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Senate
File
2255
-
Introduced
SENATE
FILE
2255
BY
COMMITTEE
ON
NATURAL
RESOURCES
AND
ENVIRONMENT
(SUCCESSOR
TO
SSB
3125)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
the
treatment
of
private
sewage
disposal
1
systems,
including
monitoring,
maintenance,
and
reporting
2
requirements,
and
including
applicability
provisions.
3
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
4
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6893SV
(1)
91
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S.F.
2255
Section
1.
NEW
SECTION
.
455B.241
Definitions.
1
As
used
in
this
part
3
of
subchapter
III,
unless
the
context
2
otherwise
requires:
3
1.
“Aerobic
treatment
unit”
means
a
disposal
system
4
employing
bacterial
action
that
is
maintained
by
the
5
utilization
of
air
or
oxygen
and
includes
the
aeration
plant
6
and
equipment
and
the
method
of
final
effluent
disposal.
7
2.
“Certified
technician”
means
a
person
who
is
certified
8
in
accordance
with
the
manufacturer
to
monitor,
maintain,
and
9
inspect
the
system.
10
3.
“Class
A
proprietary
treatment
system”
or
“class
A
system”
11
means
a
media-based
or
passive
secondary
treatment
system
12
including
but
not
limited
to
a
peat
moss
biofilter,
coconut
13
fiber
filter,
synthetic
foam
filter,
polystyrene
bead
media
14
filter,
or
textile
filter.
15
4.
“Class
B
proprietary
treatment
system”
or
“class
B
system”
16
means
a
secondary
treatment
system
that
relies
on
mechanical
17
aeration
or
fixed
film
processes.
18
5.
“Packed
bed
media
filter”
means
a
watertight
structure
19
filled
with
uniformly
sized
media
that
is
normally
placed
over
20
an
underdrain
system.
The
wastewater
is
dosed
onto
the
surface
21
of
the
media
through
a
distribution
network
and
is
allowed
to
22
percolate
through
the
media
to
the
underdrain
system.
The
23
underdrain
collects
the
filtrate
and
discharges
the
final
24
effluent.
25
6.
“Private
sewage
disposal
system”
means
a
system
that
26
provides
for
the
treatment
or
disposal
of
domestic
sewage
from
27
four
or
fewer
dwelling
units
or
the
equivalent
of
less
than
28
sixteen
individuals
on
a
continuing
basis,
including
domestic
29
waste,
whether
residential
or
nonresidential,
but
not
including
30
industrial
waste
of
any
flow
rate
except
as
provided
for
in
31
567
IAC
68.8.
“Private
sewage
disposal
system”
includes
but
is
32
not
limited
to
a
septic
tank,
holding
tank
for
waste,
chemical
33
toilet,
impervious
vault
toilet,
or
portable
toilet.
34
7.
“Proprietary
treatment
system”
means
either
a
class
A
or
35
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class
B
system.
1
Sec.
2.
NEW
SECTION
.
455B.242
Monitoring
and
maintenance
2
requirements.
3
1.
Prior
to
the
installation
of
a
private
sewage
disposal
4
system,
the
owner
shall
enter
a
monitoring
and
maintenance
5
contract
with
a
certified
technician.
The
contract
shall
be
6
required
for
the
life
of
the
system,
and
a
copy
of
the
contract
7
shall
be
provided
to
the
county
sanitarian.
8
2.
A
private
sewage
disposal
system
shall
be
inspected,
9
monitored,
and
maintained
in
accordance
with
the
manufacturer’s
10
specifications.
However,
a
class
A
system
shall
be
inspected
11
at
least
annually.
A
class
B
system
shall
be
inspected
at
12
least
twice
per
year
or
more
frequently
if
required
by
the
13
manufacturer’s
specifications.
14
3.
All
monitoring
and
maintenance
shall
be
performed
by
15
a
certified
technician.
A
certified
technician
shall
report
16
results
to
the
system
owner
and
to
the
county
sanitarian.
All
17
inspections
shall
be
performed
by
the
county
sanitarian
and
18
such
results
shall
be
reported
as
required
in
section
455B.243.
19
4.
For
a
class
A
proprietary
treatment
system,
a
media
20
filter
such
as
a
peat
moss
biofilter,
coconut
fiber
filter,
21
synthetic
foam
filter,
polystyrene
bead
media
filter,
or
22
textile
filter
may
be
used
if
the
site
is
unacceptable
for
23
a
soil
absorption
system
and
an
intermittent
sand
filter.
24
Preference
should
be
given
to
the
use
of
a
class
A
system
due
25
to
the
higher
maintenance
requirements
of
aerobic
treatment
26
units
and
fixed
film
systems.
An
aerobic
treatment
unit
may
be
27
used
only
when
the
site
is
unacceptable
for
a
soil
absorption
28
system
or
an
intermittent
sand
filter.
Because
of
the
higher
29
maintenance
requirements
of
aerobic
treatment
units,
preference
30
should
be
given
to
packed
bed
media
filters
where
conditions
31
allow.
32
5.
For
a
class
B
proprietary
treatment
system,
an
aerobic
33
treatment
unit
and
modular
fixed
film
system
may
only
be
used
34
when
the
site
is
unacceptable
for
a
soil
absorption
system,
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intermittent
sand
filter,
and
class
A
system.
A
class
B
system
1
shall
not
be
used
for
a
vacation
home,
church,
event
facility,
2
or
infrequent-use
facility.
3
6.
An
aerobic
treatment
unit
that
discharges
on
the
surface
4
of
the
ground
shall
have
either
an
intermittently
operated
slow
5
sand
filter
or
a
free
access
sand
filter
on
the
discharge,
with
6
both
types
of
sand
filters
sized
at
a
maximum
of
five
gallons
7
per
square
foot
of
design
flow.
The
free
access
sand
filter
8
shall
have
a
minimum
of
twenty-four
inches
of
filter
sand
over
9
the
top
of
a
collection
system.
The
free
access
sand
filter
10
cover
shall
be
easily
opened
to
clean
the
sand
surface.
11
Sec.
3.
NEW
SECTION
.
455B.243
Reporting.
12
1.
When
a
county
sanitarian
conducts
an
inspection
of
13
a
private
sewage
disposal
system,
at
least
the
following
14
information
shall
be
recorded:
15
a.
The
date
of
the
review.
16
b.
The
type
of
proprietary
treatment
system.
17
c.
Whether
the
system
is
functioning
correctly
or
18
functioning
incorrectly.
19
d.
If
the
system
is
functioning
incorrectly,
the
primary
20
reason
for
the
deficiency,
including
but
not
limited
to:
21
(1)
Improper
installation.
22
(2)
Lack
of
required
maintenance.
23
(3)
Failure
to
meet
expected
treatment
performance.
24
2.
The
county
sanitarian
shall
submit
the
information
to
the
25
department
in
the
form
and
manner
prescribed
by
the
department.
26
3.
The
department
shall
compile
the
information
and
27
shall
maintain
a
publicly
accessible
database
summarizing
28
inspection
outcomes.
The
database
shall
not
include
personally
29
identifiable
information.
30
Sec.
4.
NEW
SECTION
.
455B.244
Rulemaking
authority.
31
The
department
may
adopt
rules
as
necessary
to
administer
32
this
part.
33
Sec.
5.
APPLICABILITY.
This
Act
applies
to
the
monitoring,
34
maintenance,
and
inspection
of
private
sewage
disposal
systems,
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2255
as
defined
in
section
455B.241,
as
enacted
by
this
Act,
1
installed
on
or
after
July
1,
2026.
2
EXPLANATION
3
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
4
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
5
This
bill
relates
to
the
treatment
of
private
sewage
6
disposal
systems,
including
monitoring,
maintenance,
and
7
reporting
requirements.
8
The
bill
defines
key
terms,
including
“aerobic
treatment
9
unit”,
“private
sewage
disposal
system”,
and
“proprietary
10
treatment
system”,
classifying
proprietary
treatment
systems
11
into
class
A
systems,
which
are
media-based
or
passive
12
secondary
treatment
systems,
and
class
B
systems,
which
rely
on
13
mechanical
aeration
or
fixed
film
processes.
14
The
bill
requires,
prior
to
installation
of
a
private
15
sewage
disposal
system,
the
owner
to
enter
into
a
monitoring
16
and
maintenance
contract
with
a
certified
technician.
The
17
contract
is
required
for
the
life
of
the
system,
and
a
18
copy
must
be
provided
to
the
county
sanitarian.
The
bill
19
requires
systems
to
be
inspected,
monitored,
and
maintained
in
20
accordance
with
manufacturer
specifications,
and
sets
minimum
21
inspection
frequencies
for
each
system
type.
The
bill
requires
22
a
certified
technician
to
perform
monitoring
and
maintenance
23
and
to
report
the
results
to
the
system
owner
and
the
county
24
sanitarian.
The
bill
requires
the
county
sanitarian
to
perform
25
all
inspections
and
report
the
results
as
provided
in
the
bill.
26
The
bill
allows
a
class
A
system
to
use
a
media
filter
27
when
a
site
is
unsuitable
for
a
soil
absorption
system
and
an
28
intermittent
sand
filter,
and
expresses
a
preference
for
class
29
A
systems.
The
bill
allows
the
use
of
an
aerobic
treatment
30
unit
only
when
a
site
is
unacceptable
for
a
soil
absorption
31
system
or
an
intermittent
sand
filter,
and
expresses
a
32
preference
for
packed
bed
media
filters
where
conditions
allow.
33
For
a
class
B
system,
the
bill
only
allows
an
aerobic
treatment
34
unit
and
modular
fixed
film
system
when
a
site
is
unsuitable
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for
a
soil
absorption
system,
intermittent
sand
filter,
and
1
class
A
system.
The
bill
also
prohibits
the
use
of
a
class
B
2
system
for
a
vacation
home,
church,
event
facility,
and
any
3
other
infrequent-use
facility.
4
The
bill
requires
an
aerobic
treatment
unit
that
discharges
5
on
the
surface
of
the
ground
to
use
either
an
intermittently
6
operated
slow
sand
filter
or
a
free
access
sand
filter
that
7
meets
certain
specifications.
8
The
bill
requires
a
county
sanitarian
to
record
certain
9
information
when
inspecting
a
private
sewage
disposal
system,
10
including
the
date
of
review,
the
type
of
system,
whether
the
11
system
is
functioning
correctly,
and,
if
not,
the
primary
12
reason
for
the
deficiency.
The
county
sanitarian
must
submit
13
the
information
to
the
department
of
natural
resources
14
(department).
The
bill
requires
the
department
to
compile
15
the
information
and
maintain
a
publicly
accessible
database
16
summarizing
inspection
outcomes,
without
including
personally
17
identifiable
information.
18
The
bill
authorizes
the
department
to
adopt
rules
as
19
necessary
to
administer
the
bill.
20
The
bill
applies
to
the
monitoring,
maintenance,
and
21
inspection
of
private
sewage
disposal
systems
installed
on
or
22
after
July
1,
2026.
23
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