ISDS 



A. Establishment of a General ISDS Maintenance Program 



If a general municipal septic system maintenance program is initiated, it should be 

 supported by adoption of municipal ordinances which, at a minimum, make the following 

 provisions: 



a) ISDS should be pumped every three years as recommended by the Rhode Island 

 Division of Planning (1979). 



b) Septic tank pumpers should be responsible for reporting to the office designated by 

 each town those septic tanks not able to be pumped, or requiring pumping more 

 than three times in one year. 



c) Any package plants located within town jurisdiction should be subject to specific 

 maintenance and inspection requirements to be coordinated with DEM. 



d) A sanitation officer or Environmental Officer designated by each town should be 

 responsible for reviewing ISDS permits issued by DEM. The designated officer 

 would have the responsibility of ensuring compliance with local requirements and 

 wimessing installation phases, in cooperation with DEM, to ensure compliance with 

 DEM and town requirements. The witnessing program, which has been utilized 

 successfully by Boards of Health in Massachusetts for more than a decade, allows 

 town officials to develop first-hand knowledge of the land capabilities in the area. 

 In addition, towns can assume responsibility for meeting their own water quality 

 objectives. Costs of the as-built wimessing program would be passed on to 

 applicants as fees. 



e) As an incentive to eliminate chronic ISDS malfunction and to protea future 

 homeowners, information pertaining to failed ISDS or violations of state ISDS 

 regulations should be recorded on property deeds until such time as they are 

 corrected. 



B. Establishment of Wastewater Management Districts 



A district- based approach allows towns to concentrate municipal effort in areas 

 where problems are most severe. 



Adopt a municipal ordinance setting out WWMD policy objectives and providing for town 

 authorities necessary to implement the Waste Water Management District. Although a 

 number of administrative and management options may be considered, an ordinance should 

 provide the town sufficient authority to: 



a) Provide for the passage of district officials and septage haulers onto private property 

 as necessary to accompUsh periodic inspection, maintenance, and correction of 

 ISDS systems so as to protect public healtii. 



b) Institute an as-built installation wimessing program as outlined in c) above. 



c) Raise funds sufficient to provide adequately for the administration and operation of 

 the district, and to allow the district to meet contractual obligations and service 

 requirements in a professional and timely manner. 



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