Sewage inspections

[jar546]

Any SEO's out there? (Sewage Enforcement Officer). The UCC in PA had absolutely no regulation over this as it is covered by chapter 72 & 73 of Title 25 in PA. DEP handles it with the use of local SEOs that are following State guidelines. How about your part of the country?

 

[mjesse]

Re: Sewage inspections

No septic systems permitted within our Village, all must be connected to the municipal system. We do have a few old properties that still have them, but their annexation agreements required connection within "X" years.

Surrounding areas are all permitted and inspected through the County Health Dept.

mj

 

[JBI]

Re: Sewage inspections

NYS is a slightly mixed bag... In Orange County the County Health Department reviews design at the sub-division review stage, but the installs are given a 'courtesy inspection' by our Town Engineer with the actual sign-off coming from the DPR with an as-built.

In Sullivan County there is no 'County Health Dept.' but there is a State Health Dept. Regional Office. As a policy they only review 'alternative' designs and major sub-divisions over 50 lots with on-site septics. Designs in smaller sub-divisions are usually reviewed by the Town Engineer but most Town Code Officials inspect the installs. Unless there is an obvious problem or relocation from the approved plan, it's pretty routine stuff.

We are seeing more 'gravelless' systems and more aerobic tank systems, especially on smaller lots in older sub-divisions though.

 

[ccbuilding]

Re: Sewage inspections

We (the County) have just started our municipal sewage system in the unincorporated areas of the county. The new system services approximately 350 households in a population of 15,000. As County Building Inspectors we do all the installation inspections. We have huge areas of the county that aren’t able to be services by this system.

So as you can probably tell, we have a lot of individual septic systems. As a County Building Inspectors, we determine soil viability for ISDS on a lot by lot basis, issue permits, inspect installation, and issue completion permits of residential systems only using standards set by the State, and Uniform Plumbing Code. The is no actual County Health Department here. The State Health Department takes care of resturant inspections, and that type of thing.

All commercial systems are engineered, and some of our local area soils require some of the ISDS be engineered. The State NDEP handles all permits and inspections for engineered systems.

Our department handles all complaints of all septic/sewer failures. We work the complaint for any failed system, but if the system was engineered and needs new engineering, then NDEP takes over. Kind of a convoluted system, but 5 years into it, it seems to be working.

 

[Bendigo]

Re: Sewage inspections

I started out initially as a Pa. SEO and gradually worked my way into the building code profession when the UCC came into existence in Pennsylvania. It was a good move on my part since the SEO part of the job involves only private septic systems. With communities expanding public sewer service, work was beginning to dwindle.

I still do a great deal of SEO work in the rural areas of central PA.

 

[peach]

Re: Sewage inspections

It's usually a health department bag..

having said that, as we see more gray water management come into the codes and local ordinances, it's worth learning something about drain field design for gray water seepage pits... I'm dealing with a client now who is remodeling a really old house with combined sewer. The owner indicates she's had problems with backups during the rain, they need to do something different with the storm water..