Sewage is the waste water released by residences, businesses and industries in a community. It is 99.94 percent water, only 0.06 percent of the water is dissolved and suspended solid material. The cloudiness of sewage is caused by suspended particles. Pathogens or disease-causing organisms are present in sewage. Coliform bacteria are used as an indicator of disease-causing organisms. Sewage also contains metals, minerals and nutrients (such as ammonia and phosphorus).
Private sewage systems are used by households not served by a centralized sewage system. This is accomplished by site evaluations, permits and inspections of new or altered systems, and the investigation of complaints/malfunctioning systems. Union County regulates private sewage systems in accordance with the local sewage treatment system rules, Ohio Revised Code (ORC) 3718, and the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) chapter 3701-29.
Public sewage systems are those systems where households are connected to a centralized sewerage system. Public systems are not regulated by the Health Department, but are governed by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA). However, in Union County, any commercial (or semi-public) sewage system smaller than 25,000 gallons per day is inspected by the Health Department, through a contract with the OEPA
Environmental Health Fee Schedule - see Section IV, C & D on page 2 for fees associated with household sewage systems
Installing a private sewage system?
Installing a private sewage system requires a permit from the Union County Health Department. There are several steps that must be completed before a permit can be obtained. Contact the Union County Health Department for more informtion.
Installations must be done by a registered installer. Click here for the list of registered installers.
A soil scientist must test the soil in which the system will be installed. Click here for a list of local soil scientists.
Repairs on existing systems should be done by registered sewage installers. sewage-installers
