Good afternoon.
The proposed regulations for onsite wastewater treatment systems (septic systems) have been released to be the public for review and the public comment period has been extended until 2/23/2009. (see : http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/septic_tanks/).
I have also included information below and an attachment.
The proposed regulations will have a devastating effect on property owners in the Sunland -Tujunga area due to the number of areas without mainline sewers and dependent upon septic systems. It will be particularly difficult for low income and retired citizens to comply with.
It will require groundwater testing and routine inspections (min. cost $650) every 5 years whether there is evidence of septic-related problems or not.
If the septic system requires retrofit or supplemental treatment systems, the average cost is $45,000.
Our local council district and Neighborhood council needs to get involved in this Public comment process. The impending regulations can cause ownership of a property that is not buildable, or a home that could needs thousands of dollars in retrofits. There is also a new point of sale requirement to transfer technical documents.
I have not seen much information on this requirement in the City of Los Angeles area as most of the articles have been in rural area newspapers, but the City has thousands of septic systems in place and many homes in Sunland and particularly Tujunga have no other options available.
I would urge our Council member Greuel , Council staff and Neighborhood Council members to review the following information and provide comment to the State Water Resources Control Board Division of Water Quality, Attn: Todd Thompson, P.E. , 1001 I St., 15th floor, P.O. 2231, Sacramento , CA 95812 or e-mail AB885@waterboards.ca.gov. (There are some sample letters online if AB 885 is searched).
See information below. FAQ's available on the STNC web site.
Thank you for your time.
What is AB 885 ?
New Proposed Water Quality and Septic Tank State Legislation--How does it impact you? The Red Bluff Daily News has a good article to help you make up your mind: Pete Stiglich-Dare I Say A foul smell is in the air over septic tanks - Red Bluff Daily News Online
What does it mean for the property owner?
Most rural homes' septic tanks are serviced once or twice in 20 years but if proposed state regulations gain approval, that wouldn't be enough.
No matter the size of the lot or amount of usage, a septic tank must be inspected every five years, and a test of the homestead's well water would be required just as frequently
The total estimated cost of $650 every five years is news to most of us, who are wondering how to incur these extra costs without losing our investment.
Most of us do feel the ocean and our communities' groundwater is important, too. We don't want to insure our cars and smog our cars, but we know we have to do it for the betterment of society. However, hundreds of thousands of California residents will face large unexpected expenses to renovate aging systems at a time when people are already struggling with what they can afford. In Shasta County alone, it is reported that 31,885 households (about 40 percent of the county's 78,137 homes) are affected
The regulations would require well tests and septic tank inspections every five years and more space between trench lines and groundwater for future or failing septic systems. In some rare cases, entirely new systems or retrofits may be required, costing as much as $45,000.
Because of the way the regulations (to protect groundwater) are written there would be more of an impact on rural counties in Northern California than the draft Environmental Impact Report the state has prepared on its proposal. Some of the groundwater here is very close to the surface. But that water is isolated from drinking water, which is usually tapped from water reservoirs deeper underground. The proposed state regulations don't differentiate between the two water levels, or whether one is impermeable to the other. The regulations would require 3 feet of soil between groundwater and the bottom of leach field trenches, rather than the 12-inch minimum acceptable now
But depending on how high a property's water table is, its owner may have no choice but to install advanced, pressurized systems that can be twice as expensive as a conventional gravity-flow installation costing $4,000 or $5,000, says Shasta County Environmental Health Division Manager Marci McEwen.
It is going to be more difficult for northern counties to comply with these regulations due to our water tables being perched so close to the surface
Real estate professionals, developers, and homeowner associations such as The Rancho Tehama Subdivision Homeowners Association in Tehama County fear that this is the beginning of the end of their paradise in the foothills of the Yollabolly RangeThey look at Los Osos on Morro Bay where, twenty years ago, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board forced the residents to form a Community Services District (CSD) to build a Central Sewage Treatment Plant to take the place of their current septic tank systems. Today, the $150 million plant, initially costing each home from $1,000 to $4,000 remains unfinished and is the focal point of a very public and heated opposition by some residents who have pledged to halt the project in favor of something new in a different location, but as yet undefined. Sewer fees for the project would be in excess of $200 per month alone. The Coastal Commission has imposed a building moratorium, neighbors no longer speak to each other and there are fines against the district in the amount of $6.6 million for water pollution resulting from septic tank discharge of more than 1 million gallons per day. During February 2006 the Regional Water Quality Control Board, a state agency, threatened it would begin to issue cease and desist orders to citizens of Los Osos. The CSD went bankrupt and the State turned the project over to County of San Luis Obispo for completion.
It has been noted that if owners gain a septic system installation permit while the county's current regulations apply, they won't need to adhere to the proposed regulations, which wouldn't take effect until July 2010 if adopted. However, permits are good for only one year, though they can be renewed for another year if installation has begun.
RESOURCES:
© 2008 Record Searchlight-- Kimberly Ross [E.W. Scripps Co.]
California Onsite Wastewater Association -- Fall 2005 Newsletter
California Environmental Health Bulletin – Spring 2004
HydroVisions – Fall 2007 –Groundwater Resources Association of California
State Water Resources Control Board -- November, 2008 Transmittal letter for PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE CALIFORNIA CODE OF REGULATIONS, TITLE 27, DIVISION 5. STATE WATER RESOURCES CONTROL BOARD, RULES GOVERNING ONSITE WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS; PROPOSED STATEWIDE WAIVER OF WASTE DISCHARGE REQUIREMENTS; AND DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT
contact: webmaster@stopAB885.org
Dee Dee (Rose Marie) Smith
Principal Clerk
Bureau of Engineering,
Public Counter
Valley District
No comments:
Post a Comment