Household Sewage Disposal Systems
Every day Mahoning County's 15,000 household sewage disposal systems (HSDS) discharge over one million gallons of untreated or undertreated sewage into streams, ponds, and ditches, making home sewage the leading cause of nonpoint source water pollution of area watersheds. The Mahoning County Board of Health has spent the last year gathering input from the many stakeholders in the home sewage program on how to address this problem. This process culminated recently with the enactment of a series of changes to the Board of Health HSDS regulations that place a greater emphasis on prevention of water pollution from new and existing systems.
Foremost in these changes is a concerted effort to encourage homeowners to have their HSDS pumped and serviced at regular intervals. Regular maintenance of systems can help homeowners avoid costly repair and replacement costs for leaching tile fields, which can be destroyed by sewage solids when septic tanks become full. In a 1996 survey, the Board of Health found that many systems are not being pumped or serviced at recommended intervals (Figures 1 & 2).
With the help of an Ohio Environmental Education Fund grant, the Board of Health has created a database to track pumping and servicing of these systems and send reminders to homeowners when their next servicing is due. The grant will also be used to offer free pumpings to 100 homeowners chosen at random from among those who return postcards mailed to all HSDS owners in Mahoning County. Although requirements for development of new homelots and subdivisions remain unchanged, other changes to the HSDS regulations will help to insure that newly installed systems function as intended over their expected lifespan. When aerobic-type treatment systems are installed or replaced, the owners will choose between having a continuous service contract with a manufacturer's representative or undergo an annual inspection by the Board of Health. These mechanical systems, popular in the 1970's, account for much of the home sewage pollution in the County due to lack of maintenance over the years.
Perhaps the most important component of a household sewage disposal system is the leaching tile field, where treatment of the home sewage actually occurs. The soils in these fields are frequently disturbed during lot preparation. With these changes to the HSDS regulations, developers and contractors will erect temporary barriers around the proposed primary and replacement leaching tile fields to protect them during construction.
The timing of leaching tile field excavation is also extremely important. Excavation during wet weather can smear the walls of the leaching trenches and prevent sewage from percolating through the soil, forcing sewage to the surface of the ground. In another change to the regulations, Board of Health sanitarians will monitor excavations more closely and installers may be asked to suspend digging until soil conditions are more favorable.
Over the last few years the number of HSDS installers registered by the Board of Health has grown steadily. Many of these installers can benefit from interaction with their more experienced peers and Board of Health sanitarians familiar with successful sewage treatment technologies and installation practices. Beginning in 1998, installers will be required to attend at least one of the two-hour continuing education courses to be offered by the Board of Health during the previous year as a prerequisite for registration. At the same time, installers will need to meet bonding requirements or show proof that they have contractors' insurance in order to be registered.
The Board of Health currently does not inspect HSDS after installation unless a system is the subject of a nuisance complaint. Although routine inspections of all HSDS are impractical, the Board of Health does believe that the point of sale of a home serviced by a HSDS is an opportune moment to evaluate these systems. About one-third of homes serviced by HSDS are currently evaluated before sale at the request of mortgage lenders. In the new regulations, these evaluations will be extended to all homes before a sale takes place.
Finally, the Board of Health recognizes that heightened awareness about home sewage pollution will bring to light the need to repair or upgrade many existing systems. Many of these HSDS owners will be unable to pay for these repairs or upgrades without financial assistance. Last year the Board of Health was able to help 18 low-income homeowners in Smith, Milton, Goshen, and Berlin townships make needed improvements with Community Development Block Grant funds awarded by the Mahoning County Commissioners. In addition, by the end of this summer, we expect to have in place a linked deposit loan program in partnership with three local banks and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Through this program, similar to the successful Withrow linked deposit loan program for first-time homebuyers, homeowners would be able to apply for loans from participating banks at interest rates substantially below market rates for home equity loans.
Protecting our drinking and recreational waters from home sewage pollution is a goal that we can achieve only through partnerships with homeowners, developers, installers, local officials, and others who have a stake in improving environmental quality in Mahoning County's unsewered areas. The Board of Health believes that this new focus on prevention is a good place to start. Feel free to contact any of the home sewage program sanitarians at 788-7041 or 800-873-MCHD with your comments and suggestions as our prevention program develops.
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