Dolores County commissioners send proposed septic regulation updates to state for review

The Dolores County Board of County Commissioners on March 2, 2026 authorized staff to submit the county's draft of Regulation 43, the state's on-site wastewater treatment (OWTS) rules, to the state for review and to schedule a public hearing for formal adoption. The action was taken during a transition to meet as the county's Board of Health and followed a staff presentation summarizing the state's recent update process.

The staff member leading the briefing said the state revises Regulation 43 about every four years and that the county's draft largely mirrors the state proposal. "Regulation 43 ... is the septic regulations on-site wastewater treatment systems," the staff member said, adding that the county is required to readopt the regulation but is not proposing substantive local changes. The staff member asked the board to allow county staff to send the draft to the state for review; if the state has no objections, the county will schedule a public hearing for formal adoption.

Commissioners also handled routine business at the meeting. They approved additions and deletions to the March 2 agenda, voted to approve submitted expenditures, and approved minutes for the Feb. 2, Feb. 9, Feb. 17 and Feb. 23, 2026 meetings. The board then recessed briefly to await the arrival of Commissioner Belinda (the transcript also records the name as "Melinda").

The county has not yet adopted Regulation 43; the board's authorization directed staff to transmit the county's draft to the state for review, with final adoption to follow after any state review and a public hearing. The staff member indicated no major local changes are expected from the draft but emphasized the state review step is required before formal adoption.

The meeting recessed while the board waited for Commissioner Belinda/Melinda to arrive, with further business to resume afterward.