Annual Inspection Report - Sewage Systems
Just like going to the doctor for an annual physical, having a professional engineer inspect your sewage disposal system on a yearly basis is good preventative medicine.
The Indirect Discharge Program requires annual inspections of sewage disposal systems to make sure they perform properly. Regular inspections also save you money. Routine maintenance is cheaper than replacing a failed system. Regularly maintaining and repairing your system will keep it running for many years and can prevent catastrophic and expensive problems like a system failure.
What needs to be inspected?
Your indirect discharge permit lists the components of your wastewater system that need to be inspected. Contact your engineer to perform the annual inspection.
When should I get my system inspected?
• Inspections should be done in April (June for seasonal operations)
• Submit inspection reports by July 1st (Seasonal August 1st)
If the inspection reveals that repair and maintenance is necessary, we require that the necessary work be completed with follow-up notification to us (referred to as an Implementation Schedule in your permit)
- Implementation schedules are due by August 1st
Underground Injection Control
Did you know floor drains connected to your system may pose a threat to underground sources of drinking water? Floor drains receiving waste from maintenance garages and other high-risk activities that discharge to leachfields are prohibited by the Underground Injection Control Rules. If you have a floor drain in a maintenance garage connected to your indirect discharge system, please visit our website to see what you can do to achieve compliance!
Asset Management Program – Do You Have One?
What Is Asset Management?
Asset management helps you plan for the future by budgeting for upcoming and unexpected infrastructure costs. An asset management program includes:
• Taking Inventory – Collect information on valued assets (piping, pumps, treatment components)
• Assessing Current Conditions – Develop estimates for maintenance and replacement costs over next 20 years including original cost, estimated useful life, replacement cost and routine maintenance costs.
• Creating an Asset Maintenance Plan – Develop/Implement operation and maintenance schedules to reduce life cycle costs and track all maintenance of assets, develop repair, rehabilitate, and replacement schedules for assets to ensure high priority assets are not overlooked.
• Creating a Capital Improvement Plan – Conduct studies and develop budgets for potential future projects.
Resources and Materials:
• Low interest planning loans are available for developing fiscal sustainability plans (0% interest) using Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) funds. For municipalities and fire districts, there may also be opportunities for loan principal forgiveness of up to 50% up to $100,000. Contact Tom Brown at thomas.brown@vermont.gov for more information, and see this link for a “how to” guide and sample plan.
• This link is to EPA’s website on asset management