Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, they are required statewide.

No, these inspections are required by the North Carolina on-site wastewater rules. The rules require that the local health department conduct these inspections.

Yes, we often find things that need to be repaired or replaced that are preventative measures. This simply means if you will fix the problem now it may prevent sewage on top of the ground later.

The number one way to protect your system is to keep the solids from getting into your drain field. You can do this by:

• Keeping your tank pumped every three (3) to five (5) years
• Keeping your filter in place and cleaned as needed
• Not flushing any cleaning solutions, chemicals or grease down the toilet or drain
• Limiting the use of the garbage disposal
• Not putting backwash from a water softener into your septic tank
• Limiting your water use as much as possible

It is a septic system with usually one (1) pump, installed with small diameter (1-1.25 inches) Schedule 40 pipe. The system is installed shallow (12-14 inches deep) with four (4) to six (6) inches of soil cover. It is installed in 18-inch-wide trenches and designed to distribute effluent equally to all parts of the system, once the system has been pressurized. The system works well but must be monitored and maintained by a certified operator.

Your system may be in your front yard, back yard, or your entire system may not even be on your property. Please call 336-641-7613 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. to get information about your system type and system location, providing we have an updated file on your property.

The answer is manyfold. All systems with pumps that were installed or repaired beginning July 1, 1992, are required to have inspections completed on certain intervals. Inspections are not required by state rules if your neighbor does not have a pump on their septic system or if their pump system was installed prior to July 1, 1992.

Yes, the UST State Trust Fund assists owner, operators, and landowners to clean contaminated soils and groundwater at both commercial and non-commercial sites. If you discover a leak, submit a Trust Fund application to determine you eligibility for reimbursement.

To permanently close a UST:

• Notify your regional office and submit form UST-3, 30 days before you close the tanks. If the tanks are closed by a professional engineer or a licensed geologist, you may submit form UST-3 five (5) working days before closure.
• Notify the local fire marshal's office.
• Thoroughly clean all tanks. Remove them from the ground or fill them with a solid, non-reactive material like sand or concrete.
• Dispose of removed tanks properly. Ask you contractor about proper disposal. USTs are often cleaned and cut up for scrap metal. Qualified personnel should perform this dangerous work. Otherwise, you may be held responsible for environmental damage.
• Conduct a closure site assessment to check for leaks.
• Prepare your site assessment report using the UST-12 format. If a release is found, either a P.E. or L.G. must seal the report. If no release is found, no professional seal is required.
• Submit the site assessment and form UST-2 to your regional office and ask for a copy of Guidelines for Tank Closure.

Report it to your regional office within 24 hours. If the assessment shows contamination levels above acceptable levels, clean up is required.

An operator is one who is in control of, or has responsibility for, the daily operation of an UST system.

Bring all tanks into compliance with the regulations, or permanently close them. Owners/operators of non-compliant tanks may be penalized.

UST systems that store motor fuel (gasoline, kerosene, diesel, aviation fuel, etc.) for resale, UST systems that contain motor fuel for business vehicles, and farm or residential tanks that hold more than 1,100 gallons of motor fuel must comply with regulations.

Owners and operators are equally responsible for complying with all applicable UST regulations.

Before cleaning, soil samples need to be taken to determine how much contamination is present. Groundwater samples may also need to be taken, especially if groundwater is close to the contaminated soil. These samples must be analyzed by a qualified laboratory. To ensure that the sampling is completed properly, a professional must be retained. Depending upon the levels and extent of the contamination and depending upon geology, further assessment and cleanup may be necessary. The Health Department staff can be helpful in determining what further steps are needed.

If a leak from an aboveground tank is discovered, it must be reported to the Health Department office immediately. If cleanup is required, the Health Department will provide you with guidance about how to proceed. Unfortunately, North Carolina's cleanup fund does not cover releases from aboveground storage tanks.

If you discover signs of a leak, spill, or contamination, such as stains on the soil, strong petroleum odor, puddles of oil, etc. contact the Environmental Health Division of the Guilford County Department of Public Health immediately at 336-641-7613. If you are responsible for the contamination, the Health Department will provide you with the appropriate information as to how to proceed.

Home heating oil tanks are exempt from the closure requirements (closure of USTs means removing the contents, removing the tank from the ground or filling with a solid, inert material, such as sand, and analyzing soil samples for any possible contamination). Even though these closure requirements do not apply to home heating oil tanks, a tank owner is advised to empty a tank once it is no longer being used in order to limit the chances of release. Although it is not a requirement to remove old heating oil tanks, potential buyers are sometimes reluctant to purchase property with USTs; therefore removal may be a good idea in the interests of resale.

Home heating oil tanks are exempt from the technical regulations that apply to other, regulated underground storage tanks (USTs). Even though home heating oil tanks are exempt from these technical regulations, some groundwater regulations will apply if there is a leak or spill from your tank.

Many companies do environmental work. Typically, they can be found online or in the yellow pages of a telephone book under “Environmental Consultants." When choosing a company, we recommend getting several estimates and references. Site assessments and cleanup work must be conducted under the responsible charge of a licensed geologist or professional engineer.

Primarily, the statutory tank owner is responsible for cleaning up the contamination. Who the statutory tank owner is depends upon when the tank was last used. If the UST has been used on or after Nov. 8, 1984, then the current landowner can be considered the statutory tank owner. If the UST was taken out of use before Nov. 8, 1984, then the last person who used that UST is still considered the tank owner (even if they no longer own the property). For example, if you bought a house with a home heating oil tank on it and that tank has not been used since the 1970s, you would not be considered the statutory tank owner (unless you used that tank). However, if that tank was taken out of use in 1985 (or any time after Nov. 8, 1984), you would be considered the tank owner (even if you never used it).