New O/M Program Underway
Over the past several decades residential septic system installation has evolved into a complex program for homeowners, installers, and inspectors. Due to an increased interest in how we treat our environment, failing septic systems have been identified as a major groundwater pollutant. The laws for installing a home septic system have become more stringent over the years, but one problem is just now being addressed through implementation of existing law. The concern is what happens to the septic system after it is installed? Does the homeowner know how to identify problems when their system is failing? If the homeowner does identify a problem, will they fix it?
In order to address these questions of uncertainty, the state of Ohio requires local health departments to implement a program within the sewage program called Operation and Maintenance (O & M). The homeowner is required to obtain an operational permit each year to operate their system. To determine if the system has been maintained and is operational, the local health department comes out to the house to do an inspection of the system. The frequency of the inspection and the permit fee is dependent upon the type of system. For discharging systems and systems with a motor such as aeration systems and mound, a yearly inspection is required and the 2010 operational permit fee is $55 per year. An option for homeowners with aeration systems is to hire a service provider (listed below) to do the inspections and maintenance, and the operational permit fee is then $5 a year. The 2010 perational permit fee for households with a leach bed system is $15 per year and the system is inspected every five years. For sub-surface sand filters and drywells, the 2010 operational permit fee is $35.00.
The state wants every system under this program: however, this would place a heavy burden on local health districts because it would be impossible to put every household under this program all at once due to the large number of systems in the county. Therefore, households will be slowly added to the program through new installations, upgrades, and mapping.
For any questions regarding the O/M Program, please contact Sophie O’Connor, SIT at 937-548-4196 ext. 208.
Registered Service Providers for Darke County:
Coate Concrete Products, Inc. 800-762-4066
Hanson Pipe & Products 937-492-9119
Kirkman’s Plumbing Inc. 937-548-1072
Larry Fourman Construction Inc. 937-548-5284
Stewart Aeration Service 888-778-1383
Page last updated: 1/21/2010