Re: Sewage Treatement Plants for MHP - Posted by ray@lcorn
Posted by ray@lcorn on June 21, 2001 at 13:23:20:
Howard,
I’ve been involved in several private sewer systems. In all cases I obtained the information you seek from engineering firms engaged to design the sysytem and gain approvals from the necessary regulatory bodies. The hardware is actually the least important component of building such a system.
In my state (Virginia) we have to get approval from the State Department of Health and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The approvals will most certainly require a licensed engineer to design the system and size the equipment needed. In most cases it is required to have a licensed mechanical contractor perform the work and, in conjunction with the engineer, perform the testing required before the system can be activated. The health department is the front line agency here, with local offices in every community in the state. The DEQ is centrally administered from the state capital, and we dealt with a regional office. You could start by calling the local building department for information regarding the proper agency(s) to contact in your area.
Expect the process to take a while… in many places, private sewer systems are not the preferred way of handling solid waste. In addition to the approval of the physical construction of the system you will also have to develop an operations and maintenance manual, as well as file reports (ours are quarterly) with test results for the chemical content of the effluent. If the system discharges into a freshwater stream or river there may be additional agencies involved depending on where you are. Some tests are required weekly, some monthly, some annually. If you’re setting up a grinder pump station that pumps the effluent to an existing sewer system, the tests required will be minimal, or even none. In my area a grinder pump station can be installed for about $30,000. A full package plant that discharges into a stream or river runs $75,000 to $100,000. These prices include engineering fees, but do not include the service lines.
You might also ask the engineering firm about alternative solid waste treatment systems that are approved systems for use in your area. Approved system types vary widely from state to state. Depending on soil types, topography, the vicinity of a stream, etc., you may have less expensive options than a package plant.
We are currently looking at a MHP with a failing lagoon system. DEQ is ready to either heavily fine the owner or close the park, and could put him in jail, for years of non-compliance with their regulations. The seller is becoming motivated, but only because he is getting tired of hiring new lawyers. (This has been going on for years, and DEQ is determined to get this guy gone, one way or the other.) One of the alternatives for dealing with the problem is a master drainfield on an adjacent property parcel fed by a grinder pump station. This will allow the use of the existing lines and minimal disruption to the park during construction.
My advice is to investigate all options before committing to any course of action. The bottom line is the bottom line… in some cases the sewer can be so expensive as to make the spaces not economically feasible to build.
ray