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Thurston County board adopts updated on‑site sewage management plan after broad public comment
Summary
After a public hearing with dozens of commenters, the Thurston County Board of Health approved the 2025 on‑site sewage (OSS) management plan, a framework staff said will guide phased implementation, monitoring and potential funding decisions to address septic system risks to water quality.
Thurston County’s Board of Health adopted an updated on‑site sewage (septic) management plan on Dec. 9, 2025, after a public hearing that drew residents, builders, septic professionals and tribal water managers.
The plan, presented by the county’s environmental division director, lays out six recommendation categories — septic‑to‑sewer planning, designation of sensitive and marine recovery areas, database and dashboard development, climate‑change planning, quality assurance, and county‑led septic programs — and is intended as a phased framework rather than an immediate set of new fees or regulations.
Staff said the draft has been open for public comment since mid‑September. Season Long, the environmental division director, told the board the county had emailed 134 certified septic professionals, posted repeatedly on social media and had…
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