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HomeMy WebLinkAboutpitkin.eh.272909200007 (1996)_MEMOMEMORANDUM To Suzanne Wo.Iff, Community Development Dept. From:. Mary Engelmann, -Environmental Health Officer Through: • Lee Cassin, AssistantEnvironmentaiHealth Director Date: February 23, 1996 Re; Dodds Minor 1041 Hazard Review Parcel ID # 2729-092-00-007 -------------- The Aspen/Pitkin Environmental Health Department has reviewed the details of, the. Dodds application -under. the authority of the Pitkin Countv Code,Title Il, Land Use Code and. has the following -comments.'• ADEQUATE PROVISIONS FOR WATER NEEDS: Sections 2 -170 -and 3-110 4 "It is the. policy of the County to insure the. availability of a water supply of adequate quality;. quantity, pressure and dependability for fire protection and support of a proposed land use prior to approval of the use. The County shall require land uses to.hook up to existing public systems if service is available." This Department needs adequate information on the quantity and the quality of water available. This.can be done from tests of wells present on-site by a water engineer's or well driiler's report..' . ' The applicant must ensure that the water quality is.acceptable by having it tested by.a lab •such - asthe Snowmass Water and. Sanitation District or Aspen Consolidated Sanitation District. Water of acceptable quality and quantity has been obtained in other lots in this area. Before a septic permit can be issued, the well -must be drilled to assure that setback requirements from the well to the sewage disposal system can be maintained. Pitkin :County Land Use Code requires that th.e, well site be within'the building envelope.:The possibility exists that the well may not fit within the buitding envelope. ' A condition of.approval for. this application is _the receipt of information documenting that the location of,the well(s) meet setback -requirements and .can be placed with.in.the building envelope and that quantity/quality of thewelll water are adequate. Without. meeting ,these requirements a septic permit and. building permit can not be issued. SEWAGE TREATMENT AND COLLECTION: Sections 2-180 and 3-110.5: "It is the policy of the County to ensure that adequate sewage treatment facilities are available to serve existing and new developments: Public and private sewage disposal systems and connections to such systems shall comply with the sewage disposal I guidelines of Pitkin County's individual Sewage Disposal System Regulation:" Lots in the area -are served by individual sewage -disposal systems. All such systems installed Within Pitkin.County require sewage disposal permits - issued by the EnvironmentalMealth Department, and must•comply with the County's sewage disp.osal.regulations: To receive a sewage disposal permit,.the.applicant will need to•submit a sewage disposal permit application and appropriate feewith a completed Soil Data Form including percolation: test results and profile hole information: It. must be possible to design an adequate sewage disposal system before'a:building'permit can be Issued. Depending on the -water use`in'the barn; it may or may. not be •necessary to have a means of sewage -or wastewater- disposal,.. The Aspen/Pitkin Environmental Health Department will design -the system for.the applicant as part.of the permit fee, if an engineered system is not required.. We will do a site visit, advise the applicant about the best location for the system and provide a system. design. We:wll determine if an engineered system is needed based on soil test results. ' An - engineered system is required if any one of the following conditions exists: a,percolation rate. faster than 5 mpi or slower than 60 mpi;maxim.um seasonal level of the groundwater table. or bedrock less.-than'four feet below the bottom -of the proposed absorption system; or a -slope in excess of 30%. Prior to initiating any tests at the site, the applicant should contact this office. Percolation tests and profile holes should be done at.a.time when the ground is not frozen:. The most accurate results'are- obtained when the groundwater is at its highest level, which is usually during spring runoff. It is highly recommended that the Dodds plan.their soils.tests be done during the spring.; No geological report.was submitted by -the Dodds for their 1041 Hazard Review. Based on percolation test results in the general vicinity, which range from approximately 12 mpi to 36 mpi, we are confident that a sewage .disposal system- can be installed.. However, site specific -soil data will have to be obtained in order for the departmentto make further determinations in, regard to a sewage disposal system. -The Dodds will need to adhere.to minimum horizontal setback requirements for placement of septic system components which should be no. problem on this lot. The leach field will need to be located a minimum of 100 feet from the applicant's well and from. any neighboring wells.. The area for the leach field'should be located in an area of no traffic, planted with dry land. grass, and should not be watered. It is desirable to locate the system downhill from the house so -' that the system can operate by gravity. The, applicant should .refer to the Pitkin County Sewage Regulations for detailed information, or call our office to discuss this site. Based on.the information provided and on our site visit to the property, which atthe dirre of the visit, was covered in snow, it does riot appear that any ditches are present on the property:, Howeverjf there are any ditches on this property, considerations will need to be further reviewed in regard to the sewage disposal system. water drainage from a. ditch could impair the functioning of the septic system by overloading and saturating. the, soils: This would severely impair the soil's ability to absorb and filter water of the septic system. Percolation test holes should be dug below the ditch in the area of the proposed leach field. If water from the ditch is: found to be collecting in these holes then measures must be taken to divert the water. These measures include but are not limited to culverting the ditch. or creating diversion swages to move the water away from the sewage disposal system. The system must be located at least fifty feet away from the ditch.to adhere to Pitkin County Code. Also, based on information for other residences inthe-area, groundwater should not. be a problem. If, when a geological report is done;''groun.dwater is found to be a, problem, an engineer -designed system will be necessary. If this is the case; the Dodds should be aware that the well permit states that the sewage. disposal system :must be of the non -evaporative type where the water is returned to the same stream system in which the.well `is located. - This means' "that a-coimpletely lined field, such as an'evapo-transpiration bed, is not allowed unless the-. applicantcontacts the Colorado DiVision of Water Resources and a new well permit i' 'in place'or a:plan �of augmentation is created. A. condition of approval for thisapplication is the receipt and approval of the sewage disposal permit by the Environmental Health Department before a:buiiding . permit can be issued; WATER QUALITY] MPACTS. Sections 2-140 and 3-70.5 and 3-70.10: "it is;the policy of the county topreserve and protect its present water resources, recognizing the county's semi -arid characterand. that significant transmountain and transbasin diversions and the vested rights of senior appropriators in the basin have materially. curtailed the availability of'an already scarce water resource. To this end it is the policy of the County.that no land use be initiated which would adversely affect the quantity; quality, or accessibility of the County's water resources; or which would occur at the expense of established water -dependent agriculturai.activities; or which would result in increased salinization of waterresources, loss of minimum stream flows; further destruction of WHOM habitat, or major expenditures to reacquire or.red&rIbute major Water resources. It is also the policy of the County to Maintain a natural vegetative buffer along its surface water's such that the surface and groundwaters of the area are not encroached upon by land uses or other human activities which•could cause . deterioration of water quality or impair the natural -treatment processes provided by meadows and wetlands." The Environmental Health Department is charged with preserving and protecting. the quality of Pitkin County's Water resources. Sincea lar9e percentage of the.pop'ulation' is dependent upon Water from webs; elimination`of groundwater.pollution and protection of aquifers and.their. drainage areas are of utmost importance. Roofs and asphalt driveways.can be nonpoint sources... of water discharge which can contaminate water supplies. This Department recommends that nonpoint Sources of discharge must be -retained. on the property of origin which can be: accomplished through landscaping, drainage patterns, detention ponds, and dry wells for water runoff from buildings. . Surface water and groundwater contamination can also be caused by inadequate setback distances from sewage disposal systems -to -proximate wells, rivers, creeks, ponds, and reservoirs. Minimum horizontal distances between components of a sewage disposal system and physical features must be in accordance with the Pitkin County Sewage Regulation. This Department reserves the right to require water.quality'sampling at the homeowner's expense. A condition of approval for. this: application is the receipt of information documenting that the location of the wells) meet setback requirements ,and can be placed within the building envelope and that quantity/quality of the well water are adequate. -All other setbacks must be able to be met for the sewage disposal. system at well: Without meeting these .requirements; a sewage':disposal permit and building permit cannot be issued. AIR QUALITY Sections 2-130 and 3-602: "Only.that development is permitted which will not contribute significantly to degradation of air quality." This project is not expected to contribute significantly to degradation of air quality in Pitkin County. Activities such as road building and landscaping require a Fugitive Dust Plan. This plan would need to include,but is not limited to,fencing, watering of haul roads and disturbed areas, daiiy cleaning of.adjacent paved roads to remove mud that has been carried out, speed -limits, or other measures necessary to: prevent windblown dust.from crossing,the property line or causing a nuisance: 3