Charlotte County adopts pump-and-haul sewage-disposal ordinance

The Charlotte County Board of Supervisors on Monday adopted a pump-and-haul sewage-disposal ordinance intended to allow property owners without viable on-site septic systems to use the county’s existing pump-and-haul license under a formal agreement with the county.

County Administrator Green told the board the ordinance was developed with the county attorney and the Department of Health and was modeled on approaches used in other Virginia localities to give landowners a legal option where septic systems will not work.

The ordinance establishes an agreement between the county and a landowner that requires regular monitoring, scheduled emptying and a financial assurance requirement that the county would evaluate on a case-by-case basis. Green said the county already uses pump-and-haul for three convenience centers and that the new ordinance would allow additional eligible properties to be added to the county’s program. “It would allow them to use the county’s existing pump and haul license, which was approved in 2007 by the Department of Health, and add them to it,” Green said.

Board members asked how the ordinance would be applied. A supervisor asked whether the ordinance required a $5,000 security and whether the requirement was a cash payment or a bond. Green and staff told the board the $5,000 figure was drawn from practices in other localities and could be satisfied by a letter of credit or cash escrow depending on circumstances; the county administrator’s office would determine the final mechanism. Staff also said the pump-and-haul option would not be available merely by choice; it would be used only when the Department of Health determined a conventional septic system was not feasible and after review by the zoning administrator.

The board voted by roll call to adopt the ordinance. In the roll call read on the record, Supervisor Jones, Vice Chair Bodo Smith, Supervisor Davis, Supervisor Shook, Supervisor Cowell, Supervisor Spawy and Chairman Bailey all voted aye. The motion carried unanimously.

The ordinance text and any implementing agreement provisions (for example, the escrow vs. letter-of-credit option and monitoring schedule) were not read into the record in full; the board adopted the ordinance “as presented.” The ordinance document in the meeting packet lists no ordinance number on the relevant page and no effective date was announced at the meeting.

The county will use the Department of Health approval process and a zoning review to determine property eligibility before enrolling additional properties under the county’s pump-and-haul program.

The board moved on to other business after the vote.