(a) No owner, tenant or lessee of any premises properly supplied with an approved method of disposal of sewage shall misuse or neglect such a system or any part thereof so as to cause it to cease functioning as designed in a sanitary manner. The issuance of a permit, subsequent installation and acceptance of the onsite sewage treatment system upon inspection by the Health Department does not denote or imply any guarantee of operation of such system, and it shall be the responsibility of the owner, or any subsequent owner of the system, to maintain, repair or replace any system which has ceased to function as designed in a sanitary manner.
(b) Except as provided herein, for all individual sewage disposal systems not requiring a Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (VPDES) permit, the owner shall cause a maintenance pump-out of the septic tank of each such system to be performed by a septic tank cleaner licensed by the Loudoun County Health Department at least once every 5 years and shall provide documentation of the subject maintenance at the request of the County. Licensed septic tank cleaners shall report all pump-outs in a manner acceptable to the Loudoun County Health Department by the 15th of the following month and shall provide the homeowner with a copy of the information reported. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for Alternative Onsite Sewage Systems (AOSSs), in lieu of the required 5-year pump-out, the owner may submit documentation annually, certified by an individual who is licensed or certified under Chapter 23 (§ 54.1-2300 et seq.) of Title 54.1 of the Code of Virginia as being qualified to operate, monitor, and maintain an AOSS, that the system has been inspected, is functioning properly, and the tank does not need to be pumped out. For conventional systems, the owner may submit documentation certified by an individual who is licensed or certified under Chapter 23 (§ 54.1-2300 et seq.) of Title 54.1 of the Code of Virginia as being qualified to operate, monitor, and maintain an AOSS or conventional system, that the tank has been inspected, is functioning properly, and the tank does not need to be pumped out for at least the next two (2) years. This documentation, including sludge and scum accumulation depths, must be submitted every two (2) years after the initial five (5)-year report until the tank is pumped. Once the tank is pumped, the five (5) year pump-out cycle is re-initiated with the inspection in lieu of pump-out option as stated herein.
(Ord. 94-05. Passed 2-16-94; Ord. 11-12. Passed 10-4-11; Ord. 15-03. Passed 9-9-15; Ord. 17- 03. Passed 1-19-17.)