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20 WTMP Expansion Proposal Board of Health Decision Summary November 19,1998 BACKGROUND The discussion paper that follows was presented to the. Board of Health at its regular ' meeting on November 19, 1998. After deliberation, the Board decided that it would forward the fallowing options for presentation to the Board of County Commissioners for its goal setting retreat in December 1998. The Board directed the staff to place emphasis on why the expansion is needed in Orange County. EXPANSION NEEDED TO 1. Protect and promote public health and preserve natural resources by; • Protecting watersheds and all other surface waters. + Protecting groundwater. • Lessening the chance of disease transmission from failing septic systems. 2. To lessees the financial impact of rep97ri*~g individual septic systems by: • Extending the average septic system life countywide. • Preserve all available repair strategies on individual sites. 3. Public sewer extensions into certain areas of the County will nit be a viable option in most instances in the future. Septic systems must then be viewed as a Perpetual utility; not a stopgap until sewer arrives. BOARD OF HEALTH DECISIONS FROM DISCUSSION PAPER 1. Entry into the Program: The Board chase ,option 3 (Water Quality Critical Areas) as the preferred starting point. The following reasons were cited: • This approach best effects the actions necessary to meet .the goals of protection, and promotion of public health for all citizens of the County and to preserve the natural resources by tackling older neighborhoods with higher rates of failures and also by starting with the water quality critical areas of the designated watersheds and expanding to coverage outward from the impoundments. Both rural and town dwellers benefit immediately from this approach and may realize cost savings over the long haul from. increased, average septic system life ar relatively lower water treatment costs. + The latest drag of the Water and Sewer Boundary Task Force agreement allows for sewer extension only in dire circumstances in many areas of the County. This approach maybe the best method for discovery of situations that are degrading but are still fixable so that public sewer extensions are not indicated. It also 'sets the stage for those systems going in, either new or replacement, to realize a maximum life span and provides better assurance that all repair strategies are kept intact. - • New and repaired system owner, while not set for re-inspection before 5-10 years form the date of installation approval, would still receive tailored educational materials at the time they begin to use their system.