Responding to the concerns of rural residents, the State Water Resources Control Board is expected to roll out a new approach to regulate septic tanks. It's very different from the one the Board originally proposed in 2008, which would have placed new, costly burdens on every owner of a septic system.
Assembly Bill 885 (Jackson) became law in 2000, requiring the Board to develop a septic standard to prevent wastewater from contaminating both underground and above ground water storage. The proposed regulations to implement this law required residents statewide to pay for an inspection fee of approximately $325 in order to receive a waiver exempting them from the new regulations.
The Board drafted its proposed regulations three years ago and held more than a dozen public workshops statewide. In response to public comment about the sweeping nature of the original proposal, the board directed staff to redraft the regulations.
The new, draft regulations are expected to be released this summer and it sounds as if the Board will take a more reasonable approach by focusing primarily on those septic tanks that are most likely to threaten water quality.
According to the Board, more than 95 percent of current septic tank owners are expected to experience little or no change in the manner in which their systems are regulated.
I am pleased to hear this news as these regulations have a direct impact on rural property owners throughout my district. In fact, when I was in the Assembly, I introduced a piece of legislation (Assembly Bill 268) that attempted to repeal the requirements of Assembly Bill 885.
For the most current information regarding the development of the new regulations, visit:
www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/owts/
No comments:
Post a Comment