Environmental Health programs realigned

We reorganized our On-Site Sewage and Drinking Water Program to:

• Group similar work.
• Cross-train staff for better depth of coverage.
• Improve customer coordination.

The program covers the lifecycle of a septic system including:

• On-site and water source design approval and installation.
• Operation and Maintenance.
• Report of System Status for home sales and compliance issues.

Questions?

Contact program supervisors:

Cindy Callahan, Operation and Maintenance and Drinking Water
(253) 376-4791
ccallahan@tpchd.org

Meghan Whidden, On-Site Sewage Permitting and Land Division
(253) 651-2404
mwhidden@tpchd.org

George Waun, Certified Professionals, Code Enforcement, and home sale Report of System Status
(253) 649-1818
gwaun@tpchd.org

It’s now easier to find what you’re looking for on our website.

Drinking Water

• Under My home find info about:
  • Individual Wells, Water Systems, Applications and Resources, and Saltwater Intrusion.
• Under For professionals find info about:
  • Wells, Rules and Regulations, and Well Start Notification.

Septic Systems

• Under My home find info about:
  • Property sales (RSS), Operation and Maintenance, and what to do in case of a Septic System Failure.
• Under For professionals find info about:
  • Regulations and Procedures: View local and state codes for On-Site Sewage, Drinking Water, and our procedures.
  • Applications and Forms: Access links to all our applications and guidance documents on how to apply. You can view subpages for Final Inspection Requests, Record Drawing Look-Up, and Stub-Out Requests.
  • Permitting Updates: Find tips to make the application process smoother.
  • Industry Notices: View all industry notices sent since 2020.
  • Technical Advisory Group: Review agendas and meeting notes from our technical advisory group.

Get answers to the most frequently asked questions online.

• Submit or check the status of your application at eco.tpchd.org. We process applications and resubmittals in the order we receive them.
• Find all forms, worksheets, and helpful guides on our website at Septic System and Individual Well Forms and Applications.

Free training on strategies to address onsite difficult sites

Attend a free, 2-day in-person training with an optional third day Train the Trainer course. 

When: May 13-15, 2025, 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.

Where: Pierce County Public Works and Utilities
Environment Services Building (East Room)  
9850 64th St. W
University Place, WA 98467

This advanced course is designed for onsite system professionals with a foundational understanding of onsite wastewater treatment systems, including soil evaluation, and system design.

Participants will learn to:

• Assess site limitations.
• Identify design challenges and develop viable solutions.
• Determine cost-effective options for site-specific constraints.

You will receive 6 Continuing Education Units from Washington On-Site Sewage Association after attending this course. Learn more and register.

Permitting updates

Sewage transport/Water line setbacks

Historically we’ve allowed the 10’ setback for transport line to water line to be reduced to 5’ without requiring a waiver. However, we were not consistently following the Pipeline Separation Design and Installation Reference Guide (a.k.a. the Orange book). 

We will now follow 246-272A WAC and Washington State Department of Health’s (DOH) guide: Granting Waivers from State On-Site Sewage System Regulations.

Septic design reviews will follow this order:

1. Meet the horizontal setbacks outlined in WAC horizontal setback table.
2. Meet requirements specified in the Pipeline Separation Design and Installation Reference Guide (Orange book).
3. If the requirements of the Orange book cannot be met, we will require a waiver application, fee, and approval for setback reduction.

Waiver options:

1. Submit a Class A waiver and meet the requirements outlined in DOH’s Granting Waivers from State On-Site Sewage System Regulations.
2. If Class A waiver mitigation cannot be met, submit a Cass C waiver as required.
3. Sometimes transport and water setbacks can’t be reduced (water mains) if the water company has it's own guidelines.

Final inspections:

At time of final inspection, the water line and the component that needs to meet the setback must remain exposed for inspection. This includes existing water lines installed that are not part of the current proposal. 

• You may use a water line located with electronic locator.
• You must paint the location on the ground.
• This must coordinate with Health Department staff reviewing the application.

Operation and Maintenance (O&M) updates

Certified professionals workshop on April 15

We’re excited to invite you to our O&M Certified Professionals meeting! Everyone in your organization is invited to join online or in-person:

Date: Tuesday April 15, 2025.

Time: 8 a.m.–12:30 p.m. (Doors open at 7:30 for check-in).

In-person location: Health Department Auditorium, 3629 S. D St., Tacoma. 

Let us know if you will attend in-person or online. Each person who plans to attend must register separately. Register today to expand your knowledge, make valuable connections, and earn CEU credits.

Questions? Contact Amy Pearl at apearl@tpchd.org or (253) 625-1362.

Spanaway Lake O&M implementation

Parts of Spanaway Lake Watershed began receiving septic operation and maintenance notification letters in February.

Opportunities for homeowners

Gravity system waiver–Reduced inspection frequency

Washington State Department of Health (DOH) granted us a waiver to decrease the inspection frequency for certain gravity and pump-to-gravity systems from 3 years to 5 years for those who qualify.

General qualifications:

• Gravity and pump-to-gravity septic systems not on waterfront property.
• Must be up-to-date on operation and maintenance inspection.
• No deficiencies noted on inspection.
• Owner occupied property.
• Complete our training class.

Look for more info in Summer 2025.

Homeowner self-inspection program  

We are researching the feasibility of a future homeowner self-inspection program. Look for more info in 2026. 

Pumping for RSSs

Environmental Health Code, Chapter 2 requires pumping of all septic and pump tanks for property sale inspections.

We do not require tank pumping if the solids levels (sludge and scum combined) are 1 inch or less. Please report solids levels as usual and add an explanation in the comment section describing why you didn’t pump the tank(s).

Subsurface drip systems and OnlineRME

Most septic records for subsurface drip systems in OnlineRME list the generic drip irrigation drainfield component. This generic component does not identify the field flow needed to evaluate if the system works properly.

Please change the generic drip irrigation to one of components below to document field flow when you enter an inspection report:

• Drip Irrigation (Continuous flush).
• Drip Irrigation (Automatic flush).
• Drip Irrigation (Manual flush).

Most systems will have continuous flush drainfields, and very few are manual flush systems.

Questions? Contact us at OMSeptic@tpchd.org.

Questions?

Visit tpchd.org/septic or contact us at ehsepticsystems@tpchd.org or (253) 649-1925.