Current through all regulations passed and filed through September 16, 2024
(A)
Gray water recycling systems shall include type 1,
type 2, type 3 and type 4 systems as described in paragraphs (E), (F), and (G)
of this rule and may receive gray water generated from a building or
dwelling.
(B)
A board of health may issue a permit for the design
and installation of a type 1 GWRS. Except for gray water systems installed for
campgrounds under Chapter 3729, of the Revised Code, a board of health shall
issue a permit in compliance with rule
3701-29-09 of the Administrative
Code for type 2, 3 and 4 GWRS. When a GWRS is proposed at the same time as a
new or replacement STS, both systems shall be authorized under the same permit.
Designs for GWRS shall meet the requirements of rule
3701-29-10 of the Administrative
Code as applicable.
(C)
The definition of public health nuisance in section
3718.011 of the Revised Code
shall apply to GWRS.
(D)
GWRS shall meet the following requirements:
(1)
Gray water
discharged to all GWRS shall only consist of domestic type flows having the
consistency and strength typical of gray water from domestic households. The
source of gray water may include water from bathing, showering, washing clothes
or laundry sinks. Gray water shall not contain water used to wash diapers, or
other materials soiled with human excreta or infectious materials, or
wastewater that has come in contact with toilet waste, toxic substances,
cleaning chemicals other than soap, water softener backwash or any other
hazardous household products;
(2)
Design flows to
GWRS shall be determined based on the flow rate of the fixture(s) or the
discharge volume from the appliance(s) intended for discharge to the
system;
(3)
The isolation distance requirements of paragraph
(G)(3) of rule
3701-29-06 of the Administrative
Code;
(4)
Shall be used and contained within the property
boundary of the building it originates from unless a legally recorded easement
permits access to and application on another property;
(5)
Type 1, 2, or 4
GWRS shall include a readily accessible diversion valve in the sewage line from
the dwelling or building so all the gray water can be directed into the STS or
the approved public sewer system when necessary. The diversion valve must be
visibly labeled;
(6)
All pipes conveying gray water must be labeled with
the following words in capital letters: "Caution: Non-potable water, do not
drink" or the pipe shall be purple or purple striped in color;
(7)
If a type 1, 2
or 4 GWRS fails or is suspected of failing, the owner shall immediately divert
the gray water to the approved public sewer system or STS serving the dwelling
or structure;
(8)
The gray water system owner shall maintain a record of
the GWRS that includes the location of the system, identifies the fixture(s)
that are the source of the gray water, describes the system design and
maintenance requirements, and includes the calculation of the total minimum
irrigation area required;
(9)
The system owner shall ensure that the GWRS is
properly operated and maintained; and
(10)
Except for type
3 GWRS, no reduction in the design and sizing of the STS shall be permitted
when using a GWRS. All other sewage from a dwelling or structure shall be
discharged to an approved STS or sanitary sewer.
(E)
Type 1 and type
2 GWRS shall meet the following requirements:
(1)
Type 1 and type
2 GWRS shall only be used for subsurface irrigation during the normal growing
season in Ohio as described in this paragraph and may be used for subsurface
irrigation of gardens, lawns and landscape plants, and food crops except root
crops or crops that have edible portions that contact the gray water. Gray
water shall be applied no less than twenty-five feet from food crops with
exposed edible portions;
(2)
A type 1 GWRS shall discharge no more than sixty
gallons per day. A type 2 GWRS shall discharge greater than sixty gallons per
day but no more than one-thousand gallons per day;
(3)
Shall use
durable piping, tubing, or flexible hoses to disperse the water below the
surface of the ground by gravity. During or after dispersal to the soil, gray
water shall not surface in any way, including through ponding or runoff, and
must remain below the surface of the ground to prevent contact with people and
animals;
(4)
Shall be covered by a minimum of four inches of
appropriate material which may include suitable soil or other material such as
mulch, humus, or compost. If material other than suitable soil is used, the
irrigation field cover must be augmented periodically as needed to maintain
adequate cover during the growing season;
(5)
For type 1 GWRS,
the system owner may direct gray water to separate irrigation fields as long as
the total flow of gray water to all fields combined does not exceed sixty
gallons per day;
(6)
For a type 1 GWRS, the total minimum irrigation area
available to receive the gray water must be adequate based on the soil
infiltration rate, the evapotranspiration rate, and the water requirements of
the plants or area being irrigated. A type 2 GWRS system shall require a soil
evaluation as specified in rule
3701-29-07 of the Administrative
Code to determine the soil infiltration loading rate and the presence of
limiting conditions. A type 2 GWRS shall require a design that determines the
total irrigation area based on the daily design flow of the system, irrigation
rates that are dependent on the plant use, evapotranspiration rates, soil
infiltration rates, and hydraulic linear loading rates as
applicable;
(7)
Shall be located in suitable soil that is not
saturated during the growing season, and where at least twelve inches of
vertical separation distance is maintained above the limiting conditions listed
in paragraph (E) of rule
3701-29-15 of the Administrative
Code;
(8)
Shall not be applied to slopes exceeding twenty per
cent or discharged to frozen or saturated soils; and
(9)
No gray water
may be held in a tank or holding structure more than twenty-four
hours.
(F)
Type 3 GWRS shall meet the following
requirements:
(1)
A soil evaluation shall be completed to determine the
soil infiltration loading rate and the presence of limiting
conditions;
(2)
The column specifying pretreated effluent in table 3
of rule 3701-29-15 of the Administrative
Code shall be used to determine the soil infiltration loading rate, and shall
be provided a twelve inch soil depth credit for meeting the vertical separation
distance specified in rule
3701-29-15 of the Administrative
Code;
(3)
A type 3 GWRS shall be designed in accordance with
rule 3701-29-15 of the Administrative
Code and
appendix
A to rule
3701-29-15 of the Administrative
Code;
(4)
A type 3 GWRS may be designed for continual use and
shall not exceed a daily design flow of one thousand gallons per
day;
(5)
Tanks used with type 3 GWRS must be structurally sound
and watertight; and
(6)
Hand-carried gray water may be poured into a gray
water disposal sump that is connected to the soil absorption component of the
system. The gray water disposal sump must include a receiving chamber with a
screen. Hand-carried gray water may also be poured into a structure fitted to
the top opening of a septic tank provided the structure connection to the
septic tank is sealed and watertight.
(G)
Type 4 GWRS
shall meet the following requirements:
(1)
A type 4 GWRS
may be used for surface and subsurface irrigation of gardens, lawns and
landscape plants, food crops, green roofs and living walls during the normal
growing season in Ohio or as applicable for the irrigation application. When
surface irrigation of gray water is used, signs shall be posted to notify the
public and personnel within the use area that the water used is gray water and
is not safe for drinking;
(2)
The system shall include a pretreatment component or
treatment train that meets NSF/ANSI Standard 350 treatment level R or C as
appropriate for the design and gray water source or equivalent that is approved
by the director and in compliance with rule
3701-29-13 of the Administrative
Code;
(3)
Durable piping, tubing, or flexible hoses to disperse
the water at or below the surface of the ground by gravity or low pressure
distribution shall be used. During or after dispersal to the soil, gray water
shall not pond or runoff;
(4)
A subsurface type 4 GWRS shall be covered by a minimum
of four inches of appropriate material which may include suitable soil or other
material such as mulch, humus, or compost. If material other than suitable soil
is used, the irrigation field cover must be augmented periodically as needed to
maintain adequate cover during the growing season;
(5)
A type 4 GWRS
shall discharge greater than sixty gallons per day but no more than one
thousand gallons per day. Gray water may be stored for more than twenty-four
hours with pretreatment;
(6)
A soil evaluation as specified in rule
3701-29-07 of the Administrative
Code shall be required to determine the soil infiltration loading rate and the
presence of limiting conditions as applicable;
(7)
A type 4 GWRS
shall require a design that determines the total irrigation area based on the
daily design flow of the system, irrigation rates that are dependent on the
plant use, evapotranspiration rates, soil infiltration rates, and hydraulic
linear loading rates as applicable;
(8)
A type 4 GWRS
shall be located in suitable soil that is not saturated during the growing
season, and where at least twelve inches of vertical separation distance is
maintained above the limiting conditions listed in paragraph (E) of rule
3701-29-15 of the Administrative
Code;
(9)
A type 4 GWRS shall not be applied to slopes exceeding
twenty per cent or discharged to frozen or saturated soils; and
(10)
Except for tank
size, tanks, pumps and controls required as part of a type 4 GWRS design must
comply with the requirements of rule
3701-29-12 of the Administrative
Code. Tank sizing shall be determined based on the design and proposed
irrigation rates of the system.
(H)
Composting and
incinerating toilets are STS components and may be used for the disposal and
treatment of toilet waste including human excreta and urine.
(I)
A STS that uses
composting or incinerating toilets for disposal and treatment of toilet waste
must discharge all other sewage from the dwelling or building including but not
limited to water from kitchen sinks, dishwashers, clothes washing, bathing or
showering, bathroom or laundry sinks to a STS.
(J)
A STS using
composting or incinerating toilets for disposal and treatment of all toilet
waste in the dwelling may reduce the daily design flow to the STS by up to
twenty-five per cent as determined by the designer, homeowner and the board of
health.
(K)
Composting toilets used as part of a STS must be
certified to ANSI/NSF Standard 41 and are authorized for use. A manufacturer of
a composting toilet that is not certified to ANSI/NSF Standard 41 who seeks
approval for use in the state must submit an application in accordance with the
requirements of section
3718.04 of the Revised Code and
obtain approval for use from the director of health.
(L)
Incinerating
toilets used as part of a STS must be certified to NSF Protocol P157 and are
authorized for use. A manufacturer of a incinerating toilet that is not
certified to NSF Protocol P157 who seeks approval for use in the state must
submit an application in accordance with the requirements of section
3718.04 of the Revised Code and
obtain approval for use from the director of health. Electrical connections for
incinerating toilets must comply with the requirements of the national electric
code.
(M)
All plumbing connecting a composting or incinerating
toilet to the building sewer must comply with the Ohio plumbing code or
applicable local building codes and requirements.
(N)
Composting or
incinerating toilets authorized for use under paragraph (K) or (L) of this rule
shall be installed and vented in accordance with the manufacturer's
specifications or as authorized by the director's approval.
(O)
Liquid and solid
materials removed from a composting toilet shall be disposed of as septage in
accordance with rule
3701-29-20 of the Administrative
Code. Dry incinerated waste material from an incinerating toilet shall be
disposed of at a solid waste landfill permitted by Ohio EPA.
