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On-site sewage disposal systems face maintenance requirement
The Loudoun County Health Department will be setting mandatory maintenance requirements for alternative, or nonconventional, on-site sewage disposal systems. Since the state approved the newer, high-tech systems, about 1,200 have been installed in Loudoun.Loudoun's Board of Supervisors approved the mandatory maintenance and inspection regime unanimously (Lori Waters, R-Broad Run) absent) at its Sept. 2 business meeting.
At the same meeting, they voted to advertise an amendment to the county's ordinances that will ban the installation of all but conventional sewage disposal systems for five years. Chairman Scott York (I-At large) and Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling) voted against the change.
Of the 1,200 non-conventional systems that have been installed, according to staff at the Environmental Health Department, 11 have failed. The Health Department supported the mandatory maintenance but questioned the need to ban all nonconventional systems. The ban, if adopted, will not affect about 2,000 systems that are already at least part way through the approval process, and it will have a sunset clause of five years.
A conventional system feeds waste from a house or business into a tank where the solids drop to the bottom. The fluid is dispersed over a drain field of trenches from which it seeps back into the ground.
The failure rate given by the Loudoun County Health Department for alternative systems can be very misleading. A bad pump, fuse, alarm going off, is that a failure? The real question is how many systems have had to be replaced because of failure. Few if any have needed complete replacement.
With monitoring and maintenance (which is now going to be required), the so called failure rate will be far less. Alternative systems are far better for the environment than conventional systems. Even the Loudoun County Health Department is against the ban on alternative systems. How could the Board of Supervisors know more than the department that permits and inspects the systems?
Some of the more popular alternative systems are the Puraflo, Ecoflo, Eco-Pure and the Advantex systems. These systems typically remove 90% or more of the polluted matter before discharging into the soil, relying less on the soil for treatment.
A conventional septic system is usually a 1200 to 1500 gallon tank discharging into gravel ditches. The tank allows (grease, oils, etc,) to float to the top and solids to settle to the bottom with very little decomposition (treatment) due to the anaerobic environment. The liquids then flow into gravel ditches hopefully to be treated by the soil. A conventional system also needs maintenance (pumping, leveling of distribution boxes, preventing ground water from entering the septic tank) which is often ignored due to the lack of alarms and homeowner neglect. A failing conventional system is rarely reported until the house is being sold and a septic inspection is required by the lender.
A ban on alternative septic systems would limit the ability to: add an addition, build an accessory dwelling, build on vacant lots. The majority of septic permits issued in Loudoun County are either alternative or the required 100% reserve is alternative. Without alternative systems the result can be less bedrooms or no system at all.
If this ordinance is passed what will happen to the tax base when a 50 acre lot near Middleburg only perks for an alternative system? We have an unhappy land owner and have lowered the value of the lot and tax base. The grandfather clause as written protects recent subdivisions with preliminary approval or recorded plats, not the local land owner. Due to regulation changes just because the lot you purchased in 2001 was a four bedroom conventional does not mean you still have a drain field approval. Unless you have installed the system or have a certification letter you could be out of luck. If a family subdivision was in your future to provide for your kids education or a future home you may be forced to rethink your plans.
The sad thing is the board is doing this without informing the people who will be affected by the ordinance. You need to contact your Board of Supervisor member and be heard at the Board meeting.
Posted by morgan
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