended results that undermined the goal of the regulations. Requests for waivers begin Aug. 1.
OHIO
The Stark County Health Department instituted regulations requiring more than 4,000 homeowners to hire a company registered with the agency to inspect and service onsite systems. Owners can do the work themselves provided they notify the department. Of the 583 systems the county inspected last year as part of its property transfer program, 101, or 17 percent, failed the inspection.
RHODE ISLAND
The state Department of Environmental Management revised regulations for onsite systems in salt pond areas, allowing most homeowners to increase the footprint of their homes by 600 square feet without installing previously mandated denitrification systems. The regulation, scheduled to expire Nov. 1, 2014, also invites vendors with denitrification systems approved in other states to test their technologies in Rhode Island without first being re-evaluated. Between three and 10 households would need to participate in a pilot project with monitoring and testing done by an independent third party.
INDIANA
Owners of about 30 homes destroyed by a tornado in March in Clark County may need new septic systems to get permits to repair or rebuild their homes. County officials say more effective septic systems will be required because the soil conditions in the community don’t support the older style systems that were in use. Most homes will probably require new mound systems. Some of the lots, however, may be too small for mounds.
