Health District: Discharge Permit Required Every 5 Years

The Chatham Health District, which covers the towns of Colchester, East Haddam, East Hampton, Haddam, Hebron, Marlborough and Portland, adopted a septic pump out regulation in early 2009 that applies to residents of all the towns in the Health District. The idea of the regulation was to promote regular cleaning of septic tanks and avert problem conditions before they become public health nuisances.

The State of Connecticut has had a Permit to Discharge as part of the Department of Public Health (DPH) regulations since 1982. The authority was given to DPH from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). The Permit to Discharge is issued whenever a new septic system is constructed in accordance with the Public Health Code or when a repair is made to a system. In cases where a fully code-compliant repair cannot be made, any limitation is listed on the Permit. DEEP has regularly issued and reissued permits to discharge on large (>5,000 gallons per day) systems when they prove compliance through certain wastewater quality parameters (nitrates for example). Locally, the District looks for the absence of signs of sewage overflow to the ground surface or backup into the septic tank or house.

At the local level, permits to discharge have been routinely issued for all new systems and repairs for many years. The catch has been that these permits were all supposed to expire in five years and be renewed if the system remained in compliance, yet there was no mechanism to renew them. Now, when your septic pumper sends in the pump out report (required from all pumpers working in the District) it will generate a request from the Chatham Health District for you to send in your application for re-issue of the Permit to Discharge (or you can simply download the application and send it in). The form is available online at www.chathamhealth.org . Click on forms and then Re-issue of Permit to Discharge. This form with a fee of $30 is only due every five years. The Permit will reflect any changes to your system/property such as adding a bedroom or constructing an addition.

Once done, this reissued permit to discharge is a compliance statement for you, indicating that you’ve done your part to prevent septic problems and protect the ground and surface waters of the State of Connecticut. If you sell your house it also tells buyers that you’ve maintained your system. So when you’re spring cleaning your home, don’t forget about your septic tank. Your tank will function better and you can extend the life of your septic system with regular tank pumping. If you have questions about the Permit to Discharge, feel free to contact the Chatham Health District sanitarian at Town Hall.