Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 3, March 1, 2024
(1) A site evaluation is the first step in
the process of obtaining a construction-installation permit for an onsite
system. Except as otherwise provided in these rules, before obtaining a permit
to construct an onsite system, a person must obtain a site evaluation report
finding the site suitable for an onsite system under this division.
(2) Completed applications for site
evaluations must be submitted to the agent with all required exhibits and the
applicable site evaluation fee in OAR 340-071-0140(2).
(a) Unless DEQ approves other procedures for
a contract county, applicants must provide at least two test pits, with
dimensions and configuration as the agent directs, located approximately 75
feet apart and within the area of the proposed system, including the
repair/replacement area.
(b) The
fee paid for a site evaluation report covers as many site inspections within
ninety days of the initial inspection as necessary to determine the suitability
of a single lot or parcel for a single system. A site is considered to be
suitable as soon as it is found to meet the criteria for any type of onsite
system.
(3) Site
evaluation report.
(a) The agent or, for WPCF
permits, an agent or a qualified private contractor, must evaluate the site of
the proposed system, consider all system options, and provide a report of such
evaluation.
(b) The site evaluation
report must be on a DEQ-approved form.
(c) The report must contain, at a minimum, a
site diagram and observations of the following site characteristics:
(A) Parcel size;
(B) Slope in absorption field and replacement
areas (percent and direction);
(C)
Surface streams, springs, other bodies of water;
(D) Existing and proposed wells;
(E) Escarpments;
(F) Cuts and fills;
(G) Unstable landforms;
(H) Soil profiles determined from test pits
provided by applicant;
(I) Water
table levels as indicated by conditions associated with saturation or water
table observations;
(J) Useable
area for initial and replacement absorption areas;
(K) Encumbrances observed or listed on the
application;
(L) Sewerage
availability;
(M) Other
observations including off-site features as appropriate.
(d) Site evaluation reports for subdivisions
or other land divisions must be based on an evaluation of each lot.
(e) Specific conditions or limitations
imposed on an approved site must be listed on the evaluation report.
(f) A site evaluation report approving a site
for a system qualifies the property owner for a permit to construct a system on
that property if other requirements for a permit are met.
(4) Approval or denial:
(a) A site must be approved for a system if
the site evaluation report documents the following:
(A) The site evaluation report identifies the
types of the initial and replacement systems for which the site is approved.
(B) All criteria for approving a
specific type or types of systems, as described in this division are satisfied.
(C) Each lot or parcel has
sufficient usable area available to accommodate an initial and replacement
system. The usable area may be located within the lot or parcel or within the
bounds of another lot or parcel that is secured under OAR 340-071-0130(11). The
initial and replacement systems may be of different types, e.g., a standard
subsurface system as the initial system and an alternative system as the
replacement system. The site evaluation report must indicate the types of the
initial and replacement systems for which the site is approved.
(D) A replacement area is not required in
areas under control of a legal entity such as a city, county, or sanitary
district if the legal entity gives a written commitment that sewerage service
will be provided within five years.
(b) A site must be denied if the conditions
identified in section (4)(a) of this rule are not met.
(c) Changes in technical requirements in this
division may not invalidate a site approval but may require design changes or
use of a different type of system.
(5) Site evaluation report review. An
applicant may request DEQ to review an agent's site evaluation report. The
application for review must be submitted to DEQ in writing within 60 days after
the site evaluation report issue date and must include the site evaluation
review fee in OAR 340-071-0140(2). DEQ will review and approve or disapprove
the site evaluation report.
Statutory/Other Authority: ORS
454.625 & 468.020
Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS
454.655 &
454.755
