Repair of partially destroyed dwellings, routine remodeling or room additions which do not entail the construction of additional bedrooms, will be approved or denied based on the following criteria:
(A) A site visit by an environmental health specialist indicates no obvious failure of the OSS;
(B) Review of a floor plan which verifies bedroom count against other available public records (i.e., tax records). If a discrepancy develops regarding the bedroom count, a homeowner may declare the number of bedrooms by recorded affidavit supplied to the local health department as set forth in Rule 410 I.A.C. § 6-8.2-6(2);
(C) The proposed room addition or remodel must meet the proper setback requirements for an OSS; and
(D) In instances where the OSS has lain dormant for an extended period of time, the system is suspected to be in failure, or no permit has ever been issued by the county, hydraulic testing of the system may be required by the local health department in order to verify the functionality of the OSS.
(1) This testing will be comprised of adding water to the existing septic tank until the liquid level reaches the bottom of the outlet pipe.
(2) Dye shall then be added to the tank followed by addition of one-half the designed daily flow for a dwelling with the indicated number of bedroom equivalents on three consecutive days.
(3) Following this procedure, the site shall be inspected for sewage and/or dye being discharged at the surface. If no obvious failure is noted the project may proceed using the existing OSS.
(Ord. 4-3-3.2, passed 4-2-2012)