Maine Waterfront Property – Septic System Design and Construction

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Maine Waterfront Property – Septic System Design and Construction


Here’s another installment on some basics about septic systems.

How do I get a septic system designed and constructed?

There are four steps to designing and building a septic system:

1. The system must be designed by a professional known as a Licensed Site Evaluator. Site Evaluators are private consultants licensed by the State of Maine who charge a fee for their service. A list of site evaluators who practice locally is available from the Local Plumbing Inspector of the town where the property is located. A statewide list of evaluators is also found here. The site evaluator will provide a system design in a standard format called an HHE-200 form.

2. A permit must be obtained from the Local Plumbing Inspector of the town where the system will be constructed. Three copies of the system design(HHE-200) are brought to the Local Plumbing Inspector(LPI) and a permit sticker will be attached after the permit fee is paid. The LPI will keep two copies of the design for local and state records, and give one copy back to the applicant. You will also need to notify the LPI of the schedule for installing the system so that inspection can be arranged.

3. Construction is normally done by an excavating contractor. It is permissible to construct the system yourself provided that the installation is done in accordance with the approved plans. It is recommended that two or more estimates be obtained from reputable contractors to ensure that the best price is obtained. The cost of the septic system is influenced by a number of factors including the contractor’s schedule and source of materials.

4. The system needs to be inspected by the Local Plumbing Inspector to ensure that it is installed in accordance with the subsurface rules. Inspection of the system by the designer is not normally provided as a basic service, but may be available in addition to the design. Because inspections must be coordinated with the construction schedule, the contractor should be responsible for scheduling inspections and should be aware of who to contact to do so. The LPI will initial the HHE-200 when inspections are conducted as evidence that the proper inspections were performed.

 

Our thanks to our friends at Green Environmental Engineering in Wayne, Maine for providing answers to our septic questions. To visit their site go to http://mainesepticdesign.com/index.htm

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