02-22-1988 - Agenda Packet City Council - regular meeting

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To summarize, - sliance on a change in habits or attitudes toward septic systems would indeed require some major educational efforts by the City, and the history of private system maintenance i:;dicates efforts to date have not been completely successful. Each family is different in their water use habits and a push for major changes in usage patterns would likely be met with conscious and unconscious resistance. Water saving fixtures could be retrofitted into each house at a cost ranging from $750-3,000 per house. These potentially would reduce the daily flow rate by up to 40% but would still require the use of septic systems. OPTION 2. Repair or replacement of _existing individual systems. For the most part, existing septic systems in the Stubbs Bay area are quite substandard. As discussed in the inventory review, the existing tanks generally are of block construction, not sealed off from groundwater 2luctuat'_ons. Where a two tank system exists, when both tanks are in relatively good condition, baff les intact and of 600 gallons each or greater, in a fairly shallow location where groundwater would have a minimal effect on their functioning, existing tanks might be considered as suitable for continued use should system repair or reconstruction be contempletec: New precast concrete sealed tanks could be places' in approximately the same location as existing tanks. But, where an existing drainfield is failing and needs to be replaced, it is not generally feasible to tear up the existing drainfield and re- use the same site unless the existing drainfield aken out of commission for a period of time and allowed to tc ' y dry out. Then, it is conceivable that the old trenches could be re - excavated to a width and depth just greater than the old system, i.e. removing the trench wall areas tha become reduced in absorption capacity due to the biomat. This would only be considered if the existing drainfield site is the only possible site, and if soil and water conditions are suitable for a drainfield system. As described in the system inventory, many existing systems could not be replaced within the confines of the minimum code standards.