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Board adopts updated on‑site wastewater regulations to match state standards
Summary
The Board of Health adopted updated on‑site wastewater treatment system regulations to align county rules with recent CDPHE changes; key technical update requires larger tanks when grinder pumps are used.
Pitkin County’s Board of Health voted to adopt updated on‑site wastewater treatment system (OWTS) regulations on Jan. 15, bringing local rules into alignment with recent Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) minimum standards.
Environmental health staff told the board the county had already opted into many optional state provisions in earlier versions and made only technical changes this cycle. One notable practical change is the required increase in septic tank capacity where a grinder pump serves bathrooms below the tank: staff said the state now requires that such tanks be 500 gallons larger (for example, a three‑bedroom home that would typically use a 1,000‑gallon tank would require a 1,500‑gallon tank when a grinder pump is installed).
Officials described permit‑form updates to capture grinder‑pump installations and clarified that the county had posted the regulations to contractors and designers and met the state’s 30‑day posting requirement. The county will codify the change with a resolution and the adopted regulations will take effect 45 days after adoption.
The board approved the regulations by voice vote with no dissent recorded in the meeting transcript.
