PD 16 Regional Onsite Sewage Systems Study

1. PD 16 Regional Onsite Sewage Systems Study Conservation Concepts, LLC Regional Decision Systems, LLC

2. Background • GWRC-sponsored technical assistance funding proposal to National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to support local governments’ response to Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay TMDL WIP III program • Later, DEQ grant awarded to GWRC to develop regional WIP III BMP input deck, including septic data review • Agreement to focus NFWF-funded staff support on regional onsite sewage (septic) sector BMP data and issues.

3. Project Objectives: Locate & evaluate reported 2017 septic pump-outs Identify areas of potential environmental risk from deferred septic maintenance, and some physical and socio-economic conditions that may contribute to deferred maintenance behavior and/or system failure. Review, evaluate and update regional septic data for Chesapeake Bay TMDL WIP III process Work with VDH-RAHD to enhance capacity to manage septic permits & systems inventory

4. Project Information Sources: • VDH-RAHD: Inventory of all issued septic permits in PD 16 (53,689records) • VDH: Alternative Septic System Maintenance Records (9,608 records) • Local Governments: • Master 911 address lists & point files of all primary building structures (136,573 records) • Public sewer customer list (78,289 records) • Tax parcel polygon files (167,532 records) • Resident Pump-out History Database (except Spotsylvania) (17,726 records) • Environmental data layers (e.g. floodplains, wetlands, RPAs) • Virginia DEQ: Inventory and Spatial Layer of Bacteria-Impaired Stream Segments • Licensed On-Site Septic System Operators: Survey Responses (6 of 25 firms contacted) • Census Bureau’s 2012-2016 ACS 5-year estimates for Block Group Areas

5. Locating Properties on Conventional Septic: Master 911 Address Point File (-)All properties on public or private sewer = ============================================== Addresses with On-Site Sewage Treatment (AOSS or COSS) (-)All properties in VDH AOSS maintenance database = =============================================== Addresses of properties presumed to be Conventional Septic

6. Septic Permitting Trends: 2000-2017 2000 – 2017: 23,065 septic permits issued in PD 16. “….region has the highest density & growth rate of septic systems in Virginia.” Brent McCord Regional Environmental Manager VDH-RAHD

7. PD 16 Sewage Management, 2018

8. Objective 1: Evaluating Chesapeake Bay TMDL BMP Input Data

9. Septic Pump-out BMP Data: 2017 CB TMDL Model 2017 Mid-Point Estimate: 2,921 below CBLAD annual reports, 3,895 below project estimates

10. Projected Septic Data: 2025 CB TMDL Model 2025 Target Projection: WIP II projections had virtually NO consideration of additional growth of population, households & septic systems

11. Alternative Septic System Data: 2025 CB TMDL Model: WIP III projections of alternative systems under-forecast 600+ added systems.

12. Objective 2: Evaluating Septic Pump-Out & Reporting Compliance

13. Conventional Septic Pump-out Compliance: 2017 * 5-year pump-out requirement limited to 242 properties in designated CBPA. ** County-reported without supporting documentation.

14. Objective 3:Evaluation of Environmental Risk from Septic Properties Which Fail to Report: a) Septic Inspection, b) Pump-Out or c) Installation of Plastic Effluent Filter

15. Environmental Risk Assessment Factors Considered: • Structural Factors: • Age of System • Size of Bldg. • No. of Bathrooms • Assessed Improved Value • Environmental Factors: • Poor Infiltrative Soils • (C & D) • Distance to RPA • Distance to Wetlands • Distance to Bacteria-Impaired Streams • Socio-Economic Factors: • Median HH Income • Pct. Of Families Below Poverty Level • No. HHlds. Receiving Public Assistance • Education Attainment • (% without high school diploma) Main Focus

16. Conventional Septic Properties: Environmental Factors N/A = (1) Data not provided, (2) not available in time for inclusion or (3) no analysis performed

17. Bacterial-Impaired Streams in PD 16

18. Conventional Septic Systems: Proximity to Bacteria-Impaired Stream Segments

19. 100% of surveyed OSS contractors report some level of septic system failure across the region, ranging from 2 – 10+ percentof all systems.

20. Licensed OSS Operator Perspectives • Principal Causes of Septic System Failure: • #1: Property owners’ indifference to provide adequate septic system maintenance (e.g. inspections, pump-outs, etc.) • #2: Poor soil conditions for the septic drain field location • #3 Property owners’ ability to afford proper system maintenance • (e.g. inspections, pump-outs, etc.) • #3 Uninformed property owners’ abuse of system through indifferent, improper disposal of chemicals and other system pollutants. • #3 Faulty system design or installation

21. Ranked Strategies to Improve Septic Pump-out Compliance 1. Consistent local government enforcement of civil penalties for violation of local CBPA ordinance. 2. Establish and implement public assistance program for low-income households to provide cost-share for required on-site wastewater system maintenance. 3. Implementation of local public awareness and education campaign about CB and local water quality and importance of proper onsite wastewater (septic) system maintenance. 3. Improved coordination between VDH and local governments of septic system management program. 3. Require all licensed onsite wastewater service contractors to file reports of all completed work.

22. “…the highest density and growth rate of septic systems in VA” • 53% regional voluntary septic pump-out reporting compliance rate • 330+ miles of bacteria-impaired streams • Potentially thousands of failing or marginally-operating septic systems Existing Virginia Residential Septic Cost-Share Programs

23. Objective 4:Enhance VDH Capacity to Manage Septic Permit & Systems Inventory

24. A Vision of State & Local Collaborative Septic Permitting / Maintenance Monitoring System 1. Permit Applicant Creates or Revises Septic orBldg. Permit Application 3. Local Govt. Consideration of Building Permit Application & Verification of Septic Permit 2. VDH review of COSS or AOSS permit application & permit approval 4. Bldg. Permit Approval & Assign Perm. Address or Issue Demolition Permit or Enter Tax Map # Change Central On-line VDH Septic Registry 7. OSS Contractor enters maintenance record by date and address 6. Property Owner Hires OSS Contractor 5. System Generates Septic Maintenance Notification to Property Owners

25. Key Study Recommendations: • Convene a regional discussion between RRBC, VDH-RAHD, GWRC, the Tri-County/City SWCD and the Hanover- Caroline SWCD, Central Virginia Housing Coalition (CVHC), Rappahannock Area Agency on Aging (RAAA), local governments & licensed OSS contractors to discuss: • Regional pursuit of septic assistance cost-share program (like Culpeper SWCD), • The best lead agency to coordinate pursuit & administration of possible WQIF and local TMDL cost-share funding, and • Coordination & communication strategies with partner agencies, local governments and OSS operators to achieve a more effective regional septic maintenance program.

26. Develop a pilot regional program that would help local governments and VDH better coordinate their respective efforts to monitor and maintain septic systems in the GWRC region. Program components could/should include: • a. A more robust marketing / public education campaign to educate local residents in the importance of proper use and periodic maintenance of their respective septic systems, • b. Strategies for both local governments and VDH to better track the maintenance of conventional and alternative septic systems, and • c. Positioning the Region to successfully pursue WQIF and local TMDL septic system cost-share financing assistance to help property owners, particularly lower-income homeowners, in maintaining their respective private onsite conventional and/or alternative septic systems.

27. Questions? Contact Information: Kevin F. Byrnes, AICP President/CEO Regional Decision Systems, L.L.C. (804) 270-1454 kfbyrnes@verizon.net Doug Pickford President/CEO Conservation Concepts, L.L.C. (571) 239-9621 doug@conservationconceptsllc.com