South Carolina Code of Regulations › Chapter 61 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL › Subchapter 61-56 - ONSITE WASTEWATER SYSTEMS › Section 61-56.101 - Definitions and References

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 6, June 28, 2024
101.1.
			 Definitions.
Accessibility - S.C. Code Sections
				44-55-1410
				and
				5-31-2010
				authorizes county and municipal governments to determine if a wastewater
				treatment facility is accessible to properties. Where annexation or easements
				to cross adjacent property are required to connect to a wastewater treatment
				facility, the wastewater treatment facility shall not be considered
				accessible.
Alternative System - A system incorporating design
				modifications of the proposed subsurface wastewater infiltration trench area
				(drain field) or absorption trench geometry for the purpose of achieving
				compliance with required setbacks and offset to the zone of saturation and/or
				restrictive horizons. No such system shall be utilized unless the Department
				has established a specific standard.
Alternative Infiltration Trench Products - Products
				specifically designed to replace or eliminate the aggregate typically utilized
				in subsurface infiltration trenches. Such products must be approved for use by
				the Department and must adhere to required equivalency values established
				herein.
Applicant - A property owner, general contractor or agent
				representing the property owner, or developer who seeks a permit to construct
				and operate an onsite wastewater system.
Bond - A sum of money set aside (Surety Bond) to insure
				completion of work under a contract.
Campground - An organized camp in which campsites are provided
				for use by the general public or certain groups.
Canal - An artificial waterway used for navigation, drainage,
				or irrigation.
Cleaning - The removal and transportation of septage from an
				onsite wastewater system, self-contained toilet, or other sewage holding system
				to an approved disposal location.
Color Charts (Munsell System or equivalent) - Charts bearing
				various color chips established by a recognized color system which uses three
				elements-hue, value, and chroma-to make up a specific color notation. The
				notation is recorded in the form of hue, value, and chroma (e.g., 10YR 5/6).
				The three attributes of color are arranged in the system in orderly scales of
				equal visual steps, which are used to measure and describe color accurately
				under standard conditions of illumination by comparing soil samples to color
				chips on various charts.
Construction - The installation, upgrade, or expansion of an
				onsite wastewater system.
Conventional System - An onsite wastewater system that utilizes
				a network of conventional wastewater infiltration trenches installed in the
				naturally occurring soil for the treatment and disposal of domestic
				wastewater.
Critical Area - S. C. Code Section
				48-39-10(J)
				defines critical area as the following:
1) coastal waters;
2) tidelands;
3) beaches;
4) beach/dune systems which are the areas
			 from the mean high-water mark to the setback line as determined in S. C. Code
			 Section
			 48-39-280.
Curtain Drain - A subsurface interceptor drain that is
				installed to collect and redirect groundwater as it flows through the soil
				profile to an appropriate discharge point.
Department - The South Carolina Department of Health and
				Environmental Control.
Ditch - A long narrow excavation intended for the purpose of
				drainage and/or irrigation.
Domestic Wastewater - The untreated liquid and solid human body
				waste and the liquids generated by water-using fixtures and appliances,
				including those associated with food service operations. For the purposes of
				this regulation, domestic wastewater shall not include industrial process
				wastewater.
Dwelling - A self-contained unit used by one (1) or more
				households as a home, such as a house, apartment, mobile home, house boat, tiny
				house, park model RV, RV or camper, or other substantial structure that
				provides living facilities for one (1) or more persons, including permanent or
				semi-permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking, and
				sanitation.
Effluent - The liquid discharged from a septic tank, effluent
				pump station, or other sewage treatment device.
Embankment - A bank of soil with at least two (2) feet of
				vertical height from top to bottom.
Environmentally Sensitive Waters - Outstanding resource waters
				(ORW), Shellfish Harvesting Waters (SFH), and Trout-Natural Waters (TN) as
				defined in R.61-68 and classified in R.61-69, and including lakes greater than
				forty (40) acres in size and the Atlantic Ocean, regardless of their
				classifications in R.61-69.
Existing System - An onsite wastewater system, which has
				received final construction approval or has been serving a legally occupied
				dwelling or structure.
Expansive Soils - Soils containing significant amounts of
				expansible-layer clay minerals (smectites) as evidenced in the field by
				classifications of "Very Sticky," "Very Plastic" and where "Slickensides" are
				present when evaluated in accordance with the Field Book. Such soil horizons
				are considered to be restrictive for onsite wastewater systems.
Failing Onsite Wastewater System - An onsite wastewater system
				that is discharging effluent in an improper manner or has ceased to function
				properly.
Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic - A fibrous glass and plastic
				mixture that exhibits a high strength to weight ratio and is highly resistant
				to corrosion.
Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils (Field Book) - A
				field guide published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural
				Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for making or reading soil descriptions
				and for sampling soils, as presently practiced in the USA.
Final Treatment and Disposal - Ultimate disposition of the
				effluent from a septic tank or other treatment device into the soil.
Flexural Modulus of Elasticity - A measure of stiffness of a
				material.
Flexural Strength - A measure of the ability of a material to
				withstand rupture when subjected to bend loading.
Gel Coating - A specially formulated polyester resin, which is
				pigmented and contains filler materials, the purpose of which is to provide a
				smooth, pore-free, watertight surface for fiberglass reinforced plastic
				parts.
Gleying - Bluish, greenish, or grayish colors in the soil
				profile that are indicative of markedly reduced conditions due to prolonged
				saturation. This condition can occur in both mottled and unmottled soils, and
				can be determined by using the gley page of the soil color charts.
Gray Water - Domestic wastewater that is generated by
				water-using fixtures and appliances such as sinks (excluding kitchen sinks),
				showers, and laundry but that does not come into direct contact with human
				excreta or solid organic matter.
Gray Water Subsurface Reuse Systems - A system designed to
				separately collect and treat gray water and subsequently dispose of gray water
				by reusing it as part of a subsurface irrigation system. This definition does
				not include any system designed to reuse gray water for any purpose, or by any
				means, other than subsurface irrigation. This definition also does not include
				any system that reuses or recirculates gray water within the confines of (i.e.,
				via the plumbing within) a dwelling unit, building, business, or other
				structure.
Grease Trap - A device designed to separate and store the oil
				and grease component of wastewater discharged from facilities that prepare
				food.
Industrial Process Wastewater - Non-domestic wastewater
				generated in a commercial or industrial operation that may or may not be
				combined with domestic wastewater.
License - The official document issued by the Department
				authorizing a person to be responsible for the construction, repair, or
				cleaning of onsite wastewater systems, self-contained toilets, and other sewage
				holding systems.
Licensed Onsite Wastewater System Installer (Installer) - A
				person authorized under this regulation to construct or repair onsite
				wastewater systems. The specific scope of activities authorized depends on the
				installer's tier of licensure, as follows:
(1) Tier 1 - May install all gravity-fed
			 residential onsite wastewater systems. This level is not authorized to conduct
			 repairs on existing onsite wastewater systems.
(2) Tier 2 - May install all Tier 1 systems
			 plus pumps, grease traps, systems with curtain drains, elevated infiltration
			 systems, mounded systems, and all commercial onsite wastewater systems, large
			 onsite wastewater systems, and community onsite wastewater systems. This level
			 is also authorized to conduct repairs on existing onsite wastewater
			 systems.
(3) Tier 3 - May install
			 all Tier 1 and 2 systems plus all Standard 610 - Specialized Onsite Wastewater
			 Systems. This level is also authorized to conduct repairs on existing onsite
			 wastewater systems.
Long-Term Acceptance Rate (LTAR) - The long-term rate,
				typically expressed in gallons per day (gpd) per square foot of trench bottom
				area, at which a mature onsite wastewater system can continue to accept
				effluent without hydraulic failure occurring. This flow rate is a result of the
				interaction between unsaturated soil hydraulic conductivity and biomat
				resistance.
Mottling - Morphological features of the soil revealed as spots
				or blotches of different color or shades of color interspersed with the
				dominant matrix color.
NSF Standard #14 - A National Sanitation Foundation Standard
				relating to thermoplastics which have been tested and found satisfactory for
				potable water supply uses, drains, waste, and vent applications.
Nonwater-Carried Sewage Treatment System - A self-contained
				system for waste treatment (such as a biological, composting, or incinerating
				toilet) that stores, treats, and renders human urine and feces inert without
				the use of water and that is designed to not discharge into the soil, onto the
				soil surface, into bodies of water, or other external media.
Onsite Wastewater (OSWW) System - A system, generally
				consisting of a collection sewer, septic tank(s), and subsurface wastewater
				infiltration area, designed to treat and dispose of domestic wastewater through
				a combination of natural processes that ultimately result in effluent being
				transmitted through the soil, renovated, and ultimately discharged to
				groundwater. An onsite wastewater system shall also include an onsite
				wastewater system, as described above, for the treatment and disposal of gray
				water.
(1) Small Onsite
			 Wastewater System - An individual system serving an individually deeded
			 dwelling or business that generates less than fifteen hundred (1500) gpd of
			 domestic wastewater. Management and maintenance of each system is the
			 responsibility of the individual property owner.
(2) Large Onsite Wastewater System (General)
			 - An individual system that treats and disposes of domestic wastewater
			 discharges in excess of fifteen hundred (1500) gpd.
(a) Privately Owned Large System - A large
			 onsite wastewater collection and treatment system that serves one (1) piece of
			 deeded property such as a school, adult residential care facility, rental
			 apartment complex, shopping center, campground, mobile home park, office
			 complex, etc. Management and maintenance of the system is the responsibility of
			 the individual property owner.
(b)
			 Community (Cluster) System - A wastewater collection and treatment system that
			 provides shared collection, treatment, and disposal of domestic wastewater from
			 multiple parcels or multiple units of individually deeded property. Such a
			 system might serve a small subdivision or a condominium complex. It is
			 imperative with such systems that some form of common ownership and management
			 be established and approved by the Department.
(c) Commercial Onsite Wastewater System - An
			 onsite wastewater system generating domestic wastewater or sewage that serves a
			 facility, other than a private dwelling, intended for the engagement of
			 commerce.
Operation and Maintenance - Activities including tests,
				measurements, adjustments, replacements, and repairs that are intended to
				maintain all functional units of the onsite wastewater system in a manner that
				will allow the system to function as designed.
Other Sewage Holding System - Components of a sewer system or
				holding tank not related to an onsite wastewater system, including grease
				traps.
Parent Material - The unconsolidated and chemically weathered
				mineral or organic matter from which the column of soils is developed by
				pedogenic processes.
Perched Zone of Saturation (Episaturation) - A zone of
				saturation above an unsaturated zone.
Permit - A written document or documents issued by the
				Department authorizing the construction and operation of an onsite wastewater
				system, nonwater-carried sewage treatment system, wastewater combustion system,
				or gray water subsurface reuse system under this regulation. The term "permit"
				includes the permit to construct and the approval to operate, both of which are
				required prior to operation of a system under this regulation. Upon
				installation of a permitted system and Department issuance of an approval to
				operate, the construction and operation permit remains in effect for the life
				of the onsite wastewater system that it authorizes.
Plasticity - The degree to which "puddled" or reworked soil can
				be permanently deformed without rupturing. The evaluation is made in accordance
				with the Field Book by forming a roll (wire) of soil at a water content where
				the maximum plasticity is expressed.
Primary Treatment - The initial process to separate solids from
				the liquid, digest organic matter, and store digested solids through a period
				of detention and biological conditioning of liquid waste.
Professional Soil Classifier ("PSC") - A person who, by reason
				of special knowledge of the physical, chemical, and biological sciences
				applicable to soils as natural bodies and of the methods and principles of soil
				classification as acquired by soils education and soil classification
				experience in the formation, morphology, description, and mapping of soils, is
				qualified to practice soil classifying and has been duly licensed by the South
				Carolina Soil Classifiers Advisory Council as a Professional Soil Classifier in
				South Carolina.
Public Entity - Any organizations such as a city, town county,
				municipality, or special purpose sewer district.
Public Water System - Any publicly or privately owned
				waterworks system that provides drinking water for human consumption as defined
				in R.61-58, State Primary Drinking Water Regulations.
Pump Chamber - A watertight, covered receptacle designed and
				constructed to receive and store the discharge from a septic tank until such
				time that the effluent is pumped to a final treatment and disposal site.
Pumping and Transporting Vehicle - A vehicle approved by the
				Department for the cleaning of onsite wastewater systems, self-contained
				toilets, and other sewage holding systems and the transporting of septage and
				sewage to an approved disposal site.
Receptor - Any water well or surface water of the state,
				including estuaries.
Redox Depletions - Morphological features that are formed by
				the processes of reduction and translocation of iron and manganese oxides in
				saturated soils. These features may be revealed as spots, blotches, or streaks
				and are lighter shades of color compared with the dominant matrix color.
Redoximorphic Features - Morphological features that are formed
				by the processes of reduction, translocation, and oxidation of iron and
				manganese oxides in saturated soils. These include redox concentrations, redox
				depletions, and reduced matrices.
Registered Professional Engineer - A person licensed as a
				Professional Engineer by the South Carolina State Board of Registration for
				Professional Engineers and Surveyors who, by reason of special knowledge of the
				mathematical and physical sciences and the principles and methods of
				engineering analysis and design, acquired by professional education and
				practical experience, is qualified to practice engineering as attested by the
				person's license and registration as a Professional Engineer in South
				Carolina.
Remote Subsurface Wastewater Infiltration Area - A subsurface
				wastewater infiltration area that is not situated within the legal boundaries
				of the primary lot or tract that it serves.
Repair - Any work performed on an existing onsite wastewater
				system for the purposes of correcting a system failure, malfunction, or
				unauthorized discharge, enhancing system performance, or relocation or
				replacement of the entire system or system components, provided there are no
				changes in use that would impact the existing system.
Repair or Replacement Area - An area identified on the permit
				to construct reserved for the installation of additional wastewater
				infiltration trenches.
Restrictive Horizon - A soil horizon that is capable of
				severely retarding the movement of groundwater or effluent and may be brittle
				and cemented with iron, aluminum, silica, organic matter, or other compounds.
				Restrictive horizons may occur as fragipans, iron pans, organic pans, or
				shallow rock formations and are recognized by their resistance in excavation
				and auger boring.
Resin - Any number of commercially available polyester products
				used in the manufacture of fiberglass reinforced products which serve to
				contribute mechanical strength, determine chemical and thermal performance, and
				prevent abrasion of fibers, and which must be physically and/or chemically
				determined to be acceptable for the environment, and free from inert filler
				materials.
Revocation - The permanent withdrawal of rights and privileges
				granted by a license or an onsite wastewater system permit or approval, as
				applicable.
Rippable Rock - The rippability of rock material is a measure
				of its ability to be excavated with conventional excavation equipment (e.g.,
				rubber-tired backhoe).
Saprolite - Soft, friable, thoroughly decomposed rock that has
				formed in place by chemical weathering, retaining the fabric and structure of
				the parent rock, and being devoid of expansive clay. Unconsolidated saprolite
				can be dug using a hand auger or knife. Consolidated saprolite cannot be
				penetrated with a hand auger or similar tool, and must be dug with a backhoe or
				other powered equipment.
Sealant - A bonding agent specifically designed to bond joining
				sections of fiberglass reinforced plastic products to each other in such a
				manner to create a durable, long-lasting, watertight seal, which does not alter
				the structural integrity or strength of the two (2) joined fiberglass
				products.
Self-Contained Toilet - A single or multiple-unit toilet and
				holding tank combination.
Septage - The mixture of solids and liquids removed during
				cleaning of a septic tank, grease trap, any other part of an onsite wastewater
				system, self-contained toilet, or other sewage holding system which receives
				domestic sewage; this includes the liquid, solid, and semi-solid materials
				which settle to the bottom of transport containers.
Septic Tank - A watertight, covered receptacle designed and
				constructed to receive the discharge of domestic wastewater from a building
				sewer, separate solids from the liquid, digest organic matter, store digested
				solids through a period of detention and biological conditioning of liquid
				waste, and allow the effluent to discharge for final treatment and
				disposal.
Serial Distribution - A method for effluent distribution on
				sloping terrain that utilizes drop boxes or earthen dams to affect total
				sequential flow from upper to lower wastewater infiltration trenches.
Sewage - Any liquid waste containing human, animal, vegetable,
				or chemical matter in suspension or solution from water closets, urinals,
				lavatories, bathtubs, laundry tubs or devices, floor drains, drinking
				fountains, or other water-using fixtures.
Site - The area or plot of land identified by a plat, deed, or
				other legal document specifying lot size and its boundaries that is submitted
				for evaluation by an applicant in an onsite wastewater system permit
				application.
Site Evaluation - Evaluation of the soil, geology, zone of
				saturation, surface waters, topography, structures, and property lines of the
				proposed location of the onsite wastewater system. The evaluation can be
				conducted directly by certified Department personnel or the Department may
				conduct an evaluation through the review of information submitted by a licensed
				person meeting the criteria of Section 102.1(2)(b) or (c).
Soils Report - A report prepared by a licensed person meeting
				the criteria of Section 102.1(2)(b) or (c) describing soil and site conditions
				for the purpose of designing an onsite wastewater system.
Soil Structure - The aggregation of primary soil particles
				(i.e., sand, silt, and clay) into compound particles or clusters of primary
				particles which are separated from the adjoining aggregates by surfaces of
				weakness. In soils with platy structure, the aggregates are plate-like and
				overlap one another to severely impair permeability. A massive condition can
				occur in soils containing considerable amounts of clay when a portion of the
				colloidal material, including clay particles, tends to fill the pore spaces
				making the soil very dense.
Soil Texture - The relative proportions of the three soil
				separates (sand, silt, and clay) in a given sample of soil. The percentages of
				each separate are used to determine which class a particular sample falls into
				by plotting the intersection of these three values on the U.S. Department of
				Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Textural
				Triangle.
Standard 610 - Specialized Onsite Wastewater System Design
				(less than 1500 gpd) - An onsite wastewater system that is certified to
				function satisfactorily and in accordance with all requirements of this
				regulation by virtue of it having been designed by a Registered Professional
				Engineer (PE) licensed in South Carolina with technical input from a licensed
				person meeting the criteria of Section 102.1(2)(b) or (c). Such systems have
				limited application and can only be utilized when the required engineering
				design, certification, and technical soils documentation have been provided to
				and accepted by the Department.
Standard - A group of requirements developed by the Department
				that specifies the minimum site conditions and design criteria necessary for
				the approval of a specific type of onsite wastewater system. A standard may
				also address minimum design criteria for certain components of onsite
				wastewater systems as well as methodologies for determining system
				sizing.
Stickiness - The capacity of soil to adhere to other objects.
				Stickiness is estimated in accordance with the Field Book at the moisture
				content that displays the greatest adherence when pressed between the thumb and
				forefinger.
Subdivision - Means all divisions of a tract or parcel of land
				into two (2) or more lots, building sites, or other divisions, for the purpose,
				whether immediate or future, of sale or building development, and includes all
				division of land involving a new street or a change in existing streets, and
				includes resubdivision. This definition shall apply whether the lots are to be
				sold, rented, or leased. This definition shall not apply when the division or
				partition of the land, or the conveyance of property is pursuant to a will, an
				intestacy statute, or an order by a probate judge.
Subsurface Wastewater Infiltration Area (Drain Field) - A
				specific area where a network of wastewater infiltration trenches or other
				devices of sewage application are installed to provide the final treatment and
				disposal of effluent.
Suspension - The temporary or indefinite withdrawal or
				cessation of rights and privileges granted by a license or onsite wastewater
				system permit or approval, as applicable.
Third-Party - A qualified person or entity, as determined by
				the Department, that is independent of the parties involved.
Ultimate Tensile Strength - A measure of the resistance of a
				material to longitudinal stress, measured by the minimum longitudinal stress
				required to rupture the material.
Upgrade/Expansion - Any work performed on an existing onsite
				wastewater system for the purposes of increasing the capacity of the system
				above its original design and/or accommodating wastes of a different character
				than was originally approved.
Variance - Means a written document issued by the Department
				that authorizes a modification or waiver of one or more requirements of this
				regulation, if in the opinion of the Department, a health hazard or nuisance
				will not result from the modification or waiver.
Wastewater Characteristics - The physical, chemical, and
				biological parameters and characteristics of domestic wastewater. Physical
				characteristics include turbidity, color, odor, total suspended solids (TSS),
				temperature and fats, oils and grease (FOG). Chemical characteristics include
				the presence and extent of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon
				(TOC), Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN), nitrogen, phosphorous, chlorides,
				sulfates, alkalinity, pH, heavy metals, trace elements, and priority pollutants
				identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Biological
				characteristics include biological oxygen demand (BOD), oxygen required for
				nitrification and microbial population. High strength wastewater is
				characterized as meeting one (1) or more of the following levels: BOD > 350
				mg/l, TSS >100 mg/l, TKN > 100 mg/l, FOG > 30 mg/l.
Wastewater Combustion System - A self-contained system for
				wastewater treatment that uses water as a medium for transport and storage. It
				treats and renders wastewater inert using maceration and incineration.
Wastewater Infiltration Trench - A trench installed in the
				naturally occurring soil that is utilized for the treatment and disposal of
				domestic wastewater.
Wastewater Treatment Facility - An accessible publicly or
				privately owned system of structures, equipment, and related appurtenances that
				treat, store, or manage wastewater.
Zone of Saturation - Any zone in the soil profile that has soil
				water pressures that are zero or positive at some time during the year. For the
				purpose of this regulation, the beginning of such a zone shall be utilized in
				determining all required vertical separations from the deepest point of
				effluent application. This zone shall be defined as the shallowest of those
				points at which either redox depletions of value four (4) or more and chroma
				two (2) or less appear or gleying is first observed; or, in the absence of
				other field identification methods, the maximum groundwater elevation as
				determined by wet season monitoring performed in accordance with criteria
				approved by the Department.