Hello and happy September from the King County On-Site Sewage System (OSS) Program! With the start of fall and back-to-school, we know it’s a busy time for everyone – it is for us, too. 

We’re entering the next phase of our code revision process, and we still want to hear from you! Using your feedback, we have developed proposed changes to local OSS codes (King County Board of Health Title 13 - On-site Sewage). The draft changes are now available on our website for you to review.  

There are multiple opportunities coming up for you to provide comments on the draft revised language, including a public comment survey, in-person meetings, and a virtual meeting. We will review and consider your feedback before making final changes and submitting these revisions to the King County Board of Health in November.  

Thank you to everyone who has engaged in this process. There’s still time to do so if you haven’t shared your feedback yet or if you have more to share. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to us! 

The draft language for the code revisions is now available on our website. As you will see, the OSS code revisions cover 5 main topic areas:  

• Land use & development 

• Design specifications 

• Repairs & remodeling 

• Certifications & oversight 

• Operations & maintenance 

We encourage you to visit our website and review the language to learn more!  

There are two in-person meeting opportunities and one virtual meeting opportunity this month. We encourage anyone interested to attend, and you can see below for more information. 

• In-person meeting in Snoqualmie: September 24th, 6 – 7:30pm. Snoqualmie Library. 

• Virtual Meeting: September 26th, 5 – 7pm. Please register to receive the Zoom link.

• In-person meeting in Maple Valley: October 3rd, 7 – 8:30pm. Tahoma Elementary School. 

We look forward to having you join us to share your input! 

What happens when we flush a toilet, or turn off a sink tap? For most of us, we don’t give much thought to it – out of sight, out of mind. But once we walk away, what goes down the drain begins a whole new journey through the wastewater system. 

Join us in learning about this journey by listening to our new environmental health podcast, Bridging the Gap. In our first three-episode miniseries, we unpack different elements of OSS. You’ll hear from experts with tips on how to prolong the lifespan of your system, and guidance on navigating septic failures. You’ll also hear about how the County is addressing structural issues. Read more, and listen to the episodes in our introductory blog post.