The Alberta Onsite Wastewater Management Association board of directors is examining the feasibility of forming the Western Canada Onsite Wastewater Management Association. The decision was motivated by multiple developments affecting onsite professionals in the region. These include:
• The Canadian Standards Association is drafting a national onsite installation standard.
• Alberta and British Columbia signed an agreement recognizing each other’s onsite training and certification standards. This agreement could extend to Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
• Increased rural development is strengthening the onsite industry’s position as a provider of essential infrastructure.
• Demand for the AOWMA training program is strong in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
The new association would represent a large portion of western Canada’s onsite professionals, resulting in a significant voice contributing to national standards. The AOWMA board says the initiative presents an opportunity to ensure the long-term success of the industry and deliver more benefits to its members.
Florida
Legislation passed last June directs the state Department of Health to contract, by request for proposal, for Phase I of an anticipated three-year project to develop passive strategies for nitrogen reduction using conventional onsite systems.
The project includes a review of existing or ongoing studies on passive technologies, field-testing of nitrogen-reducing technologies, and development of a simple model for predicting nitrogen fate and transport from onsite systems.
The department also must identify how much it will cost to implement a mandatory, state-wide, five-year septic tank inspection program, phased in over 10 years. Besides fees to offset costs, the state gave the department $150,000 to enforce the inspection program, if one is created.
North Carolina
The North Carolina Septic Tank Association is asking the state to revise its septic tank regulations. Instead of separate construction requirements for precast concrete tanks versus tanks of other materials, the organization wants all tank makers to meet the same test limits for structural design.
Using the required strength times a 1.4 safety factor, the one-time vacuum test would be 7 inches of mercury. The association also wants all tank manufacturers to have a state-approved quality-assurance plan. The plan would include testing of tank inventories at least twice a year by approved third-party inspectors. Out-of-state tank manufacturers would be sampled at dealer-inventoried yards or jobsites. The association argues strengthening the construction rules keeps them current with national standards.
Nebraska
The August 2008 Rules and Regs column stated the June 21 date for the increase in the system registration fee from $50 to $140 and the addition of the $25 late fee happened in 2007. The late fee was amended in December 2007 to a two-tier fee of $150 for system registrations submitted between 45 and 90 days late, or $450 for registrations submitted 91 or more days late.
According to Gary Buttermore, onsite wastewater unit supervisor for the state Department of Environmental Quality, new fees for permit applications and subdivision approval applications also became effective in December 2007. Permit applications are required for systems that can’t meet designated setbacks or other regulatory requirements, those that handle 1,000 gpd or more, or those that receive other than typical household wastes. Subdivision applications are for properties with onsite systems on lots less than three acres.
