Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department 3629 South D Street Tacoma, WA 98418-6813

O&M INFORMATION HOT LINE August 30, 2001 Notice To All Septic System Inspectors and Pumpers CLARIFICATION OF O&M INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS

The Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Program has seen a sharp rise in the number of complaints from homeowners regarding their O&M inspections. One company charged for the inspection, then refused to fill out the inspection form until the septic tank was pumped. Another company told a homeowner that they had to pump the septic tank in order to measure the sludge and scum levels; after pumping the tank, they informed the homeowner that the pumping could have waited for a couple of years. Yet another company insisted that the homeowner would have annual inspections, when in fact they will need inspections every 3 years. The following information will clarify the intent and requirements of the O&M Program regarding inspections.

Most O&M Permits renew every three years. The exceptions are community systems, substandard repairs, food services establishments, aerobic treatment units with disinfection, holding tanks and self-contained toilets, Glendon biofilters, and parcels with "mother-in-law" units or vertical separation waivers. These exceptions renew every year. Note that many "mother-in-law" units and vertical separation waivers are for simple gravity and pressure systems.

The property owner must either have an inspection done or ask for a waiver within 90 days of their renewal notice. Work done on the system six months prior to renewal also may be used instead of an inspection. The homeowner is only required to have an inspection done in order to renew their O&M permit. They do not have to "pass" the inspection for O&M permit renewal.

If tank pumping or maintenance work is needed, it may be scheduled at he homeowner's convenience. We will log the inspections into our Health Department computer and follow up on recommended maintenance items by sending a letter to the homeowner. This allows the homeowner time to budget these maintenance items and to seek estimates from other professionals if they wish. However, this does not mean the maintenance can be delayed indefinitely.

We need to make program requirements clearer to the public. We are interested in education homeowners in the proper use of their septic systems and making sure they understand what is required for O&M permit renewal. We will be adding more information to our O&M invoices in the near future to clarify the property owner's obligation.

The current O&M Regulation requires that the inspection include a report on the condition of each of the following items:

Septic Tank

• Sludge and scum levels
  
• Liquid level
  
• Condition of lids, risers, baffles, and effluent filter screens
  
• Structural integrity and water tightness of the tank, pipes and connections
  
• Signs of groundwater intrusion
  
• Whether the tank was pumped and, if so, the amount removed
  

Pump Tank (and sand filters)

• Sludge level
  
• Liquid level
  
• Condition of lids, risers, filter screens
  
• Structural integrity and water tightness of the tank, pipes and connections
  
• Signs of groundwater intrusion
  
• Proper function of pump, including a drawdown test
  
• Proper function of switches, wiring, alarm, pump controls, and timer
  
• Record the number of pump cycles or operating hours if available
  

Disposal Area

• Examine for seepage, soft ground, surfacing sewage, odor
  
• Report indications of vehicle traffic, livestock, excavations, building activity
  
• Check monitoring ports for ponded effluent
  
• Check effluent balancing valves for tampering
  

Do not insist on pumping a tank to complete the inspection. A lack of appropriate tools to perform a thorough inspection is not a reason to demand tank pumping or omit steps in the inspection process. However, to avoid unnecessary pumping, you may omit inspection of submerged components if there is no sign of a problem with the component (for example: condition of the septic tank bottom).

Most of you are providing good customer service; others may need to sharpen their "people skills" in order to attract repeat business. We will try to assist in this area by sending you a letter when we get a substantial complaint from a homeowner about your services. Repeated complaints may result in a review of you certification status and, to maintain an active certification status, you may be required to submit and explanation and action plan for avoiding such conflict in the future.

New Land Use/O&M Regulations go into effect October 1, 2001. There will be a series of meetings in the TPCHD Auditorium to review the revised Land Use Regulation passed by the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health on August 1, 2001. On September 19, 2001 there will be a meeting for Designers, Engineers and Installation Firms from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. On September 25, 2001 there will be a meeting for septic systems inspections and pumping companies from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. We intend to offer additional training at TPCHD later this year. For more information, call 253-798-4788.