Are On-Site Sewage Treatment and Disposal Systems Acceptable?
The state does not encourage the use of on-site sewage treatment and disposal systems when the use of public or investor-owned sewage systems is readily available. Both the statutes and the DOH rules require the use of public or investor-owned sewage systems in areas where they are readily available when the plumbing of a home or business is actually capable of being connected to these systems. Unless the system is authorized by the utility and is being used to dispose only gray-water, it must be connected to a public sewage system within one year from the date such a public system becomes available in the area. Gray-water and Black-water are defined as follows: • Gray-water is residential wastewater from the bathtub, shower, lavatory, laundry, and sink, except kitchen sink waste. • Black-water is that part of domestic sewage carried off by toilets, urinals, and kitchen drains.
