The Georgia Onsite Wastewater Association was able to have language inserted into a law after local inspectors misinterpreted a portion of it.
Inspectors had been telling installers and contractors that they had to pass an eight-hour soil erosion and sedimentation control course and exam to install septic tanks. The original law required certification only when septic tank contractors worked with large developments or were 200 feet or closer to a stream.
The inserted language requires only general contractors or developers to be certified. Subcontractors working under them have until Dec. 31 to complete a two-hour soils class that does not include an exam. Additionally, if certification may be required and a certified general contractor or developer is not involved, the installer can obtain the certification or contract with a certified person to meet the requirement.
The GOWA Septage Study Committee was fundamental in getting legislation passed that authorizes the Department of Natural Resources to develop rules to regulate land application of septage. After July 1, only the DNR can issue new land application site permits. This provision eliminates the Department of Human Resources permitting authority and the requirement that local county commissions approve the sites.
Legislation introduced this spring to regulate the return of surface waters would also restrict new onsite installations in parts of the state that withdraw water from rivers and reservoirs. GOWA and other influential groups view the bill as the first step toward the complete ban of onsite systems. The bill did not pass the House, but will be debated this summer and voted on again when the January 2008 legislative session begins.
GOWA has a political action committee that accepts contributions from members and donates them to legislators who support the association’s political philosophies.
Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association reports that some inspectors are requiring tracer wires over the pipe leading from the house to the septic tank in response to a new state tracer wire law affecting sewer laterals. According to the state Department of Commerce, this interpretation is incorrect — tracer wires do not need to be installed. The agency will write rules to clarify this provision.
The Eau Claire City-County Health Department has revised its proposal to charge residents $27 every three years for a postcard reminder to have their onsite systems inspected. The new fee would be $18 every three years.
Owners of the 4,200 septic systems built after 1991 in Eau Claire County now receive free reminder postcards to schedule inspections. Recently passed legislation would expand the county’s responsibility to all systems, adding about 6,400 by 2010.
Missouri
According to an announcement from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and Department of Health and Senior Services, contractors in that state can use 1/2- to 4-inch tire chips to replace gravel or crushed stone aggregate in onsite systems. The fact sheet, Standards for the Use of Tire Chips in On-Site Wastewater Treat-ment Systems, is at www.dnr.mo. gov/pubs/pub2205.pdf. For questions about tire chips or suppliers, call the DNR at 573/526-3909 or 800/361-4827.
