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MINUTES <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH <br />September 21, 2011 <br />Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Lisa Smith September 21, 2011 2 <br /> <br /> <br />III. Public Comment for Items NOT on Printed Agenda none <br /> <br />IV. Action Items (Consent) <br /> <br />A. Minutes approval of August 24, 2011 meeting <br /> <br />Motion to approve the consent agenda items was made by Steve Yuhasz, seconded by <br />Paul Chelminski, and carried without dissent. <br /> <br />VI. Reports and Discussion with Possible Action <br /> <br />A. FY 10-11 End of Year Report – Erin Langston gave an update on the financial report <br /> <br />B. Request from BOCC to Review Fees for Monitoring State Systems <br /> <br />In 1991, the Orange County Board of Health adopted revisions to the wastewater system rules <br />with changes deemed necessary to protect the health of the public (NCGS 130A-335). The state <br />rules (as well as our local rules) had been revised to require regular monitoring inspection of <br />certain health department permitted septic systems that require pumps, alternative technology, <br />or advanced pretreatment. In addition, the BOH included a requirement for regular monitoring of <br />state-permitted systems that treat the wastewater and discharge it to the ground surface, to a <br />ditch, or to a stream. These systems were viewed as a high priority for inclusion into the <br />program because: <br />• They received little to no oversight or review from the agency that permitted them, <br />• These systems require maintenance and replenishing of chlorine for proper disinfection, <br />• If not properly operated and maintained, they present a high risk of direct exposure to <br />untreated sewage, <br />• There is no requirement for an owner to hire an operator for the system, and <br />• History had shown a high degree of non-compliance and failures of these systems. <br /> <br />Orange County has approximately 160 of these state permitted systems that are included in the <br />Wastewater Treatment Management Program (WTMP). Some serve apartment buildings, <br />mobile home parks, churches, or businesses, but the vast majority of the systems serve single- <br />family homes and are inspected once every three years. Following each inspection, the system <br />owner is sent a report on the condition of their system and an invoice for $125 per inspection. <br />This same fee is charged to owners of health department permitted systems. <br /> <br />The State Division of Water Quality (DWQ) also bills the system owner $60 per year which is an <br />administrative fee for the re-permitting of the system. The permit must be renewed every 5 <br />years. In recent years, DWQ began an inspection program of their own whereby staff people <br />perform an on-site inspection of the system. This has caused system owners to question why <br />they get two inspections and a bill from both the State and the County. <br /> <br />The BOCC has been approached by the owner of a state system and the BOCC has requested <br />that the Board of Health review the health department inspection program with regard to <br />duplication and the associated fees and make a report/recommendation to the BOCC. Tom <br />Konsler presented five options for the Board of Health to consider: (1) Stop inspections, (2) <br />keep inspections, and drop the fees, (3) allow DWQ to do inspections and replace OCHD <br />inspections, (4) have a memorandum of agreement with DWQ, or (5) leave the program as is.