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Environmental staff pause county on-site sewage ordinance while state standardizes rules
Summary
County environmental staff reported they will hold off on adopting a local on-site sewage ordinance because the state is standardizing a sample ordinance through the Technical Review Panel; staff said the state rule also reduced minimum septic tank and bed sizing compared with previous local recommendations.
Environmental staff told the board they are pausing work to adopt a Vigo County on-site sewage ordinance because the Indiana Technical Review Panel (TRP) has provided a sample ordinance and the state is moving to standardize county rules.
"We sent you all a copy of the on-site sewage ordinance that we had written," the environmental presenter said, and added that the state's sample ordinance had been circulated. The presenter said the state has standardized language and that only 17 counties had passed a locally written ordinance through TRP so far; the county decided to hold off rather than pursue a local ordinance that could later be returned for revision.
The presenter also explained changes in sizing under the state rule: whereas the county's prior recommendation called for a 1,000-gallon tank and approximately 1,000 square feet of bed, the state-minimum sizing reflected a 750-gallon tank and roughly 450 square feet of bed. Environmental staff said their permit recommendations will show both the state minimum and the local recommended standard so homeowners can choose.
The board's fee schedule for permits was noted as already approved by the commissioners; staff said they expected to complete restaurant permits and other program work soon. No vote on a local ordinance was taken; staff recommended waiting until state standardization is complete.
