State Water Control Board adopts reporting requirement for septic systems connected to sewer

The State Water Control Board on March 27 adopted a final amendment to the sewage collection and treatment regulations that requires permitted sewage treatment works within the Chesapeake Bay watershed to report annually on the number of on-site sewage systems permanently taken offline and connected to sewer systems.

DEQ staff member Laura Galley, who presented the change, said the amendment implements Initiative 53 from the Chesapeake Bay TMDL Phase 3 watershed implementation plan and is intended to give a more accurate count of nutrient reductions from septic-to-sewer conversions. The amendment adds a new regulatory subsection that requires the first report on or before Feb. 1, 2027, and annual reporting thereafter “to the best of the permitted sewage treatment works’ knowledge,” Galley told the board.

Galley said the department received one public comment—supportive of the amendment—and that DEQ recommended no changes because the Virginia Department of Health has separate reporting authority for certain on-site systems. The board’s staff recommendation to adopt the regulation as final was moved and seconded and approved by voice vote.

Board members did not record a roll-call tally on the record; the chair stated the motion carried after an affirmative voice vote. The regulation will be codified in the sewage collection and treatment chapter as presented to the board.

DEQ said the new reporting obligation is limited to septic systems taken permanently offline and connected to sewage collection systems that convey to permitted treatment works. The department told the board it would provide implementation details with permit materials and guidance where needed.

The board moved on to additional rulemakings after adopting the septic-system reporting amendment.