News posts are moving

Starting June first all of the AB-885 new posting activity will be posted at The Weimarian.  This blog will be here for archive only.  I will add an information page in the right hand column of The Weimarian with a log of the new AB-885 posts with links so that those AB-885 only readers can make sure that their posts don't get pushed down before they can get to read them.  I have been posting the same material on both blogs for a while and its just too redundant.  I doubt that we will see much in the way of activity until late summer or early fall when the new draft is expected to roll out.  I hope that this does not pose an inconvenience. 

Malibu Bacteria May Not Be from Human Waste

Not only have the regulations been "in the works" for over a decade it appears that the science of determining what the problem is may also have been.  This is important reading.

U. S. Geological Survey
Malibu Bacteria May Not Be from Human Waste

U. S. Geological Survey
Distribution of Fecal Indicator Bacteria along the Malibu, California, Coastline 

(Cross posted at The Weimarian.)

Regional Council of Rural Counties Represented at the AB 885 Scoping Meeting

Nevada County Supervisor Nate Beason spoke for the Regional Council of Rural Counties at the scoping meeting .  You can see some of his comments at the link below.

Beason Makes Case for Rural Counties at State Water Board

Feedback From The AB 885 Scoping Meeting

(Cross posted at The Weimarian)

This afternoon I took a trip to Sacramento. I thought it would be a good idea to attend the State Water Boards feedback meeting on the framework that they will hang new AB885 draft regulations on.  Having read the scoping document I personally felt that they were going in the correct direction but I wanted to see how others felt.  After listening to the comments made by representatives from about five or six agencies I think that there is consensus that the direction is a good one but the devil will be in the details.  If you read the Scoping document there weren't any surprises at the meeting.  It is expected that 95% septic systems will be affected by the new regulations.  There are no proactive septic or well inspections included.  Several questions were asked about large business or community septic systems, currently these regulations are only scoped for systems with an output of three thousand gallons or less per day.

We can relax for a bit as the draft regulations are not scheduled for release until September.  After the release there will be a 90 day comment period where they will collect feedback on the latest draft.  The SWRCB will be sticking to a rigorous schedule for this next release.  It appears that a greater sense of urgency was fostered by a lawsuit filed over the time it is taking to get AB885 regulations in place.  You can see some detail on the legal action here.   

I would suggest that those interested check the link at the bottom.  Next week you will be able to view the presentation slides from the scoping document feedback meetings and there is a link there to add yourself to an email list so that you can get updates via email.  It is important to note that an informed public providing feedback to the SWRCB is the reason for this positive change in direction.  The SWRCB should get credit for listening and we the people should continue to track the process and make sure that it is a working solution.  The devil will be in the details.


Onsite Waste Water Treatment Systems (OWTS)

New approach to septic systems

I found this opinion piece from the California Farm Bureau Federation at Aquafornia.  I have been waiting to see other peoples take on the scoping documents.  Its important to note that all we have at this point is a scoping document.  There will only be two meetings for public comment on the scoping documents because it is really feedback on the concept .  Once that feedback is collected and utilized we should get a look at a draft regulations.  The draft regulation roll out is where we should see more widespread public comment meetings on the more detailed regulations.

California Farm Bureau Federation:
Commentary: Water board to consider new approach on septic systems

Scoping Documents for the new proposed regulations are now available

Since I signed up for notifications on this topic I just received a notification email that the new documents are available.  I haven't had time to read them yet.  I am anxious to see how they are viewed by others so let us know what you think.  Check out the link below.  I will cross post this at The Weimarian


Onsite Waste Water Treatment Systems (OWTS)

Lawsuit filed against State Water Resources Control Board

I find some of this writers position to be a little hyperbolic but then who am I to judge.  This blogs title shows more than a little hyperbole as well. Those of us who live in glass houses should be a bit wary of throwing stones. If I had known that this blog would have been up for this long I may have done a few thing differently.  Personally I appreciate the current direction  that the SWRCB appears to be moving.  While it does seem to be a slow process most of that time was spent developing expensive unworkable solutions for problems that didn't even exist in most of California.   Read for yourself at the link below and draw your own conclusion. 


Spouting Off
Suing Over Septics