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Wastewater Management Section

What we do

  • Protect public health by promoting the safe treatment and disposal of domestic and other non-industrial wastewater in areas of Washington not served by municipal sewage treatment works.

  • Provide assistance to local health jurisdictions regarding on-site wastewater issues.

  • Review and approve plans for large on-site sewage systems.

How we do it

  • Provide consultative and technical support to local health jurisdictions, on-site sewage system practitioners, the public and other local, state, and federal agencies.

  • Work closely with local health jurisdictions, other agencies, private-sector practitioners, and citizens to develop and implement standards for the performance, application, design, and operation and maintenance of on-site sewage treatment and disposal systems.

  • Provide technical assistance, which includes consultations on the siting, design, installation, operation, and maintenance of on-site sewage systems.

  • Staff develop policies, public information guides, and technical reports.

  • Participate in the development and presentation of training courses about on-site sewage treatment technologies.

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Regulatory Jurisdictions for On-Site Wastewater Treatment Systems
(See below for more detail):

Systems design flow: Jurisdiction
0 - 3,499 gallons per day Local Health Officer
3,500 - 100,000 gallons per day Washington State Department of Health
Large On-site Sewage System Program
Above 100,000 gallons per day Washington State Department of Ecology

The Local Health Officer has authority and approval over systems with design flows through any common point up to 3,499 gallons per day.

The Washington State Department of Health LOSS Program per Chapter 70.118B RCW, has authority and approval over:

(a) Wastewater treatment systems receiving domestic strength sewage at design flows from 3,500 to 100,000 gallons per day that use subsurface treatment or disposal. May include mechanical treatment.

(b) Any LOSS for which jurisdiction has been transferred to DOH from Ecology in accordance with the statute.

The Washington State Department of Ecology has authority and approval over:

(a) Domestic or industrial wastewater treatment under Chapter 173-240 WAC.

(b) Wastewater treatment systems with subsurface disposal and design flows above 100,000 gallons per day.

(c) Wastewater treatment systems with subsurface disposal that treat industrial waste.

(d) Wastewater treatment systems with subsurface disposal where the groundwater receiving effluent is in hydraulic continuity with surface water.

(e) Wastewater treatment systems with evaporative lagoons.

(f) Wastewater treatment systems receiving storm water discharges, including combined sanitary sewer and storm water systems.

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Join our Wastewater Listservs

Receive new information automatically by email.

You must join each list individually, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

  • Wastewater - Used to notify interested parties about general wastewater issues including updates to Recommended Standards & Guidance and proprietary product lists, announcing Technical Advisory Group meeting dates, wastewater newsletter publications, and other general state wastewater related topics.

  • Wastewater-Tanks - Used to provide updates to people interested in the sewage tank rule implementation and other sewage tank issues.

  • Wastewater-LOSS - Used to update stakeholders and interested parties on Large On-site Sewage system rulemaking activities.

For questions, please contact the Wastewater Management Section at wastewatermgmt@doh.wa.gov, or call 360-236-3330.

Hot Topics

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Federal funds available to protect and restore Puget Sound

The new LOSS rule has been adopted, and is effective starting July 1, 2011.

The new Greywater rule has been adopted, and is effective starting July 31, 2011.

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Last Update: 11/22/2011 07:47 AM