| Homeowner Information
New Installation, Alteration, Repair or Replacement of a Sewage Treatment System
Your local county or city health district is the first place to contact if you want to install a new sewage treatment system, or alter, replace or abandon your existing sewage system. Local health districts will work with you to ensure a comprehensive review of your system, property and water use to determine the best solutions for proper wastewater treatment for your home, or to determine the correct repair of a malfunctioning system. Some local health districts offer the full range of services from site and soil evaluation to system design (depending on the system complexity required). A permit to install or alter a system must be obtained from the local health district before beginning any construction or repair activities on a system.
Steps for Constructing a New Sewage Treatment System
1. Contact your local health district for specific information on sewage treatment system (STS) permitting or when beginning to plan for land development with a STS. Local health district staff will visit your site to begin the initial site evaluation process. Review the fact sheet: Know How to Select a Home Site
2. Obtain a site and soil evaluation. The natural soil is the most commonly used media for final treatment of sewage effluent from a home. A complete evaluation of the soil on the property is needed to determine how much usable soil (thickness) is present and where it is located. Other site conditions must also be determined such as slope, topography and the location of nearby water sources and drinking water supplies. Some local health districts provide site and soil evaluation services. These services are also available from many private companies and local health districts can provide a list of experts that provide these services.
3. Work with a sewage treatment system designer to evaluate the different system types available for your lot. Most lots can accommodate more than one system design. Homeowners should carefully evaluate all system costs including installation, long-term operation and maintenance requirements and service contract costs before making a final system decision. Please refer to the list of STS types on the page below.
4. Obtain quotes and bids from registered STS contractors. Local health districts can provide a list of locally registered STS contractors. Some local health districts require bonding of contractors. Always obtain a written contract and fully discuss all steps of the construction process and services the contractor will provide. Once a contractor is selected and work on your system begins, try to observe as much of the construction process as possible, and even document the installation with pictures.
5. The local health district will perform a final inspection of your system and approve or disapprove the installation. If installations problems occur, work with the system contractor and your local health district to resolve installation issues. Your local health district’s role is to ensure proper system installation that protects your investment in your STS and public health and prevents disease.
6. Proper operation and maintenance of your new STS is essential to ensure the system works, does not create odors or other nuisance conditions and prevents exposure to sewage effluent. Depending on the complexity of your system, a service contract may be required. Proper operation and maintenance of your system protects the investment you have made in your property and your system.
Steps for Altering or Repairing an Existing Sewage Treatment System
1. If you experience odors, surfacing in the yard, discharge of sewage or other nuisance conditions, contact your service provider (if you have one) and the local health district.
2. You may wish to restrict your water use, and space out heavy uses of water such as laundry, to ease the load on the sewage system until the problem can be resolved
3. If you have a service provider, they will likely contact you or come directly to your property to examine the system. They may need information about your water use, or different materials that may have been flushed or drained into your system. Depending on your service agreement, and the system problems, the service provider may be able to repair your system. Typically, a repair means replacing like parts or adjusting a system’s operation and does not require a permit from the local health district.
4. If the system cannot be repaired by a service provider or a sewage system contractor, and the system must be altered or replaced, then a permit will be required from the local health district. Your local health district will work with you and the sewage contractor to determine the best way to alter your system if possible to fix the nuisance conditions.
5. If an alteration to the system is not possible, then a complete replacement of the system will be required. If you have an existing sewage system that discharges off the property and is creating a nuisance condition, then you may need to replace your system with a system that complies with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency General Household National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permit for discharging systems. If a replacement system can be installed on your lot that uses the soil for final treatment, please refer to the steps required for a new sewage treatment system installation.
Sewage Treatment Systems Fact Sheets
While local health districts will have specific details on how to obtain STS permits and can provide you with other important information, the following may assist you in exploring various STS types and topics.
These fact sheets provide a brief description of the following system types, the operation and maintenance required and average system costs for Ohio:
Operation and Maintenance of a Household Sewage Treatment System
Owning a household sewage treatment system is a big financial investment in your property. It is a mini wastewater treatment plant right in your yard. Proper operation and maintenance of your system is very important to make sure it operates effectively and efficiently for you for many years and does not create nuisance conditions or contaminate water resources.
Basic Operation and Maintenance Fact Sheets:
Know Your Household Sewage System
Know Your Septic Tank
Systems Installed with Pretreatment Components since 2007
Systems installed with pretreatment components since 2007 have operation and maintenance manuals posted on this Web site. Please follow the link to the Approved Pretreatment Components List and look for the manufacturer of the system you have installed. Follow across the table to the link to the pdf file for operation and maintenance manual.
Last Updated: 11/04/09
Sewage Treatment Systems Program / Links
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