I don't understand the 400 gallon per day maximum. That's 12,000 gallons per month. I'm on the board of a rural water district with nearly 550 users. Of those, fewer than 15 would average over 12,000 gallons per month. Most of those are supplying drinking water to livestock.
Septic systems are sized to meet specified design flows. In Massachusetts, the required design flow is 110 gallons per day per bedroom, with the minimum size being 3 bedrooms. A 4 bedroom house would have a design flow of 440 gpd, 5 bedroom 550 gpd, etc.
So 400 gpd is pretty typical for a residence. I think these flows are intended to be approximate twice the actual average flow to account for peak flows.
I once had a 3 bedroom (330 gpd) system that failed, and while investigating the failure, we checked the water bill and found the homeowner was using over 900 gpd (in the winter, so no irrigation flows). A plumber checked the toilets, and found that all three toilets were leaking and that accounted for the 600 gpd difference.
Oh, I get it. There are standards. I'm just pointing out that the standards may be too high based on real world consumption. The intent of the standards is to punish people into spending far too much based on 'potential' usage that 'could' occur by different occupants. So, I guess everyone needs to install 800 amp electrical services into their homes based on a potential for 20 different circuits each pulling 40 amps all at the same time. Ignoring the actual usage pattern punishes the very people who conserve resources.
BTW, there are very few individual homes today that require four and five bedrooms to be occupied daily. I'm not saying the situation does not exist. I'm just saying that overbuilding is too common.
I'm seriously surprised that they would give the owner grief over a sink and few gallons of gray water in a shop. While I built my shop 'dry', I did put in a drain and sediment catch basin and just plumbed it into a perforated plastic barrel buried 10' down in the gravel. Drain field size is usually the issue with septic system ratings around here as they are the first thing to usually fail. DEC requires a soil engineer to do a perk test and locate the water table for adequate separation for system to be approved, not that they actually 'approve' anything anymore, more like just collect your money.
I did find a grey water exception but you still have to test the soil and build a system that could handle sewage. Instead of a residence, you use a work camp (without toilet) model and estimate 35 GPD. Warehouses are the same (with out toilet) 35 GPD.
No one likes being told they can't do something (they've already gone done and did and are doing right now). For any disposal except perhaps a sealed tank, testing must ensue. Storm water with as much detergent in it as sink water can roll through the storm drains without any complaint. I reckon, though, that the average guy can't be trusted to only put a few gallons of soapy water down a sink into a dry well. When you manage storm water on-site, you just build a dry well with geo-textile fabric and stone and more fabric and dirt and grass. Water under pressure, though, must be viewed as potential sewage.
My barber told me about a house renovation down the road from him that found the on-lot system failing. $45,000 to bring that house system into compliance. I would hope that includes electric service as well but I didn't ask. Third hand stories tend to be inflated.
Every on-lot disposal situation I've handled in the last 15 years has been above-ground system.
This BS. To much Gooberment!
I've got a call into the SEO and I'll ask her if a tank might satisfy an already poor situation. She'll just say DEP decides those things. She's going by the PA code to enforce locally the restriction put in place by the state. I'm not sure there is a loophole for this project.
Cutting up ground is more than just making sure the inner lots correspond to the parent tract. The list things we need to be aware of grows every year.
"If you're not worried, you're not paying close enough attention."
Remember what Pogo said many years ago. It's still true today. Silly people will never learn.
Don't know no Pogo, yo. What'd'e say?
"We have met the enemy and he is us."
Pogo was a comic strip set in the Georgia swamps and featured animals, including Pogo, an opossum.
Plot Twist: There's another garage on the property next door with a guy living in it. (All part of the subdivision revision I'm trying to complete) Where's he pooping? This property has a house and a system and a well supplying the house and 300' away is a garage with a guy living in it. It's large enough. Actually it's huge. Gotta find out if there is pressurized water at that building. If so, state law requires proper disposal of said water.
I've never seen anything quite like this. It's all wildcat. It doesn't stink and there are no cesspools anywhere but they've sure got a problem. Several problems really.
