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View recently adopted ordinances as of January 13, 2009 NOT YET CODIFIED OR INTEGRATED IN THIS SITE. (pdf file)

Ordinances enacted through January 13, 2009

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

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Sec. B11-93. Subsurface leaching system requirements.

A subsurface leaching system consists of a trench 24 inches in width, three feet in depth, containing perforated sewage conductor pipe and filled with rock.

(a) Trenches must be placed in natural earth and in an unobstructed area.

(b) Pipe used in the leaching area must be perforated, have a minimum four-inch diameter, and be of material approved by the Department.

(c) Rock material in the trench must be covered with untreated building paper prior to backfilling with earth.

(d) A minimum effective leaching area must be provided according to the following percolation rate schedule:

Percolation Rate (minutes per inch)	Minimum Length of Trench (feet) Per Side of Dual System
5--25	150
26--45	250
46--60	350
61--120	400

The above trench lengths are based on 400 gallons of effluent per day for a four-bedroom home. Additional bedrooms over four will require a 20 percent increase in the above minimum trench lengths for each bedroom.

(e) Two leaching systems (dual leaching), each 100 percent of the total size required by the Department must be installed and interconnected with an approved flow diversion device. This device must be rotated at least once every year.

(f) Adjacent trenches on slopes must be connected with a watertight overflow line in a manner that allows each trench to be filled with sewage to the depth of the rock before the sewage flows to the next lower trench.

(g) Trenches must be constructed in accordance with the following requirements:

Minimum Safe Distances From Leaching Trench (Distance in Feet)

Septic tank	6
Property line	10
Foundation	10
Waterline	10
High-water mark of reservoir	200
Watercourse, spring, and well	100
Drainage swale (as measured from break of slope)	50
Cut bank (as measured from top of cut), steep slope,* fill bank	4 times the height of cut bank, steep slope and fill bank, but not less than 25 feet nor more than 100 feet

*Steep slope means a slope of greater than 1 1/2 feet horizontal to one foot vertical (67 percent).

(h) Construction details:

Length of trench	Determined by percolation rate or Environmental Health Services
Width of trench	24 inches
Depth of trench	3 feet
Slope of trench	3 inches per 100 feet maximum
Minimum cover over rock	12 inches
Spacing of trenches	10 feet edge to edge or more based on slope
Rock under pipe	18 inches minimum
Rock over pipe	2 inches
Size of rock	1/2 inch to 2 1/2 inches

(Ord. No. NS-517.72, § 2, 4-15-03)

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