Orange County NC Website
2 <br />3 <br />4 <br />5 <br />6 <br />7 <br />8 <br />9 <br />10 <br />11 <br />12 <br />13 <br />14 <br />15 <br />16 <br />17 <br />18 <br />19 <br />20 <br />21 <br />22 <br />23 <br />24 <br />25 <br />26 <br />27 <br />28 <br />29 <br />30 <br />31 <br />32 <br />33 <br />34 <br />35 <br />36 <br />37 <br />38 <br />39 <br />40 <br />41 <br />42 <br />43 <br />44 <br />45 <br />46 <br />47 <br />48 <br />49 <br />50 <br />The "Bad" (photo) <br />The "Ugly" (photo) <br />Operation and Maintenance <br />• Issues <br />• Out of sight out of mind <br />• That's not my system <br />• Who's responsible? <br />• Certified Operator <br />Drain Field- poorly maintained (photo) <br />Drain Field -well maintained (photo) <br />Best Planning Practices for Remote Systems <br />• Locate and use the best soils for drain fields <br />• Designate the appropriate type of remote fields for the type of development proposed <br />• Allow for dedicated all- weather access to the drain fields instead of easements <br />• Design for operation and maintenance <br />Commissioner Dorosin asked if the drain field could be used for any other purpose. <br />Alan Clapp said yes. He said the field in the picture is used as a community playing <br />field, used for playing Frisbee, dog walking, running, etc. He said this drain field is about fifteen <br />acres and is an asset to the community. <br />Commissioner Dorosin asked if anything could be built on top of the field. <br />Alan Clapp said no structures can be built on a drain field. <br />Commissioner Rich asked about the financial pros and cons of having an individual <br />septic system versus a community one. She asked if it is controlled by the HOA. <br />Alan Clapp said there are models where the home owner owns the house lot as well as <br />the septic lot. He said with an HOA it can be more expensive, and this is an area ripe for abuse <br />by an HOA. <br />Commissioner Dorosin said there could be smaller property lots, and the septic system <br />could be put in a community area. He said this could work well with a development for safe and <br />affordable housing. <br />Commissioner Rich asked if the maintenance is different depending on the system. <br />Allan Clapp said the maintenance from the health department would be same whether <br />the system is on site or off site. He said there is a maintenance difference with an offsite <br />system and an HOA has to hire an operator to go out yearly and check the system. He said an <br />on the lot system is checked every five years. <br />Commissioner Pelissier asked if there is any data that indicates which works best. <br />Allan Clapp said the HOA model seems to work best. <br />Commissioner Pelissier asked for clarification about the tri -party agreements. <br />Allan Clapp said a tri -party agreement is an agreement between the HOA, the Health <br />Department and the developer. He said these types of agreements have typically worked well. <br />Commissioner Dorosin said HOAs are already relied on to maintain open spaces. He <br />said our development model encourages HOAs. <br />Craig Benedict said sixteen years ago, the majority of subdivisions were conventional, <br />two acre lots with on site systems. He said through regulations the conservation cluster design <br />has been recommended. He said, over time, the trend has shifted towards smaller lots with <br />