Section 410IAC6-8.3-52. General sewage disposal requirements

   (a) No person shall throw, run, drain, seep, or otherwise dispose into any of the surface waters or ground waters of this state, or cause, permit, or suffer to be thrown, run, drained, allowed to seep, or otherwise disposed into such waters, any organic or inorganic matter from a dwelling or residential on-site sewage system that would cause or contribute to a health hazard or water pollution.

  (b) The:

(1) design;

(2) construction;

(3) installation;

(4) location;

(5) maintenance; and

(6) operation;

of residential on-site sewage systems shall comply with the provisions of this rule.

  (c) All residential on-site sewage systems utilizing sanitary privies shall conform to department bulletin SE 11, "The Sanitary Vault Privy", 1986 Edition.

  (d) Any dwelling that is not connected, or cannot be connected, to a sanitary sewerage system shall be provided with a residential on-site sewage system that includes a septic tank and a soil absorption system that has not failed.

  (e) A temporary sewage holding tank is an alternative method of sewage disposal subject to the written approval of the department, except as provided in subsection (f). A temporary sewage holding tank shall not be used as a primary means of residential sewage disposal except:

(1) where necessary to prevent continued discharge of sewage from a failed existing residential on-site sewage system;

(2) when soil conditions exist that preclude the prompt construction of a soil absorption system on a site that has already received a construction permit; or

(3) where the holding tank is operated by a conservancy district, sewer district, private utility, or municipality as a part of its sewage disposal plan or for not more than one (1) year while connection to sanitary sewer is being secured. This one (1) year time frame may be extended upon documentation of satisfactory operation of the holding tank.

  (f) A temporary sewage holding tank may be approved by the local health department:

(1) as a temporary storage facility where occupancy of the home must continue while an existing residential on-site sewage system is being replaced or renovated; or

(2) until soil conditions permit the installation of a soil absorption system for which a construction permit has been issued.

  (g) If any conditions preclude the installation of a residential on-site sewage system as described in this rule, the local board of health may not approve the use of any other residential on-site sewage system technology unless written approval from the department is:

(1) issued, under subsection (h), for local health departments to issue construction permits for the use of the technology; or

(2) obtained for specific applications.

  (h) In order to permit development of new or more efficient sewage treatment or disposal processes, the department may approve the installation of experimental and TNI equipment, facilities, or pollution control devices for which extensive experience or records of use have not been developed in Indiana. The applicant for such approval must submit evidence of sufficient clarity and conclusiveness to convince the department that the proposal has a reasonable and substantial probability of satisfactory operation without failure.

  (i) No portion of the residential on-site sewage system or its associated drainage system shall be constructed upon property other than that from which the sewage originates unless easements, which grant permission for such construction and access for system maintenance, have been obtained for that property and have been legally approved and recorded by the proper authority or commission.

  (j) Residential on-site sewage systems shall not be used for the disposal of water from:

(1) roof drains;

(2) foundation drains;

(3) swimming pool main drains;

(4) hot tub drains; or

(5) area drains.

Neither shall they be used for the disposal of chemical wastes in quantities that would pollute ground water or inhibit solids settling or digestion in the septic tank.

  (k) Any jetted bathtub with a capacity of greater than one hundred twenty-five (125) gallons shall be treated as an extra bedroom for the on-site sewage system sizing requirements of this rule. (Indiana State Department of Health; 410 IAC 6-8.3-52; filed Oct 19, 2012, 2:06 p.m.: 20121114-IR-410120156FRA; filed Apr 9, 2014, 9:51 a.m.: 20140507-IR-410130350FRA)