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Septic System Management Program <br />August 24, 1990 <br />Page 9 of 16 <br />The only way we can currently legitimately claim to be <br />"catching problems before they occur" is by relying on <br />the homeowner to read and heed the information flyer <br />that is mailed with the yearly billing, and by keeping <br />in close contact with pumpers as to actual conditions <br />of systems they encounter. However, 3 inspections in <br />12 years is not nearly often enough to preempt problems <br />in a given system. Annual or biennial inspections <br />might catch problems early, but once every 3-4 years is <br />doubtful. And, many times problems are not "catchable" <br />before they occur, but may be related to abruptly <br />changed water use habits, seasonal water table <br />conditions, or any number of other unknown and <br />uncontrollable variables. <br />Also, a full-time inspector who is constantly updating <br />the septic cards as pumping information arrives, will <br />see patterns occuring and investigate the problems <br />before they worsen. <br />Code Update is Needed <br />Orono's Septic Code was adopted in 1978, slightly pre-dating <br />the MPCA's adoption of recommended regulations for local sewage <br />treatment ordinances. Orono staff worked closely with University <br />and MPCA representatives to ensure that Orono's code would be <br />similar to the proposed MPCA regulations, which became known as <br />WPC-40. <br />Through the last 10 years, the MPCA, University Extension <br />Service staff, and the MPCA's Individual Sewage Treatment Systems <br />Advisory Committee, have worked to refine the codes and update <br />them on a regular basis. WPC-40 has been redesignated as <br />Minnesota Rules Chapter 7080, Individual Sewage Treatment Systems <br />Standards. <br />r::‘i