Enforces and regulates the location, design, installation, and use and maintenance of individual sewage treatment systems. If you are planning any building or reconstruction, check with your local city or township regarding permit requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often do septic tanks need to be pumped?
Section 17.2 of the Washington County Individual Sewage Treatment System Regulations (Ordinance 128) states:
"The owner of an individual sewage treatment system or the owner's agent shall regularly, but in no case less frequently than every three years, have the tank or tanks pumped. As an alternative, the owner may inspect and measure the accumulations of scum, which includes grease and other floating materials at the top of each septic tank and compartment along with the sludge, which includes the solids denser than water."
The University of Minnesota Extension Service has prepared a information packet entitled, "A Septic System Owner's Guide". This document includes a worksheet for determining cleaning frequency based on your systems specific design and your family's usage of the system. According to the guide, "A few dollars spent every one to three years on proper cleaning is much less expensive and easier to plan for than an unexpected $2,000 to $10,000 repair bill!" This document, including the worksheet is available from the Department. Or contact your local University of Minnesota Extension Service office.
How can I schedule a septic inspection?
Requests for inspections should be made to the Department of Public Health and Environment, 651-430-6655.
How do I locate my septic system?
If you are a Washington County resident and have had a system permitted by Washington County since 1972, the Department may have your system's plans on file. However, not all records have site specific information included.
According to the University of Minnesota Extension Service's "Septic System Owners Guide":
"If no plans exist, the following steps can be taken:
First locate the septic tank. If the access manhole or inspection pipes are at ground level, they will be easy to find. Unfortunately, they are often buried several inches, or even several feet, below the ground surface. To locate the tank go into the basement and determine the direction the sewer pipe goes out through the wall or floor. The sewer pipe should be easy to find. It is usually the largest diameter pipe made of plastic or cast iron with a cleanout access.
Once the sewer pipe is located, determine the direction it leaves the house. With a metal rod as a probe, start poking around in the soil 10 to 15 feet from the foundation of the house in the same direction as the pipe was headed in the basement. A metal detector may be of assistance in finding the tank since most concrete septic tanks contain metal reinforcing rods.
Next, locate the drainfield. If the soil treatment system is located, but not the tank, work backwards toward the house probing for the tank. Mounds are easy to find, but a drainfield system in the ground may be more difficult. Try looking around the yard in the general direction where the sewer pipe left the house for an area where the grass grows differently. These clues may help locate the drainfield:
- An area where the grass isn't growing well, or where the grass is greener or grows faster.
- An area where there is a slight depression or mound.
- An area where the soil is soggy when the rest of the yard is dry.
Often a licensed contractor or private inspector has tools to locate the tank. Once the tank is located, be sure to make a map of its location...If the soil treatment system cannot be found, there may not be one or it may be discharging into ground or surface water."
