Interim Committee Discusses Regulation of Septic Systems

The Commerce Interim Committee held its first meeting this week to study the regulation of sewage treatment system installation, maintenance, testing and repair.  Dave Glatt, Director, Department of Environmental Quality noted that a comprehensive system is critical for the health and well being of ND citizens and environment.  Mr. Glatt stated that current code for these systems lies with the plumbing board and has not been updated in several years.  Challenges facing onsite sewage disposal systems include training and licensing for regulators and installers, inconsistent regulatory structure resulting in differing enforcement within jurisdictions, and lack of a unified statewide code. Codes and enforcement vary between counties due to several unique factors such as soil types, materials, design standards, and variance.  Mr. Glatt further stated that some rules are needed to resolve these issues, however, local flexibility is also necessary.  Comments from local public health units were presented by Jim Heckman, Environmental Health Division, First District Health Unit; Javayne Oyloe, Executive Director, Upper Missouri District Health Unit; and Allen McKay, Administrator, Lake Region District Health Unit.