Estimated Pumping Frequency

Jefferson County 2003 Regulations

Maintenance Program for Engineered Systems

We offer a maintenance program to owners of engineered septic systems, consisting of the following maintenance items, performed twice a year, approximately 6 months apart:

• Perform field section rotation by switching valves or surge tank riser plugs.

• Inspect field for balanced distribution of effluent to all field sections.

• If necessary, reduce flow to wet or damp sections.

• Check proper setting of alarm float switch and operation of alarm system.

• Check proper setting of pump float switch and operation of pump.

• Check condition of electrical wiring junctions at tank.

• Check solids accumulation in tank(s) and tank condition

The cost of this maintenance program is $100.00 annually, payable in advance before inception of the service, and on the anniversary date thereafter.  This fee covers the cost of setting up a separate file for your system, obtaining system design information from the engineer and the As-Built drawing from the installer or health department, as well as keeping a record of the semiannual visits.

We will furnish you a written report at the time of the visit, either by leaving at the house or by mail, fax or e­mail, as you choose.  The report will show the results of the inspection, what was performed and will list any items that may need repair, along with the estimated cost.

Installations

Installation of Residential Systems

For new home residential properties, the county building department will not give you a building permit until you have obtained a septic permit from the county health department.  To obtain the septic permit, you first need a soils test performed.   The soils test costs between $450.00 - $700.00, and takes from 10 to 30 days from order date to written report, depending on which engineering firm you choose and how busy they are.  Once you receive the soils test report, you file it, together with an application form and a check for $350.00 with your local health department office.  The permit should issue in 7 – 10 days.  A copy of the permit can then be given to the building department along with your plans.  The permit expires in one year, but is renewable for a second year. If the soils have too slow a percolation rate (above 60 minutes per inch), or if there are shallow sandstone or clay stone bedrock conditions, you may need an engineered system.  Engineered system designs can be prepared by these soils engineering firms at an additional cost of $600.00 - $750.00. Once you receive your soils report or engineered design, please fax or mail a copy to us.  We are happy to talk with you about what you want and need, visit the site and give you a prompt Estimate for the cost of installation.  The cost of construction varies greatly, depending on the size and type of system required, but ranges from a minimum $6,500.00 for a simple, traditional, 3-bedroom repair, to $11,500.00 for a 5-bedroom, engineered system.  We usually need 2 – 4 weeks’ notice to schedule the work.  We recommend that the system be installed near the end of your construction project to minimize the chance of damage to the system from construction traffic. You may want to consider installing a relatively new type of system known as Subsurface Drip Irrigation.  This technology for the first time takes advantage of the water and nutrients in septic tank effluent to complete life’s cycle by watering and fertilizing lawn grass, planter beds, trees and shrubs.  It can do away with sprinkler systems which lose much of the water spray to evaporation, as well as sprinkler system maintenance and repairs.  It is automated to operate on plant demand.  And if your watering needs are larger than the septic system flows, fresh water can be added to meet plant needs.  The cost is little more than that of traditional engineered system.

Installation of Commercial Systems

For new industrial or commercial properties, the county building department will not give you a building permit until you have obtained a septic permit from the county health department.  Also, the health department regulations require that all industrial/commercial septic systems be designed by a professional engineer.  To obtain the septic permit, you first need a soils test performed and an engineered design. The soils test costs between $450.00 - $700.00, and the engineering costs an additional $600.00 - $800.00.  The test and design can be done by the same engineer. The process takes  from 20 to 60 days from order date to written design, depending on which engineering firm you choose and how busy they are. Once you receive the design, you file it, together with an application form and a check for $350.00 with your local health department office.  The permit should issue in 7 – 10 days.  A copy of the permit can then be given to the building department along with your plans.  The permit expires in one year, but is renewable for a second year. Once you receive your engineered design, please fax or mail a copy to us.  We are happy to talk with you about what you want and need, visit the site and give you a prompt Estimate for the cost of installation.  The cost of construction varies greatly, depending on the size and type of system required, but ranges from a minimum $6,500.00 for a simple, traditional, gravity flow system, to $40,000.00 for a high-tech secondary treatment system for a convenience store or restaurant.  We usually need 2 – 4 weeks’ notice to schedule the work.  We recommend that the system be installed near the end of your construction project to minimize the chance of damage to the system from construction traffic. You may want to consider installing a relatively new type of system known as Subsurface Drip Irrigation.  This technology for the first time takes advantage of the water and nutrients in septic tank effluent to complete life’s cycle by watering and fertilizing lawn grass, planter beds, trees and shrubs, and it is automated to function on plant demand.  It can do away with sprinkler systems which lose much of the water spray to evaporation, as well as sprinkler system maintenance and repairs.  And if your watering needs are larger than the septic system flows, fresh water can be added to meet plant needs.  The cost is little more than that of traditional engineered system.

Installation of Subsurface Drip Irrigation

We offer the installation of sub-surface drip irrigation (“SDI”) absorption fields.  This newer technology allows the owner to put septic tank effluent to beneficial use, both to irrigate and to feed landscape plantings.  It can be used to water and feed lawn turf grass, bushes, flowers and tree plantings. The traditional absorption bed or trench systems, as well as the engineered low-pressure pipe systems ( known as “Bell-Patt” or “low pressure drip”), are laid out in Cartesian fashion and create a lush green rectangle out in the pasture where it is not needed, while the homeowner who has mature landscaping closer to the house or elsewhere on the property still must install a fresh water  irrigation system to water his lawns and other plantings.  We have severe water shortages in Colorado and no one knows when things will return to “normal”.  In normal years, we do not have enough ground water in the Denver Basin aquifers to serve our current population over time; the aquifers do not recharge at the rate we are taking it out, even in the wettest years.  SDI will help reduce our water consumption by applying the wastewater where it can do the most good.  And it puts the water in at the root zone, saving the 25%-30% lost to the atmosphere by traditional sprinkler systems. The method involves installing ½” diameter flexible tubing at a depth of 6”, spaced at18” or 24”.  The emitters installed inside the tubing measure out wastewater at a rate of ½ gallon per hour.  The tubing can be installed in a lawn to water and feed the entire lawn.  It can be run along a windbreak or visual/noise screening tree planting at the perimeter of the property or along roadways.  It can be installed for agricultural row crops for a vegetable garden. For lawns, a household can water, without fresh water supplementation and during the hottest months of the summer, the following lawn areas: 2 people = 1660 SF; 4 people = 3320 SF, or a rate of 830 SF per person. The cost of a septic system with SDI irrigation is close to the cost of an engineered system - $7,000 to $12,000, depending on the size of your system. SDI can be added as a supplement to your existing system, whether standard traditional gravity flow or engineered,  and it will water and feed wherever and whenever you choose. Call us for more information.