November 2014

Little over half of responding LGUs report point-of-sale SSTS compliance inspection programs. Hawaii weighs the question

In the 2013 MPCA SSTS Annual Report, local governmental units were asked if they require compliance inspections at the time of property transfer. A total of 225 LGUs responded to this question. Of those, 116 said they have a property transfer (or point-of-sale) compliance inspection program and 109 said they do not. There were 52 of 86 reporting counties (60%) that indicated they have a property transfer/SSTS compliance inspection program. For cities, 47 of 85 reporting cities (55%) indicated they have a program. Finally, 16 of 52 reporting townships (31%) indicated that they have a program. An article in a recent edition of the Onsite Installer publication says Hawaii is considering SSTS compliance  inspections when properties transfer as a way to help reduce the number of existing and new cesspools in the state.  "The Department of Health says cesspools release about 55 million gallons of untreated sewage every day across the state’s islands. State officials have said the time of transfer provision would help with the transition away from cesspools. As the plan says, 'Requiring cesspool upgrades when property is sold makes sense because the cost of the upgrade can be shared between the buyer and seller at a time when sellers, with proceeds from the sale, are better able to afford upgrading costs, and buyers, who are usually borrowing already for their purchase, may obtain additional financing for eliminating a cesspool.'”  The same edition of the Onsite Installer carries an excerpt from a recent edition of the SSTS Bulletin that quotes Manager Jim Ziegler on the benefits of conducting SSTS inventories.

Kristi Kalk named new SSTS staffer in Marshall office

Kristi Kalk is the new SSTS staffer in the MPCA Marshall Regional Office, replacing Matt Moon who is now working in the MPCA watershed unit in Marshall. Kristi graduated this past spring from Minnesota State University Mankato with a degree in environmental services. By joining the MPCA Kristi says she has now participated in public service at all levels. At the city level she was a lifeguard in her hometown of Fairfax, Minn., a small town near New Ulm. While in college she worked for the National Park Service for two summers in Yellowstone and one summer on the east coast. This past summer she worked for Carver County doing water quality sampling work.

Whether or not to design (or inspect) depends on the weather

Questions have been raised about whether or not it is acceptable to conduct SSTS design and inspection activities during winter months. Minnesota rules do not identify a date or season when design and inspection activities must cease. This is because Minnesota’s site conditions do not follow astronomical or meteorological season labels. We have mild and dry autumns that sometimes last into December, and we have seen harsh, freezing conditions come early on many occasions.

The rules say field evaluation activities must be performed under appropriate conditions. Snow cover, low light conditions, and frost depth are three conditions that can make SSTS design and inspection impossible to complete. The MPCA does not condone or authorize any SSTS work that is completed under inadequate conditions and field sessions of soils-specific continuing education are not accredited during winter conditions.

What the rules say:

• 7080.1720 Subp 3. lists the surface features that must be defined to properly site and design an SSTS. You cannot measure slope with drifting snow. Describing landscape position amidst an indecipherable backdrop is impossible. “Snow” is not an acceptable label for type of vegetation!
• 7080.1720 Subp. 5 describes the conditions under which a designer and inspection can identify the limiting condition. Soil descriptions must be conducted under adequate light conditions with soil in a moist unfrozen state.
• 7080.1720 Subp. 6 defines how a designer sizes a soil dispersal area. Percolation testing is impossible to complete in freezing conditions.

You and your local SSTS program must determine when the conditions for SSTS design are acceptable. The MPCA has created a list to help you determine when to wrap up SSTS designs and inspections for the year. Do not design or inspect an SSTS any time you encounter one or more of the following conditions:

1. Snow is covering vegetation or impeding land slope observation
2. Frost reaches the depth of the proposed soil dispersal bottom area
3. There is inadequate light to clearly see what you are working on
   
4. Your local inspector says conditions are not acceptable.
   

Make sure conditions are acceptable before you get back into the field in the spring.

Should we renew? Up to you

There are several proprietary treatment products up for product renewal in 2014. This process will be take place in December. If you want to give us feedback on the performance on any of the products listed below, contact Barb McCarthy, MPCA Duluth.

Sewage tank fee reminder letters going out mid-November

This is a good time of year for installers to catch up on submitting their tank installation fees to the MPCA. Tank installation fees for 2014 are due no later than Jan. 30, 2015. Remember to use the MPCA Tank Fee Submission Form for the correct installation year, so you are properly credited for fees paid. Note that there are two forms (one for 2013 and and one for 2014). Choose the form for the year in which you completed the tank installation. Be sure to include your check for payment.  If you have any questions about the tank fee submission form, please contact Wendy Pritchard at 651-757-2090. Installers will be receiving reminder letters, along with a tank fee submission form and fact sheet, from the MPCA in mid-November. The letters will be sent to installers by email, if we have an email, or paper copies will be sent. The letters are being sent to encourage installers to check with local units of government where they worked in 2014 to ensure their tank installation records agree. That way, any discrepancies can be resolved quickly. The process of reconciling records can get backed up if it does not begin before winter.

New requirement: Master plumbers need CE to renew licenses

Many SSTS professionals are also licensed plumbers. New State Board of Plumbing rules require all licensed plumbers to take 16 hours of Department of Labor and Industry-approved continuing education (CE) in each full two-year license period in order to renew their licenses. All master plumbers and restricted master plumbers must report their first CE at their license renewal in December 2014. Journey and restricted journey plumbers must report their first CE at their license renewal in December 2015.  The new plumbing CE requirements are similar to the continuing education requirements that electricians and residential building contractors have been taking for many years.

However, like electricians, plumbers who are renewing their licenses for the first time are NOT required to report CE.  This means that for the December 2014 renewal cycle, only those master and restricted master plumbers who obtained their license before December 31, 2012, will need to submit CE this year. Masters and restricted masters who first obtained their license after Dec. 31, 2012, will report CE for the first time with their 2016 renewal.  

 If you have questions about the education requirement, visit the plumbing CE web page or call (651) 284-5031.

Check septic tank lids to prevent giving tots and parents a real scare

With thousands of little ghosts and goblins running through yards across the country tonight, it's a good time to remember to check and maintain septic tank covers. Early this year a child in Arizona nearly drowned after falling through a corroded septic tank cover while she was out walking with her mother. The tot’s mom managed to get the child out and a nurse who lives nearby started CPR. The girl recovered.

MPCA SSTS staff - who to call

Detailed contact information for MPCA SSTS staff is available on the MPCA website. All MPCA staff can be reached at 651-296-6300 or toll-free at 1-800-657-3864. Past editions of the SSTS Bulletin are available on the MPCA website.