2014 SSTS Annual Report shows number of septic systems protecting human health, environment at 80 percent
The 2014 SSTS Annual Report is now available online. There were 236 local governmental units (LGUs) that submitted annual report information (see map above) about septic systems they regulate within their jurisdictions;
that’s 86 counties, 87 cities, 61 townships, and two other permitting
authorities.
A total of nearly 532,000 septic systems were reported
statewide. This represents 36.4 billion gallons of wastewater in 2014.
Estimates from data provided to the MPCA since 2002 show improvements in
rural wastewater treatment. Over the past 13 years, LGUs reported
more than 155,800 construction permits were issued statewide. Over
77,900 of these systems were replacement systems.
In other words, an estimated 29 percent of septic systems in the state are new or have been replaced since 2002.
The
number of estimated compliant systems has increased over the years, from
334,500 systems in 2007 to 424,000 systems in 2014; this represents 29
billion gallons of wastewater treated via compliant SSTS.
County weighs keeping point-of-sale SSTS compliance inspections
Two members of the Stearns County Commission are asking the Commission to remove from a county ordinance a requirement that homeowners have their septic system inspected, and brought into compliance with current standards if necessary, before the home can be sold.
The ordinance that has been in place the past 17 years requires a septic system compliance inspection
when a house is sold or transferred, unless the system is less than five
years old or has been inspected within the last three years.
The number of counties and other local governments that regulate septic systems has grown steadily over the years, says the MPCA's Aaron Jensen. Last
year, 59 of Minnesota's 87 counties required point-of-sale SSTS compliance inspections. In 2000, only 42 counties required them.
Requiring point-of-sale compliance inspections is one of several tools local programs have adopted in order to identify and correct septic system problems and increase the percentage of septic systems across the state that are protective of human health and groundwater (see SSTS Annual Report story above).
"Every year, we're getting a better handle on systems,
especially the older ones that were installed prior to a lot of the rules," Jensen says. "And
we're getting those updated." Last year, more than 12,800 septic systems were inspected
and certified statewide. That amounts to about 2 percent of
the systems in Minnesota.
A recent St. Cloud Times article about the proposed change includes these and other comments from Jensen, as well as from realtors and SSTS professionals who support keeping the Stearns County SSTS point-of-sale compliance rule in place.
Installers – update your surety bond, share pipe layer credentials with MPCA
The MPCA has sent notices to all
Minnesota-licensed SSTS Installers to help them comply with 2015 legislative changes to surety bond and pipe laying authorizations.
Under the new requirements, all licensed SSTS installation businesses must submit updated surety bond documentation to the MPCA by Dec. 31, 2015, to prevent their license from lapsing Jan. 1, 2016.
In addition, all Installer Designated Certified Individual Installers (DCIs) need to submit proof of completed pipe laying training to the MPCA by Dec. 31, 2015, to maintain their Installer DCI status beyond that date.
Installers without a plumbing contractor license
SSTS Installers who do not have a plumbing contractor license must submit this new SSTS Business License Surety Bond form that your bond agent can help you complete. This form will serve as proof you meet the new $25,000 coverage requirement (previously, the coverage requirement was $10,000).
Installers with a plumbing contractor license
Installers who are licensed plumbing contractors and have at least $25,000 of coverage under a plumbing contractor surety bond must submit to the MPCA a duplicate original of their plumbing contractor surety bond. A duplicate original bond form is identical to the original except without the original signatures, seals, etc. Your bond agent can help you obtain this form.
All SSTS license holders
All non-installer SSTS business license holders will need to submit new bond documentation to the MPCA by the end of 2016.
Proof of pipe laying training
Designated Certified Individual Installers must submit proof of pipe laying training to the MPCA to stay affiliated with the business.
Ongoing registrations going away
The good news is, after registering your new bond by the end of this year, you will not need to register a new bond every two years or register with the Department of Labor and Industry or pay a bond registration fee.
You only need to update your surety bond and demonstrate your pipe
laying credentials to the MPCA by the end of 2015. You only need to do this once, and you should
do it now to avoid a lapse in licensure.
Contact Jane Seaver at the MPCA
at 651-757-2711 or ssts-info.pca@state.mn.us
with questions about these legislative changes.
Installers: You have mail! Make sure we have your current email address
All SSTS Installers should be
checking their mail and email
in November for important information regarding the new tank fee
process, as well as the required form that will need to be filled out by
installers
and mailed back to the MPCA.Before the
end of the year you should reconcile your number of installed tanks with your
local units of government as you will need that information to complete the
required form.
If we do not have your email address on file you will
receive this information via the postal service.
If you have not previously notified us of
your email address, or if you have a new email address, please email our
licensing staff
so we can update our records.
Sewage tank list updated
In October, the list of sewage tanks registered with MPCA for use in Minnesota was updated with a few additional tanks. There are now 39 tank manufacturers and more than 1,000 tanks on the
list.
Third quarter SSTS enforcement cases number three; penalties total $3,350
During the period of July- September 2015, the MPCA completed 29
enforcement cases in 20 counties. Three of the 29 cases (10 percent) were
SSTS-related cases. The responsible parties were located in Lanesboro, Leroy
and Tracy, Minnesota. All three were issued administrative penalty orders. Financial penalties for the three SSTS cases totaled $3,350.
More information on the enforcement actions can be found on the MPCA
website.
To renew, or not to renew...
That is the question regarding several SSTS proprietary
treatment and distribution media products up for renewal in 2016. The renewal process begins this month and the MPCA welcomes feedback on any of the products listed below. If you would like to share some, please contact Aaron Jensen, MPCA St. Paul.
SSTS Advisory Committee, Technical Advisory Panel looking to fill open spots
The SSTS Advisory
Committee is looking to fill 10 specific roles on the
committee. The committee has 21 voting members and several non-voting members.
The committee meets four times per year – either in person or remotely via
WebEx. The committee advises the MPCA on a wide variety of SSTS issues. The meeting
time is generally from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The SSTS Technical
Advisory Panel (TAP) is looking to fill two openings on the
committee.TAP was formed as an adjunct
committee to the SSTS Advisory Committee. Its purpose is to provide technical
support and recommendations to the MPCA on the product registration process for
treatment and distribution products used in septic systems.The committee generally meets every other
month from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
If you are interested
in filling one of these positions, please contact Aaron Jensen
for an application.
Advisory Committee
Vacancies:
1 elected official
1 municipal building inspector
1 county staff person from NW Minnesota
1 Professional from NC Minnesota
1 Professional from NE Minnesota
1 Professional from NW Minnesota
1 Professional from SE Minnesota
1 Professional from SW Minnesota
1 Association of Home Hnspector representative
(non-voting)
1 Small Business Administration representative
(non-voting)
Circle of blue article spotlights spreading septic threat across U.S.
Jacob Stachnik,
a worker at Concrete Service in Traverse City, Michigan, stands on a
stack of septic tanks. Water pollution and diseases linked to septic
system failures are becoming more problematic in the United States.
As the SSTS Annual Report shows, Minnesota is slowly but surely reducing the number of septic systems in the state that pose a threat to human health and/or groundwater. However, an online article from circle of blue, an organization founded by journalists and scientists, reports this trend is not necessarily consistent across the country.
"Problems come from all directions. Hormones and pharmaceutical
compounds, for instance, were found in the groundwater near septic
systems on Fire Island, New York, and in New England, according to a January 2015 study from U.S. Geological Survey researchers.
Researchers with the Baylor College of Medicine are discovering a
resurgence of parasitic diseases in rural Alabama because of poor
sanitation and septic system failure. They will present their findings
at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene annual
conference, from October 25 to 29.
In Ohio, the state health department estimates that nearly one out of every three septic systems is failing.
Just how dangerous faulty septic systems can become was illustrated
eight years ago at the Log Den, a steak-and-seafood restaurant on
Wisconsin’s pastoral Door Peninsula. On June 1, 2007, three weeks after
it opened, the Log Den unexpectedly closed. Two hundred eleven patrons
and 18 staff members fell ill with norovirus, a stomach ailment that
causes vomiting and diarrhea. The viral outbreak, in which six people
required hospital treatment, was not due to the restaurant’s food. It
was the water. Though properly permitted, the restaurant’s septic system failed. Toilet
wastes leaked into the ground, coursed through fissures in the soil and
rock, and reached the limestone aquifer that supplied the restaurant’s
water well. The foul waste mixed with fresh water used for drinking,
ice-making, and lettuce-washing. The Log Den, in an inadvertent error
unknown to its owner, had poisoned its own well...
... For septic to work as designed, a chain of event needs to take place,
explained Craig Mains of the National Environmental Services Center.
The tank must be well designed. The drain field must be rigorously
evaluated. Sandy or limestone soils that are too porous allow the waste
to percolate too quickly into the water table, without time for microbes
to convert it into beneficial organic matter. Soils that are too
compact, like clay, cause the waste to flow into rivers and streams.
The drain field must also be located far enough away from waterbodies
that the soil microbes have time to digest. Too much density is also
bad for septic as it overwhelms the treatment capacity of the soil or
raises the water table too high. Peter Groffman, a microbial ecologist
at the Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies, reckoned the ideal density,
depending on soil and climate conditions, is one home or less per acre.
On Fire Island, where U.S. Geological Survey researchers studied
pharmaceuticals flowing from septic drains, the density is five homes
per acre.
'If the systems are correctly designed and installed, if the site is
properly evaluated, and if they are maintained, then they are pretty
effective,' Mains said. 'But they are as good as the weakest link in the
chain. Often the weakest link is the homeowner.'”
The article goes on to describe other issues as well and what is needed for the nation to adequately address problems posed by a lack of investment in septic treatment infrastructure, both in rural septic systems as well as municipal wastewater treatment facilities. (Thanks to former MPCA employee Gretchen Sabel for finding and forwarding this thought-provoking article.)
Calendar
SSTS
Implementation and Enforcement Taskforce Meeting; Dec. 9, 2015; Michaels Restaurant, St. Cloud.
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.