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Elbert County environmental health specialist urges septic awareness as lots are subdivided
Summary
Marissa Ginger, Elbert County environmental health specialist, briefed the planning commission on septic permitting, lot‑size rules and common problems when septic leach fields end up on subdivided parcels; she urged easements, soils tests and homeowner education to avoid costly failures.
Marissa Ginger, environmental health specialist with the Elbert County Department of Public Health and Environment, told the Elbert County Planning Commission that the county reviews on‑site wastewater systems designed for under 2,000 gallons per day and routinely reviews land‑use referrals for new food businesses and schools.
Ginger described routine permitting steps for new septic systems: a soils test (two 8‑ft test pits), a determination of whether an engineered design is required, installation by a licensed septic contractor and a county inspection before components are covered. "On‑site wastewater treatment systems under 2,000 gallons per day, that is what I oversee," she said.
She warned commissioners that subdivisions sometimes place a household’s leach field on a different parcel after sale. In those cases, Ginger said a common remedy is a recorded easement allowing continued use of the leach field until it fails and must be relocated back onto the parcel that owns it. "We just have them sign an easement agreement saying we allow the neighbor to keep it here and then if and when it does fail, it has to be moved back onto their property," she said.
Ginger reviewed the county’s lot‑size rules tied to septic and wells: Elbert County’s current standard, adopted in 2020, requires 10 acres for an individual well plus septic and 5 acres for a community well plus septic; staff said they are discussing whether some individual lot minimums could be reduced to 5 acres. She also explained the state rule of thumb used to size septic systems — 75 gallons per day per bedroom — and gave an example: a three‑bedroom house is estimated at 450 gallons per day.
The specialist emphasized recordkeeping and homeowner education. She said some county parcels lack historical files because older records were lost to fire or flood; in such cases the department may require a licensed inspection and an updated septic map to locate the system. Ginger described outreach efforts including a real‑estate seminar and a postcard mailing to homes on septic systems and urged real‑estate agents to disclose septic responsibilities to buyers.
Ginger fielded commissioners’ questions about modern, engineered systems versus traditional rock‑and‑pipe systems and cautioned that some engineered features increase homeowner maintenance (timed dose pumps, valve rotation). She also noted that certain household products with antibacterial agents can reduce beneficial bacteria in septic tanks.
The briefing closed with an invitation for the commission and the public to contact her office for septic maps and with a request that the county continue to include public‑health review on relevant land‑use referrals.
Next steps: Ginger said staff will continue to review referral applications and that any formal changes to minimum lot sizes would come back through the county’s planning and regulatory process.
