On-Site Wastewater Management In Texas
About 50,000 on-site wastewater treatment systems are installed annually in Texas. By definition, wastewater managed by an on-site system cannot leave the property where it is generated. The water can evaporate into the air, transpire through plants or move through the soil to groundwater. An effective on-site system removes wastewater from the home, treats and distributes the wastewater, and protects our water resources.
Selecting the appropriate system for the site conditions is critical to the system’s success. If you select the wrong system or design, or install, operate or maintain the system improperly, it can fail, which could result in pollution of your property and that of others. You could also be fined. Problem soils can make it difficult for traditional septic tanks and drainfields to function properly. In some cases, new homeowners may not be able to install standard systems under the 2001 Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission on-site wastewater rules, 30 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 285, and may need to explore non-standard methods of on-site wastewater treatment.
The links below provide further information about on-site wastewater treatment technologies:
- A recent series published by Texas Cooperative Extension on how to install and maintain on-site wastewater treatment systems. This material covers conventional septic tank/drain field topics and alternative on-site wastewater treatment systems such as low-pressure dosing, constructed wetlands, and subsurface drip distribution.
- Texas On-Site Insights is a newsletter which focuses on issues pertaining to on-site wastewater systems including system performance, new technologies, and the environmental impact of failing systems. It also includes information about on-site wastewater meetings, conferences and training sessions.
- City of Austin on-site technology fact sheets
- EPA Guidelines for Management of Onsite/Decentralized
Wastewater Systems