As most rural Darke County residences are aware, the Health Department has implemented an Operation and Maintenance (O/M) program for septic systems in the county. The Health Department is required to issue an operating permit and make sure every system is maintained properly and not creating a nuisance.
For all types of systems, part of septic system maintenance is to have risers on the inlet and outlet sides of your tank. This allows the health department or service provider to monitor the condition of the tank, condition of the baffles, and water levels.
For all leachbed and sandfilter systems after the tank, there is a distribution box and/or a splitter box present to disperse the sewage to several different lines. The Health Department needs to evaluate the condition and water levels inside all distribution boxes to ensure the system is working properly. All distribution and splitter boxes are now required to have risers on them, no matter the age or type of system.
For more information on the requirement of distribution boxes or the O/M program, please contact Sophie Hurley, RS at the Health Department: 937-548-4196 ext. 208.
