ORDER NO. 18047 APPROVAL OF ADOPTION OF FEE SCHEDULE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AS RECOMMENDED BY AD HOC COMMITTEE, TO BE EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1st, 1988 On this the 8th day of August 1988, upon motion made by Commissioner Ray, seconded by Commissioner Baldwin, with Commissioners Ray, Lich and Baldwin and County Judge Edwards voting "AYE" and Commissioner Holland voting "NAY", said motion carrying by a majority vote, approving adoption of a proposed FEE SCHEDULE FOR ENVIRON- MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, as recommended by the AD HOC COMMITTEE, effective October 1st, 1988, listed as follows: Current Proposed Septic System Applications (new & rework) $100.00 $260.00 VA/FHA & Conventional Performed by $260.00 loan inspections for professional unlicensed septic engineers systems only. Additional ' Services Owner provided site plan and system design suitable for construc- tion Owner provided site plan, certification and license if system approved. Excavation work at h~ne- owners expense. If system not approved, system design for rework provided. License Renewal Pdot required $ 50.00 Notification letter, site (every 3 years) inspection, verify tank inspected and/or puaq~ed out. Issue license ~~ COMMISSIONERS' COURT MEETING AGENDA REQUEST •• PLEASE FURNISH ONE ORIGINAL AND SIX COPIES OF THIS REQUEST ANO ANV DOCUMENTS TO BE REVIEWED BY THE COURT, MADE BY: BILL RAY OFFICE: COUNTY COMMISSIONER - PREC. / 2 MEETING GATE: August 8, 1988 TIME PREFERRED: A.M. OR P,M. 5UBJECT: (PLEASE BE SPECIFIC) CONSIDERATION OF ON-SITE WASTE WATER AD HOC COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATI ESTIMATED LENGTH OF PRESENTATION: IF PERSONNEL MATTER: NAME OF EMPLOYEE NAME OF PERSON ADDRESSING THE COURT: THE TIME FOR SUBMITTING THIS REQUEST FOR COURT TO ASSURE THAT THE MATTER IS POSTED. IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 6252-17 IS AS FOLLOWS: • MEETINGS HElO ON SECOND MONDAY OF THE MONTH: 5:00 P, M, PREVIOUS WEDNESDAY • MEETINGS HELD ON OTHER DAYS: 5:00 P, M, FOUR WORK DAYS BEFORE MEETING DATE 1F-PREFERABLE, AGENOR~REQUESTS MAY BE MADE ON OFFICE STATIONERY NITH THE ABOYE~ 1NFORMA ATTACHED. THIS REQUEST RECEIVED BY THIS REQUEST RECEIVED ON: Ac MC. - D. M. ALl AGENDA REQUESTS WILL BE SCREENED BY THE COUNTY JUDGE'S OFFICE TO DETERMINE IF ADEQUATE INFORMATION HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR THE COURT'S FORMAL CONSIDERATION AND ACTION AT TIME OF COURT MEETINGS. YOUR COOPERATION MILL BE APPRECIATED AND CON- TRIBUTE IOWA&OS YOUR REQU.FST-BEING ADDRESSED AT THE EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY. ... August 4, 1 ~S3 Ta: Kerr County Commissioners Court from: the Ad Hac Committee to Study Onsite Waste~n~ater Disposal 'vJe would Like to thank Corrrmissior~ers Court far allowing us to participate. The purpose of our committee 4~ras to study from the citizen's t?ie4'~?taint, an site 4vaste~rrater systems, grid to offer our reCarrim eridatlanS to C~nirnissioners Court. Kerr County enjoys an e::celient reputaian as a very desirable place to ~?isit and to lure. The economy of Kerr County is almost totally de,,endenf upon tourism and the real estate industry. H Gig part of 4'iilat rnak:es l:err Launty desirable, is the Guadalupe ~i~?er and its tributaries. _iv:,n u,:atar far r-a0re~,tinn and fnr rirjr-~l,ing ig eccariti_1 to rn,r q~iality Of „f e. Qn a State vride average, Y.err County has dare ~,^ ell ~vith ii's v,laste ,,rater regulations. fur present Camrnissianer's Court is to 6e commended far funding Dr. Carlile's study. The present Court has tPte opportunity to address this important topic and to make decisions that t~~rill have historical importance to the future of t:err County. Tlie Court }its the apnartunity to protect one of our most valuable resources: clean trYater. The challenge that v,re face, is to accomplish this 5t an 5ffardabi2 price Our committee has discussed nurrreraus idzas and techniques and their impact on individual citizens, as ~vell a.s' the County at large. iJr-. .arlile's study sho~~ti~s that roost of cur sails are riot c~pabie ur treatiru3 pfflue;?t to acceptable" ~;,~at_ar quality star~da~ ds." Today ~rvC iia~,-~ ii-: technnoiogy to build good i~,~aste ~,~,~ater disposal systerrrs that actuaiiy treat the effluent instead of merely hiding it until ii shows up in our streams, wells, or neighbors' yards. 'vde recommend that new construction meet tiaalth standards and "+r~rater quality standards," as outlined in Dr. Carlile's report. Existing systems, by and large, v,~ere built, in gaud faittr, to canforrn to the existing rules. We do not believe that it ~rr~auld be fair or ecanornically feasible to require every systerri to be upgraded to meet "water quality standards." If a systern is creating a nuisance or a health __._ hazard, then it should be upgraded to meet new constructior+ standards. We have areas or high density housing in poor sails, that are creating ... ... Definite prohlerris. There is no easy ansv,~er to this. Plew construction standards should keep it frorn getting worse, and as systems fail, they v,~ill be upgraded. t~+e feel that cornmunity av+~areness corr-~bined with peoples' pride in their P~omes ar~d their ci~,ric responsibility may result in individuals deciding to do ',+oluntary upgrades fur the good of their neighborhood and to rnaintain their property values. Tf~~e Commissioners Lourt should certainty support theca efforts. Look for programs tf~iat vrould assist neighborhoods wt~~o want to help thernselves. Our citizens do not ~a~ant to be forca_d to cornply with impractical or unpopular solutions. 'v';lith proper av,~ar~ness, and ~ai~,~en enough time, people v,+ill generally ct;uU•.:e io do what is best for thernsel~ves. If this doesn't work, tiled additional steps can be considered in the future. ~ V./ V DRAFT' AD HOC COMMITTEE REPORT ON-SITE ?4ASTEWATER MANAOEN~NT IN Prepared for Kerr County Commissioner's Court 29 July, 1988 ~. ~..~ AD HOC CCN4~ff7TEE REPORT ON-SITE WASTE[~F1TER MlaNA(~1T IN KERB COUNTY The purpose of this committee is to provide constructive input to the Kerr County Commissioner's Court regarding the future direction of on-site wastewater management in Kerr county. Serving on the committee are representatives of community, businesses and citizens groups which have direct contact with the impact of on- site wastewater regulations. All committee members share a concern for the protection of our com- munity's ground and surface water resources as well as the protection of public health, and realize that continued growth in our unsewered rural areas utilizing on-site methods of waste disposal must proceed. using the best available technology to overcomre inherent site limitat- ions encountered in the Hill Country. The committee's recomrendations also reflect a strong desire to incor- porate management strategies which will keep the costs of developing on-site waste disposal systems to a miniimnnmm. Four meetings were held during the month of July to review and discuss -. Dr. B. L. Carlile's reports relative to the cturent status of real estate transactions involving V.A., F.H.A., and conventional loan certifications for septic systems. The following recommendations are now respectfully submitted for the Court's consideration: Chide to Soil Suitability for On-Site Wastewater Systems - Dr. B. L. Carlile, P.E., CPSS This technical report should be adopted and i~lemented as an operations arri procedures manual to be used with the "Soil Survey of Kerr aunty, Texas," in the selection of the most appropriate type of on-site tech- nology for each new and upgraded on-site system in Kerr County. The recommrs3ed property line effluent quality goal of: Biochemical Oxygen Demrand (BOD) 10 mg./1 7bta1 Suspended Solids (TSS) 15 X1./1 Ammonium Nitrogen ~ 2 ng./1 4bta1 Phosphorus 1 mg./1 Fecal Cbliform Bacteria 200 FC/100 ml. Pd Hoc Coirtnittee Page 2 Should be accepted as the water quality standard by which a "properly functioning septic system" should be treasured. The adoption of this report will allow the installation of less costly on-site systems in areas where a literal interpretation of the Tess Department of Health's Construction Standards ~.ould prohibit anything other than the costly evapotranspiration system. *i~nitoring of On-Site S}stems Pzsed upon scientific research, Dr. Carlile's technical report predicts that water quality standards can be achieved if wastewater is treated through at least 2 feet of aerobic, unsaturated soil material. In order to verify and/or test this theory, it is recomc~nded that a ironitoring program be i~lemented to measure the effectiveness of the reconQCC=~d~l technology to determine if materials such as caliche, limestone, marl, etc., offer the degree of treatirent necessary to protect groundwater in xerr County. The tronitoring program should b` instituted as soon as possible and should continue for a period of at least tkv years. At the end of the tcp }'ear period, data skx~uld be analyzed and the technical soils report up-graded or modified as necessary. Design Services Currently, on-site systems for soil resource groups C through E require the s.svices of a registered professional engineer. The fees associated with the design of low pressure dosing systems, evapotranspiration systems, reed-rock filters and other alternative type syst°z^s range from 5500.00 - 52,000.00 depending on the complexity of the system design and engineering ccmQany selected. The current staff has the e:cperience and credentials to design all of the systems recoma~nded in Dr. Carlile's report. Zt is recomrended that design services for single family dwellings be adde3 on a fee basis to the program in order to reduce the overall financial ircact on the horeocaner. Cor.~rcial and instit±:tio:31 s}~stem designs should L-e provided by professional engineers. Permit fees snould be adjusted to reflect the increase in services. Paal Estate Transactions/Septic System Ap-aroval A certification of aparoval for septic systems is required for rust real estate transactions by either the buyer or tiu lending institution. Standard certification forms require that a specific and detailed investi- gation of t}:e septic system be made to determine tl'st it can be eti~pected to function properly i+•ithout creating a public health nuisance. Pd Hoc Committee Page 3 ~~ On a national average, single family residences are sold every seven years. When certificates of approval for unlicensed septic systems are required, the services of a professional engineer are needed to deter- mine if the septic system "can be expected to function satisfactorily." The cost of certifying unlicensed systems ranges from $400.00 to $1,500.00. If the system is found to be in need of up-grading with an engineered system, the total cost to the individual for engineering services can be several thousand dollars. It is recoimended that the environmental health staff provide, for a fee, certification inspections to reduce the costs of real estate transactions imrolvir}g septic system certification. Program Staff Zt is anticipated that monitoring of on-site systems, system design services, and real estate transaction certificates can be provided with the addition of one full time employee to the program. An increase in permit ara3 certification fees should substantially off-set tY~ expense of additional staff. Licensing and Septic S}'stem Maintenance There has been much discussion regarding the need for septic system main- tenance to prolong system life. This committee has mire to the conclusion that a realistic approach to beginning airandatory maintenance program world be to re-license existing licensed systems every three years with a septic tank pungr-out require~t and general site inspection. The system should be re-licensed if it doesn't constitute a nuisance or public health hazard. 'I'nere are 3700 licensed septic systems in Kerr County. This would in- volve the r~icensizg of 1233 systems per year, a function that the envirommntal health staff could realistically accot~lish. In addition, it is advised that existing systems, having been certified for real estate transactions, be licensed and placed in the three year re-licensing program. This schedule should apply to systems which have been uu-graded as a result of system failure as well. Y:ater Conservation and Education The committee supaorts Dr. Carlile's recommpsidations that water conser- vation not only helps preserve the cuality of crater in Kerr County, but also helps conserve the suonly of water for future develov~resit. Pd Hoc Conmi ttee -- Page 4 The following strategies should be impler~nted to insure that water conservation measures are promoted in Ferr County. The design requirements for new septic systems can be reduced by a factor of 108 - 158 if appropriate water saving fixtures are installed with initial construction. This will offer a cost effective incentive to incorporate water conservation into new homes. Water conservation fixtures are highly recommended for up- graded failing systems and may be part of permit require- irents. Public education programs which stress the need for water conservation and septic system maintenance should be con- tinued throughout Kerr County. County Wide Operations and Maintenance Proqram The committee feels that this strategy for on-site wastewater manage- meet has definite merit and offers the best plan for insuring that ground water and public health concerns are addressed. However, this option requires careful plann;nq, the establishrent of specific and attainable program goals and above all, public support. We recommend that this option be further investigated. Ad Hoc Cca~mittee Page 5 Summary of Recommendations Priopt Dr. Carlile's soil suitability report. Place e~hasis on water quality as well as public health in wastewater management. Pcceptance of property line water quality goal of 10/15, 2:1, 200. Initiate a monitoring program. Up-grade ctu-rent program to include on-site design services and septic system certifications for single family residences. Increase program staff by one full-time employee. Raise fees co~nsurate with services provided. Provide mandatory septic tank maintenance by re-licensing systems every three years. - Prorrote water conservation in Kerr County by providing incentives for one-site system size reduction and low flow fixtures £or homes with failing systems. Continue educational programs to promote water conservation and septic tank maintenance in Kerr County. Study the feasibility of implementing a county-wide ocerations and main- tenance program in Kerr County. Upper Guadalupe RiverAuthority zts w. wa,er st. P.O. Box 1278 ~~ Kerrville, Texas 780237278 ,,,. ~... 512-8965445 1 August 1988 B. W. Bruns General Manager Carl Meek, Jr. Meek &~ Associates 4~i~ Water St. Ker-rvi l le, Texas 78Cr28 Re: Fee Schedule - Envircrr:rnental Health Pragrarn. Dear Mr. Meek: There ar•e three revisions to the currer:t fee schedule that tFte UGRR staff would advise if the Commissi~~ner•'s Co:_rrt of Kerr Cour:ty adapts tyre recornrnendations or-esented ir, the on- site wastewater ad hoc cemrnittee report. The propr_,sed-revisions ar•e based upon increased services provided and adrnir,istr•ative c~~sts. The pr•noosedree increases should off-set the expense of an additir,,r,a1 staff member. Pr. ~oased Fee Schedr_ile Add itianal Curr•=nt Pr_ ~.sed - ~---- Serv_i~es _ - Septic System ~lOr~.C1C/ S26il.uCr Owner• provided Applications site plan and (new R rework) system desion suitaole fr_,r constriction. VA/FHA & Conven- Perfnrrned $ 60. u0 Owner• provided tional loam by profess- site plan, ir,spectior:s for^ ianal er:gineers certification ur,licer:sed septic only. and license if systems. system approved. Ex- cavation work at homeowners expense. Ff system r,nt appr•eved, system design for rework provided. - Car• 1 , hleek, Jr. Fee Schedule Page e v ``..` Add i t i orra 1 C_~r^rent Prooo=ed Serv_ices License Renewal Not required. $SCr.00 Notification (every 3 years) letter, site inspection, verify tank inspected and/or pumped r_. r_~t. Issue license. These proposals represent UGRA staff recc~nvnendations and have riot been reviewed or approved btae the UGRA board of directors. Sincevely,~/~ / ~i `~ Lame Wolters, R. S. Director, Er~vironrner~tal Health Services LW/kk