WHY SESMAU
DECENTRALIZED UTILITIES
Working With Local Governments To Provide Excellent Service To You
Understanding the local government perspective on decentralized utilities is paramount. Developers and Utility Companies need to work with local government to ensure the system can be installed, operated and maintained for the life of the system. Using SCC guidance, budgets and user rates are set to allow for routine maintenance and reporting, regular replacement of worn equipment and a reserve fund for large component replacement. Operations and maintenance requirements are usually dictated by the designer and are negotiated with the local and state health department staff based on the type and size of the system. The operations and maintenance requirements in the sewage regulations vary by system size, design parameters and geographic location.
INNOVATIVE Solutions
Why SESMAU?
The Virginia Department of Health recognizes the benefits decentralized systems compared to individual onsite sewage systems. Some of the benefits are listed below:
System Designs
System designs are based on lower flows as wastewater generation tends to average out when a larger number of houses are connected as opposed to designing on the number of bedrooms in an individual house.
Blended Wastewater
Blended wastewater from many different houses is easier to consistently treat than wastewater generated from individual systems serving individual houses.
Strict Standards
VDH finds it very difficult to accurately measure and enforce treatment levels on individual homeowners but can hold communal system owners to strict standards with renewable permits.
NEW REGULATIONS
New VDH regulations only allow communal systems to be owned and operated by a single owner. Earlier versions of communal system allowed septic tank treatment or alternative treatment units to be owned and operated by the individual homeowner then pump to a common dispersal area. Now, any on lot treatment components, all sewer collection lines, pump stations, treatment units and dispersal fields must be owned by a single owner.
Communal Systems
New VDH regulations only allow communal systems to be owned and operated by a single owner. Earlier versions of communal system allowed septic tank treatment or alternative treatment units to be owned and operated by the individual homeowner then pump to a common dispersal area. Now, any on lot treatment components, all sewer collection lines, pump stations, treatment units and dispersal fields must be owned by a single owner.
Understanding the local government perspective on decentralized utilities is paramount. Developers and Utility Companies need to work with local government to ensure the system can be installed, operated and maintained for the life of the system. Using SCC guidance, budgets and user rates are set to allow for routine maintenance and reporting, regular replacement of worn equipment and a reserve fund for large component replacement. Operations and maintenance requirements are usually dictated by the designer and are negotiated with the local and state health department staff based on the type and size of the system. The operations and maintenance requirements in the sewage regulations vary by system size, design parameters and geographic location.
Fauquier, Loudoun, Orange, Greene, Franklin and Caroline County all use communal systems as part of their regular wastewater infrastructure, In 2005, the USEPA recognized communal systems as a permanent part of the water and wastewater infrastructure. The area served by communal systems is usually small with all collection, treatment and dispersal located within the bounds of the development. Communal systems are cheaper to operate as the overwhelming majority of a public sewer system’s costs are related to moving water and wastewater from place to place.
Based in Virginia and with over 30 years of experience working with local and state governments SESMAU is uniquely qualified to engineer design, develop and maintain your community system.