Enforcement
Letters to Property Owners
If an OSS is undergoing dye testing, the County has already explained to property owners what happens if a failure is found. If this occurs, the County sends a letter with a warning explaining that the dye test has been conducted, the results were dye-positive, and soon the property owner will receive a Notice of Violation. Next, the County follows up with the Notice of Violation that includes a timeline for repair. If the property owner is unable to make the deadline, they must provide a written request for an extension or a status update. Failure to comply may result in civil penalties, which accrue daily. If the property owner does not comply or pay civil penalties, then court action is taken.
The County refers some pollution violations at dairies and confined animal feeding operations to the Department of Agriculture. The County will not take action if another agency is already enforcing the correction.
Regulations/Codes
In Thurston County, all property owners with OSSs in the marine recovery areas need to have a current operational certificate. If they do not complete the required inspections and needed maintenance or repairs, then they are in violation of the code. There are two tracks used for compliance with the O&M requirements depending on the risk level of the system: Low risk systems are designated as “non-conforming”, the violation is reported to potential buyers at time of sale and no other county permits for other work on the property are issued until the OSS is brought back into compliance. For high risk systems, legal actions available are used to gain compliance including notices of violation, civil penalties, and court orders. Refer to Article IV (PDF) for governing treatment and dispersal of sewage and Article VI (PDF) for governing nonpoint source pollution. Section 4.2 of Article VI includes animal waste violations. Article VI is practice-based and focuses on best management practices, and does not require that the County demonstrates through sampling that an operation is contributing bacteria or pollution.
Education and Outreach
Programs (including community demonstrations and school programs)
There are numerous education and outreach programs ongoing in the SPDs to inform residents about all types of nonpoint pollution. The county septic demonstration park was built as a training tool to teach owners how to inspect their systems, and thousand of owners have attended the training to learn how their system works and how to inspect it. The county and city stormwater utilities, CD, Puget Sound Restoration Fund's Henderson Inlet Community Shellfish Farm, Puget Sound Shellfish Institute and many others educate and actively engage citizens in water quality issues.
Mailings and General Outreach (including O&M manuals, guides)
Mailings, editorials and radio shows were performed when Henderson Inlet was downgraded.
Social Marketing and Behavior Change
During the initial outreach and education activities for the SPD, there was an increase in OSS repair applications and an immediate improvement in water quality, even before the O&M program went into effect. This was the result of the County's extensive, multi-year community involvement process that included a committee, community workshops, direct mailings, newsletters, surveys, editorial board comments, and TV programming, to support the formation of the SPD.
Surveys
Surveys were conducted when Henderson Inlet was downgraded.
Websites and Social Media
Thurston County's website includes educational material about the connection between pet waste and water quality.
Events (including workshops, open houses, and dinners)
Homeowner classes are very popular.