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Copyrighted by SANTA CLARA COUNTY CODE & Municipal Code Corporation, 1998.

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Sec. B11-91. General installation requirements.

(a) Sewage disposal systems must be installed in accordance with the plans approved by the Department. Any changes in the installation plan must be reviewed and approved by the Department prior to installation.

(b) No person may alter, modify, construct, reconstruct or repair any existing sewage disposal system without prior approval of the Department in accordance with the provisions of this article. For purposes of repair of failing or malfunctioning systems, Standard Design Criteria A herein will be used. In approving the repairs, the Department will have the power to allow a variance from Standard Design Criteria A to prevent unnecessary hardship when it is established that the work will significantly improve existing health and sanitation conditions.

(c) Where the subarea line, as shown on Figure 9-1, divides a lot, the determination of which subarea criteria will apply will be made by the Department.

(d) The sewage effluent must discharge into an approved subsurface leaching system.

(e) No sewage disposal leaching system will be allowed to be constructed on slopes exceeding 20 percent. Variances may be granted by the Department where the applicant can demonstrate, through a technical report prepared by a state-registered civil engineer (with soils and a geological background) or geologist that use of a soil absorption system will not surface in the absorption field or reserve area, create water quality problems, jeopardize contiguous properties, and affect soil stability. Technical reports must include but not be limited to soil percolation rates, contours, soil depth, seasonal groundwater water elevations, location of all existing or proposed ground cuts, rock formations and soil stability.

(f) In addition to the area required under this article for the installation of the leaching system, additional area upon the property must be available and reserved while also maintaining specified distances from property lines, buildings, wells and cut banks which will allow for 100 percent expansion of the subsurface leaching system.

(g) Two leaching systems (dual leaching fields), each 100 percent of the total size required by the Department must be installed and interconnected with an approved flow diversion device.

(h) Septic systems must be located so as to be easily accessible for maintenance and repairs.

(i) There must be a minimum of five feet of permeable soil beneath the leaching field.

(j) Installation of a sewage disposal system will not be permitted in areas where the groundwater table is within five feet of the bottom of the leaching system, or within areas subject to flooding.

(k) Sewage disposal systems must not be constructed in areas containing any fill material.

(l) The Department may require test holes, soil percolation tests or other exploratory tests as deemed necessary to verify soil suitability. Soil tests must be performed according to the Department standards.

(m) Where groundwater or bedrock is known or suspected to be within five feet of the bottom of the proposed leaching system, the Department may require soil borings or excavations to be made. The applicant must demonstrate the depth to water table or impermeable layer through the use of at least one field observation hole or through historical records acceptable to the Department. The borings or excavations must be available for inspection by the Department.

(n) No private sewage disposal system will be approved on any lot where the percolation rate exceeds 120 minutes per inch or is less than five minutes per inch.

(o) When a geological report is required by the County Geologist, it must be made available to the Department.

(Ord. No. NS-517.72, § 2, 4-15-03)

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