Current through all regulations passed and filed through September 16, 2024
(A)
The board of
health shall assess the management of STS septage and sewage generated within
its jurisdiction, including adequate capacity for the disposal of STS septage
and sewage and/or land application of domestic septage within the area of its
jurisdiction. The board of health may adopt rules prohibiting, restricting or
limiting the land application of septage within its
jurisdiction.
(B)
Septage and sewage management by the board of health
shall include, but is not limited to, the following:
(1)
Notification to
septage haulers registered by the board of health of wastewater treatment
plants that are authorized to accept septage or other available receiving
locations for STS septage and sewage, if known.
(2)
The evaluation
and permitting of septage application sites and any prohibitions on the land
application of domestic septage. Compliance with this rule and 40 C.F.R. 503 is
required when land application is permitted by the board of
health.
(3)
Provision of information to STS owners on recommended
time lines for removal of septage from STS components including more frequent
removal when a garbage disposal is in use.
(4)
Requirements for
reporting of septage and/or sewage removal or pumping from septic tanks,
pretreatment components, dosing tanks, holding tanks for dwellings, campers,
recreational vehicles, marinas or other temporary uses, or portable toilets as
applicable when required as a condition of an operation permit or as necessary
to demonstrate compliance with this chapter.
(C)
Septage haulers
shall maintain a record and manifest of septage or sewage pumped from each STS
including, but not limited to, the system owner; location address; quantity of
septage or sewage removed from the system; condition of tank; presence or
absence of baffles or tees; condition of risers; evidence of high water, water
intrusion, or tank deterioration; any repairs, replacements or improvements
made to the tank; date of septage or sewage removal; and the wastewater
treatment plant or other receiving facility where the septage or sewage was
disposed, or the location of land application. Pumping and disposal records
shall be provided to the board of health on a form prescribed by the director
and retained by the septage hauler for at least five years. The septage hauler
shall provide a receipt to the system owner showing the date of service, any
conditions noted regarding the tank, risers and effluent filters, and quantity
of septage and sewage removed from the system.
(D)
Septage haulers
shall comply with the following requirements when removing sewage from septic
tanks, pretreatment components, dosing tanks, lift stations, holding tanks for
dwellings, campers, recreational vehicles, marinas or other temporary uses, or
portable toilets:
(1)
Sewage and septage contained in septic tanks, dosing
tanks, pretreatment tanks, holding tanks for dwellings, campers, recreational
vehicles, marinas or portable toilets shall be pumped or removed as practicable
until the tank is empty. The septage hauler must evaluate the need for
refilling tanks that have been pumped with water to prevent tank
flotation;
(2)
Baffles and tees shall be inspected if present, and
their condition or absence thereof be reported to the system
owner;
(3)
Effluent filters if present shall be
cleaned;
(4)
Pretreatment components and dosing tanks shall be
pumped in accordance with the manufacturer's directions;
(5)
Lift stations
shall be cleaned and hosed down so that no septage is left in the
tank;
(6)
All means of preventing spillage of sewage or septage
onto the surface of the ground should be used during or upon completion of
pumping. If spillage occurs, it must be properly cleaned and the area
disinfected; and
(7)
Other solid materials removed from a STS, including
but not limited to, filter media, peat, or other components containing septage
or effluent, shall be dewatered as necessary and taken to a solid waste
disposal facility licensed by the Ohio EPA.
(E)
No person shall
apply domestic septage to a site without a septage land application site permit
issued by the board of health.
(1)
Any person requesting a septage application permit
shall submit:
(a)
The completed application and associated
fee;
(b)
Site documentation to support compliance with the
requirements of this rule;
(c)
Written
permission from the property owner to land apply septage and information on the
presence of any field tile, ditches, storm sewer systems, streams, or other
drainage conveyances within the proposed land application site;
(d)
Information from
an order two soil survey indicating that the site has a slope no greater than
eight per cent, has at least three feet of soil above ground water and bedrock,
and is free of conditions that could allow land application of septage to cause
contamination of ground water or run off to surface waters; and
(e)
Any additional
information required by the board of health including documentation concerning
the site and surrounding area, or documentation of the land application methods
used by the registered septage hauler.
(2)
The board of
health shall conduct a site inspection prior to approval and shall enforce the
prohibitions in this paragraph. Land application of domestic septage is
prohibited within the sanitary isolation radius of a public water system well
as determined in accordance with rule 3745-09-04 of the Administrative Code.
Land application of domestic septage is also prohibited within an inner
management zone of a drinking water source protection area determined to be
highly susceptible to contamination by the Ohio EPA source water protection and
assessment program for a community or non-transient non-community public water
system as defined in rule
3745-81-01 of the Administrative
Code. The area to be used for land application shall meet the following minimum
horizontal isolation distances:
(a)
Two hundred feet from any dwelling, business, or
location used for community gatherings or recreational
purposes;
(b)
Fifty feet from any property line;
(c)
One hundred feet
from any private water system, non-potable water well or water supply well used
by a transient, non-community public water system as defined in rule
3745-81-01 of the Administrative
Code;
(d)
Fifty feet from any waters of the state excluding
ground water but including grass waterways;
(e)
Three hundred
feet from a sinkhole or drainage well, or one hundred feet if a permanent
vegetative buffer is maintained around the sinkhole or drainage well;
and
(f)
One thousand five hundred feet from a public drinking
water surface water intake.
(3)
When considering
an application for a land application site permit, the board of health shall
review the submitted documentation and the site conditions.
(4)
The board of
health may deny the approval of a land application site permit if there are
substantial changes to site conditions or the site review application
information and may require re-application including a fee to
reapply.
(5)
The board of health may specify permit terms and
conditions governing the application of septage, unless such terms and
conditions conflict with Chapter 3718. of the Revised Code, this chapter or 40
C.F.R. 503 .
(6)
An approved land application site permit issued by the
board of health shall be valid for one year from the date of
issuance.
(7)
An approved land application site permit may be
revoked by the board of health prior to its expiration if there is a change in
site conditions, or there is evidence of noncompliance with Chapter 3718, of
the Revised Code, this chapter, or 40 C.F.R. 503 .
(F)
Land application
of domestic septage shall not create a public health nuisance and shall be
performed for agronomic benefit in compliance with this paragraph and 40 C.F.R.
503 on sites permitted and approved by the board of health.
(1)
A land
application permit in compliance with this rule shall be obtained from the
board of health prior to land application of septage.
(2)
The amount of
septage applied to the site shall not exceed the annual nitrogen application
rate required for the type of vegetation on the site. The soil shall be tested
every two years for phosphorus and shall not exceed the recommended levels for
agronomic loading rates. Any vegetation or crop grown on the application site
shall be harvested, grazed, or otherwise removed in accordance with 40 C.F.R.
503.
(3)
Trash shall be screened and removed from the septage
prior to land application and the trash shall be dewatered prior to disposal as
solid waste.
(4)
Septage shall be land applied in accordance with the
following:
(a)
Septage shall not be permitted to pool or flow on the surface of the
ground.
(b)
Septage shall be applied in accordance with the vector
attraction reduction requirements and the pathogen reduction requirements of 40
C.F.R. 503.
(5)
Records shall be maintained by the septage hauler for
at least five years to demonstrate compliance with this rule and the
requirements of 40 C.F.R. 503 .
