(A) General. The following general requirements apply to septic tanks.
(1) All septic tanks shall be located in accordance with the distances in Table II. See § 53.06 of this chapter.
(2) Access must be provided to all parts of septic tanks where necessary to enable adequate inspection, operation and maintenance.
(B) Septic tank capacity information.
(1) Every septic tank shall have a minimum capacity below the water line as specified in Table I.
Table I: Required Minimum Capacities for Septic Tanks (minimum size tank 1,000-gallon liquid capacity) | |
Number of Bedrooms in Dwelling | Normal Liquid Capacity of Tank in Gallons |
3 or less | 1,000 |
4 or 5 | 1,250 |
6 | 1,500 |
(2) Minimum water depths in any compartment shall be 32 inches.
(3) Maximum depth of water for calculating capacity of the tank shall not exceed six feet.
(4) Private sewage disposal systems shall not be used for the disposal of:
(a) Chemical wastes in quantities which will be detrimental to the bacterial action of the tank;
(b) Roof drainage;
(c) Foundation drains;
(d) Area drains; and
(e) Other wastes which may be determined by the Health Officer as possibly being detrimental to the operation of the system.
(5) All septic tank effluent shall discharge into a subsurface absorption field or other treatment system as approved in accordance with § 53.02(E) of this chapter.
(C) Details of septic tank construction.
(1) Either tees or baffles shall be used as inlet and outlet fixtures. Inlet baffles shall extend at least eight inches above and six inches below the water level of the tank. The outlet baffle shall extend above the water level a distance of at least eight inches and below the water level a distance of 40% of the liquid depth. A minimum clearance of one inch shall be provided between the lid of the tank and the top of the baffle or tee. The invert of the inlet pipe shall be a minimum of three inches higher than the invert of the outlet pipe.
(2) All septic tanks shall contain an access opening which shall be so located that sludge and scum measurements may be readily ascertained in each compartment of the tank. This access opening shall be a minimum of eight inches in its least dimension, and shall be located close to the ground surface. In the event the tank is covered by 24 inches or more of earth backfill, a riser with a suitable manhole cover shall be extended to within a minimum of six inches of the ground surface. The riser shall be at least 30 inches in diameter and placed over the access opening in the top of the tank. The Health Officer may require that the riser manhole cover be extended to the ground surface or above.
(3) Material for construction shall be water- tight concrete, metal or other impervious material.
(4) Minimum wall thickness of tanks shall conform to the following specifications:
Fiberglass | 1/4 inch thick |
Poured concrete | 6 inches thick |
Poured concrete, reinforced < (4,000 psi) | 4 inches thick |
Pre-cast concrete, reinforced > (4,000 psi) | 2-1/2 inches thick |
Segmented blocks, bricks and the like | 8 inches thick |
Steel | 1/4 inch thick |
(5) Septic tank bottoms shall conform to the specifications set forth for septic tank walls.
(6) Concrete septic tank tops shall be a minimum of four inches in thickness and reinforced with one-half-inch reinforcing rods in a six-inch grid or equivalent.
(7) All concrete surfaces above the water line inside septic tanks shall be given a protective coating of bituminous or similar material.
(D) Connection pipes for septic tanks.
(1) The pipes connecting septic tanks installed in series shall be four inches minimum diameter.
(2) All inlet and outlet connections at the septic tanks shall be sealed with an appropriate material.
(3) All joints in the sewer connecting septic tanks in series shall be water-tight.
(1982 Code, § 91.04) (Ord. passed 1-13-1967; Ord. passed 1-22-1979; Ord. passed 4-29-1985; Ord. passed 11-17-1986)
Penalty, see § 53.99