04-22-1985 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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All the systems described above pertain only to the handling of toilet wastes and must be used in conjunction with a graywater treat- ment and disposal system, i.e. septic tank/drainfield, holding tank, or other method. Certain types of innovative drainfield systems may have applicability in Crystal Bay. The on -site ordinances allow the use of mounds, shallow trenches, and "fill" trenches as innovative alterna- tives to overcome problem soil and water conditions. The code does not address specific innovative methods to overcome lot area problems. The concept of a "shared" system, typically 2 to 4 houses with in- dividual septic tanks connected to a single drainfield located on one or more of the properties, has been recognized as a reasonable alter- native where small clusters of houses abut a suitable space for drain - field. In general, easements are required and covenants or regula- tions must be drawn up regarding the use and maintenance of such a system. It is likely that in Crystal Bay the shared system would, in some instances, result in destruction of traditional lot boundary barriers such as fences and in some cases trees in order to have any chance of success. There would have to be an unusual amount of cooperation between neighbors in order to accept the concept of "treating my neighbor's sewage in my back yard". If system failure was to occur, there might be difficulties in determining who caused the problem and who is responsible for repairs. Conceptually ignoring the lot lines, the areas with the most potential septic system problems in Crystal Bay do not necessarily have adjacent suitable areas f..;r drainfield due to existing well and house locations. Costs of a shared system would be proportionally similar to costs for individual syste*ns. It is likely that some economies of scale would be realized in installation of such a shared system, but higher design and legal costs would likely offset this. The innovative methods described in Option 3 each have physical and technical limitations and would require public acceptance of unusual or non-standard concepts. Further study beyond the scope of this report would be needed in order to fully detail the feasibility of these methods. OPTION 4. Installation of a collection system connected to a community drainfield. The community drainfield system, in which sewage from individual households is collected and transported to a nearby site for treatment and disposal through a soil treatment unit (or drainfield), is occa- sionally used for rural housing clusters or Lakeshore areas where municipal sewers do not exist, and where the housing density or on - site soil conditions would not allow the use of standard septic sy- stems. By definition, the community system has two parts - the col- lection system and the treatment/disposal system. The treatment/dis- posal system (or the actual drainfield) requires a parcel of land sized in proportion to the amount of waste water to be treated and disposed of and is based on the soil's capability to accept and treat the wastewater. The University of Minnesota Agricultural Extension Service and 11