Septic Codes, Design Books, Septic Installation Manuals, Septic Standards, Onsite Wastewater Publications, Septic Journals

Septic & onsite wastewater design guides, codes, manuals organized by country or area:

This document lists key septic system design guidelines, codes, manuals, standards, and journals - information about and specifications for conventional and alternative septic systems - onsite wastewater disposal systems for various countries or areas of the world.

Septic design & installation regulations for septic tanks, cesspools, drainfields, soakaway beds and other onsite wastewater treatment & disposal systems. Septic system & onsite wastewater design regulations for the U.S., U.K., Australia,the Caribbean, Latin America, New Zealand, the U.K., & Other Countries. Guide to agencies regulating sewage treatment systems around the world.

Septic System & Off-Grid Onsite Septic System & Wastewater Treatment Regulations, Standards & Codes: Onsite Wastewater Publications

Septic System or Onsite Wastewater Disposal System Codes & Regulations around the world

• Australia: WIDE WORLD of ACTIVATED SLUDGE extensive information.
• HOME BUYERS GUIDE to SEPTIC SYSTEMS Inspection & Testing - What to Do, Step by Step.
• Canada Provincial & Local Septic Codes: (examples)
  • British Columbia Sewerage System Regulations, Standard Practice Manual, Inspection Guidelines provided by the BC Ministry of Health and posted online by BCOSSA British Columbia Onsite Sewage Association, Victoria BC tel: 250-391-8442 email: info@bcossa.com news, training, standards, conferences on onsite wastewater disposal
  • "Manual of Policy, Procedures, and Guidelines for Onsite Sewage Systems," Ontario Reg. 374/81, Part VII of the Environmental Protection Act (Canada), ISBN 0-7743-7303-2, Ministry of the Environment,135 St. Clair Ave. West, Toronto Ontario M4V 1P5 Canada $24. CDN.
• Caribbean: Universities Water Information Network includes Directory of Water Resources from Caribbean, Central America, and Database of international water research
• International Private Sewage Disposal Code, 1995, sponsored by BOCA - 708-799-2300, ICBO - 310-699-0541, SBCCI - 205-591-1853, available from those code associations.
• Italy: Wastewater Treatment Index interesting Italian resource
• Latin America  
  • Central America: U.S. EPA demonstrates Viable/Sustainable Wastewater Treatment in Central America
  • Costa Rica San Jose Costa Rica Wastewater Sewage Treatment
  • Ecowaters Projects EcoSan Ecological Sanitation Alternatives, including waste disposal solutions in Latin America
• Mariana Islands: Percolation Testing Manual from Saipan in the Mariana Islands.
• U.K. Septic Regulations: U.K. OFF-GRID SEPTIC REGULATIONS & SEWAGE SYSTEMS
• United Nations Environment Program, Alternative Technologies for Freshwater Augmentation, Wastewater Treatment Technologies and Reuse
• United States - USA:  U.S. SEPTIC AUTHORITIES & DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS for a by-state list of septic and onsite wastewater design regulations, codes, guides.

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Onsite Wastewater Disposal Books

• ICBO, "International Private Sewage Disposal Code," 1995, BOCA-708-799-2300, ICBO-310-699-0541, SBCCI 205-591-1853, available from those code associations.
• Macomber, Patricia S.H. Guidelines on rainwater catchment systems for Hawaii, (CTAHR resource management publication) . This more technical document may be especially helpful for rainwater collection and recycling systems for climates where there is heavy rainfall such as demonstrated for Hawaii.
• Ontario M.E., "Manual of Policy, Procedures, and Guidelines for Onsite Sewage Systems," Ontario Reg. 374/81, Part VII of the Environmental Protection Act (Canada), ISBN 0-7743-7303-2, Ministry of the Environment,135 St. Clair Ave. West, Toronto Ontario M4V 1P5 Canada $24. CDN.
• San Diego Business Journal, City eying home water-recycling technology; uses bath and washer water for irrigation., (ReWater Systems' equipment for greywater irrigation): This is an article from: San Diego Business Journal [HTML] (Digital) available online in digital format. I have not (yet) reviewed it -- DF
• US EPA ONSITE WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS MANUAL [online copy, free] Top Reference: US EPA's Design Manual for Onsite Wastewater Treatment and Disposal, 1980, available from the US EPA, the US GPO Superintendent of Documents (Pueblo CO), and from the National Small Flows Clearinghouse. Original source
• US EPA Decentralized Systems Technology Fact Sheet: Septic Tank - Soil Absorption Systems, U.S. EPA, PDF Document provides basic information about septic tanks and drainfields.
• US Public Health Service, Manual of Septic Tank Practice, US Public Health Service's 1959.
  
  * Current construction, maintenance, and repair methods
  
  * New International Private Sewage Disposal Code
  
  * Up-to-date standards from the American Water Works Association
  
• NSFC: The NSFC Products List has an excellent list of design manuals/modules National Small Flows Clearinghouse (NSFC) now (2019/12/13) hosted at http://www.nesc.wvu.edu/ Tel: 304-293-4191 e-mail info@mail.nesc.wvu.edu.
  

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

My septic system freezes in winter and I have to keep pumping the septic tank

I have a new idustrial building 5 years old and during the winter i have to pump the septic twice a month and not at all during the warmer months. i would presume its because the ground is frozen, how would i corect the problem (Feb 21, 2015) jeff brown

Reply:

This is a functional question, not a code question,

You'll want to review the advice at

• FREEZE PROTECTION for SEPTIC TANKS
• FROZEN AEROBIC SEPTIC or WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM

Bottom line: I'd inspect the effluent piping between tank and drainfields to see if it's above the frost line and freezing.

But normally an in-use septic field is getting enough warmth from building wastewater that provided it's in active use it does not freeze even in very cold weather.

So you should be looking for a blocked septic effluent line - have the lines checked with a sewer line camera.

Also check in the D-box for uneven flow among soakbed liines. 

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• BUILDING CODE DOWNLOADS - free downloadable PDF files of building codes & standards
• SEPTIC & SEWAGE TREATMENT CODES & REFERENCES
  • U.K. OFF-GRID SEPTIC REGULATIONS & SEWAGE SYSTEMS
  • U.S. SEPTIC AUTHORITIES & DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
  • SEPTIC & SEWAGE TREATMENT REGULATIONS, OTHER
• SEPTIC INSPECTION & TEST LAWS & PROCEDURES
• SEPTIC SOIL & PERC TESTS
• SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN ALTERNATIVES - home
• SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN BASICS - home
• SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN MANUAL - Online

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