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10 <br /> Daniel B. Reimer, MPH, Director <br /> °� <br /> ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DIVISION c°°rir Betty Borland Ron Holdway, RS <br /> P.O. Box 8181 -306-C Revere Road a° , ' Jim Brown, RS Jan Jackson, RS <br /> Hillsborough, NC 27278 u sz Perry Bums, RS Tom Konsler, RS <br /> FAX#919-644-3006 �: Greg Grimes, RS Barbara Patterson <br /> David Hecht, RS Alan Clapp, RS, LSS <br /> Ron Hedrick, RS Wendy Thigpen, RSI <br /> Hillsborough Chapel Hill Mebane Durham <br /> 919-732-8181 x2360 919-968-4501 x2360 910-227-2031 x2360 919-688-7333 x2360 <br /> i <br /> 1 <br /> MEMORANDUM <br /> To: Margaret Brown <br /> From: Tom Konsler %/C <br /> I <br /> Date: September 2, 1997 <br /> Re: On-site Septic Systems in the Brookfield Drive Area <br /> Cc: Paul Thames <br /> Ron Holdway <br /> I hope to provide a little background on the Brookfield Drive are with regard to the proposed extension of <br /> sewer service to the area. I would estimate that most of the houses in that area were built in the 1960's when <br /> the criteria for installing a septic system were minimal. At that time, the"perc"test was used to determine <br /> suitability of a lot. Depending on the time of year and soil wetness conditions,the perc test was variable and <br /> could result in septic approval in soil that would not meet the criteria other times of the year. As a result, <br /> many sites were approved for installation of septic systems in very poorly drained soils that do not properly <br /> function during the wetter winter months. <br /> Some of the sites in this area were so bad that even the perc test would not allow system installation. At least <br /> four of the homes use sand filter systems which discharge partially treated sewage effluent to ditches and <br />' drainageways. Some of the older sand filter systems do not have disinfection or chlorination components on <br /> them. Others that have had chlorinators added,are not maintained properly and the effluent does not receive <br /> disinfection before it is discharged to the ditch. These types of systems are currently under the jurisdiction of <br /> the Division of Water Quality(DWQ) at the State/Regional level. The DWQ has recently issued one Notice <br /> of Violation for illegal discharge from an unpermitted sandfilter, and has put two others under notice to <br /> obtain a permit for the systems to be upgraded and/or permitted. If you would like to see the paperwork on <br /> these, I can provide copies of that documentation. <br /> Very few, if any of the lots in the development would be approvable for on-site systems by today's <br /> standards. As these existing systems fail,they do not have an on-site repair option that could be expected to <br /> function properly. The only repair options would be off site. Either connection to a sewer collection system <br /> or to request permits from DWQ for the installation of more discharging systems to replace the failing septic <br />