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As of April 7, 1981 Kenosha County has had a septic system maintenance program in effect for all POWTS where the application for a sanitary permit was approved and issued from that date forward.
For all POWTS where a sanitary permit was issued, a POWTS maintenance cycle was to be followed. For all POWTS, with exception to holding tanks and systems with pretreatment units, the minimum required maintenance (service) interval is 3 years.
Recently, the State of Wisconsin enacted a retroactive maintenance program for all POWTS regardless of permit issuance or installation date.
This POWTS maintenance program is a program that was a condition for participation in the Wisconsin Fund Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Replacement or Rehabilitation Grant Program offered by the State of Wisconsin for Kenosha County to perform. The maintenance functions were a requirement for all counties who participated in the Wisconsin Fund Program.
Within the 3-year maintenance interval of the last recorded date of service with this department, a notice and report form is mailed out to all affected POWTS owners notifying them that service is to be completed. If the POWTS service report form is not completed and recorded with this department within that first notice period, then a second notice with report form is mailed to all remaining affected POWTS owners reminding them of this requirement. After the second notice period has expired, POWTS owners who still have not complied with the requirements stated in the notices undergo enforcement measures to obtain compliance.
All POWTS owners are responsible for making sure this department receives the completed service report form that was sent with the reminder notices. Owners should not assume that if their POWTS has been pumped that this department will know that. POWTS owners must also not assume that the POWTS service provider will automatically send to this department a maintenance report form. If the service company has not been provided with this form, then nothing will be sent to this department regarding the POWTS service. If this department does not receive the completed service report form signed by the service provider, then the POWTS owner is still considered non-compliant. The service providers have been given review authority by the State of Wisconsin, and are accountable for the data provided on the service report forms.
Download the Septic Tank Service Report (pdf, 92k)
For those POWTS owners who have pressurized systems (includes mounds) both tanks, the septic tank and the dose tank, must be serviced. These servicing events provide an opportunity for the service provider to check to see if there appears to be any system malfunctions. It also provides the service provider an opportunity to service the effluent filter that serves all POWTS as of July 1, 2000. Some POWTS installed before July 1, 2000 also have effluent filters.
The primary purpose for having the tank(s) serviced is to remove any accumulated solids that can no longer be digested by the microorganisms in the tank(s). By removing these solids (sludge) you will be able to allow your POWTS system last for a longer period of time. The solids, if left to accumulate for too long a period of time, can force solids out of the tank prematurely by reducing the length of time wastewater is retained in the tank.
If this happens, the solids will flow out of the treatment tank, and either settle out in the POWTS pipes, or in the drainfield. This can and does eventually cause problems within the home or drainfield.
If you have any questions regarding this program or issue you can contact Kenosha County Planning and Development through email or phone.
If you need a septic tank maintenance report form, download the Septic Tank Service Report (pdf, 92k).
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All owners of holding tank Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (POWTS) are required to submit to the Kenosha County Planning and Development Department a maintenance report annually, or upon request if necessary.
Most often the wastewater pumping companies (service providers) will submit an annual pumping report to this department as a convenience to their customers. Not all pumping companies will provide this service so you should check with your service provider to find out if this will be done for you.
On occasion a few report forms may be missed by the service providers that are usually submitted annually to this office. After all data entry has been completed to our database, a letter notifying the affected owners is sent to tell them that they need to submit a maintenance report form to this department.
Usually, a single notice to the property owner regarding the delinquent report form is sufficient to get the correction made. If the first notice of delinquency isn’t sufficient, then, a second notice is sent. If after expiration of the second notice period, a completed report form has not been received by this department, corrective measures will have to be taken by this Department to obtain compliance.
Pretreatment Unit Maintenance will vary depending on the type of unit you have. Pretreatment can be accomplished several ways. One way is to inject a substantial amount of air into the wastewater in the pretreatment tank, creating an aerobic environment that will sustain high bacterial populations, which then actively digest organics in the aerated wastewater. The other method of pretreatment is to re-circulate wastewater over a filter medium frequently (several times/hour). A portion of the wastewater will go to another treatment component for dispersal and a portion will go back to the septic tank for redistribution over the filter medium.
Each type of pretreatment unit therefore will have its own required maintenance interval. It may be every 4 months, 6 months or once a year. Some pretreatment units will have chlorinating units or ultra violet lights as part of the system and will also have maintenance and replacement intervals of every 1-2 years for those components.
It is because of these additional components that additional consideration is given to septic tank maintenance and dose tank maintenance timelines for pumping intervals. The maintenance pumping intervals may be expanded because of the sensitive nature of the pretreatment unit used in the Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment System (POWTS) network of components.
A service report form should be provided to this department after each service interval for the Pretreatment Unit and its components. Each maintenance company for the various Pretreatment Unit Systems on the market has their own service report form due to the individual characteristics of each particular unit.
The owner of the POWTS is still responsible for making sure a completed service report form is submitted to this department. This department will send two notices to the property owners to remind them of this obligation. If the completed service report form has not been received by this department in the specified timeframe then corrective measures are taken to obtain compliance.
A citation is issued as a reminder to the POWTS owner of the maintenance obligation they have to the County to ensure proper operation of the POWTS.
It is important to remember that maintenance is the key to achieving design performance and extended use of each POWTS.