All repairs made to a failing onsite sewage treatment and disposal system shall be made only with prior knowledge and written approval from the Department having jurisdiction over the system. Approval shall be granted only if all of the following conditions are met:

1. (1) Any property owner or lessee who has an onsite sewage treatment and disposal system which is improperly constructed or maintained, or which fails to function in a safe or sanitary manner shall request from the Department, either directly or through their agent, a permit to repair the system prior to initiating repair of the system. A permit shall be issued on Form DEP 4016 only after the submission of an application accompanied by the necessary exhibits and fees. Form DEP 4015 shall be used for this purpose, and can be obtained from the Department. Applications shall contain the following information:

   1. (a) A site plan showing property dimensions, the existing and proposed system configuration and location on the property, the building location, potable and non-potable water lines, within the existing and proposed drainfield repair area, the general slope of the property, property lines and easements, any obstructed areas, any private or public wells, or any surface water bodies and stormwater systems in proximity to the onsite sewage system which restricts replacement or relocation of the drainfield system. The existing drainfield type shall be described. For example, mineral aggregate, non-mineral aggregate, chambers, or other.
   2. (b) The size of the septic tank or other treatment tank currently in use and the approximate square footage and elevation of the drainfield existing on the site.
   3. (c) The quantity and type of waste being discharged to the system. Where water use records cannot be obtained, estimates shall be made from values found in Rule 62-6.008, Table I, F.A.C.
   4. (d) The soil textures encountered within the existing and proposed drainfield areas, and the estimated water table during the wettest season of the year.
   5. (e) Any unusual site conditions which may influence the system design or function such as sloping property, drainage structures such as roof drains or curtain drains, and any obstructions such as patios, decks, swimming pools or parking areas.
   6. (f) The person performing the site evaluation shall provide a brief description of the nature of the failure which is occurring.
2. (2) Site evaluations necessary to obtain the above referenced information shall be conducted at the expense of the owner or lessee by Department personnel, by an engineer who is licensed in the State of Florida or by other qualified persons as per subsection 62-6.004(3), F.A.C. Site specific information may be obtained by the applicant through examination of Department records of permits previously issued for the site.

3. (3) When a repair is to be performed on a failing system in which the contractor will be using any method other than drainfield addition or replacement, the following additional permit application information shall be submitted to the Department by the contractor in addition to the information required in subsections 62-6.015(1) and (2), F.A.C.

   1. (a) The process used to repair the system. Examples include high-pressure water jetting of drainlines and high-pressure injection of air alongside the drainfield. Such information shall include the manner in which the proposed repair will take place. The manufacturers recommended method for product use, quantities and concentration of product, shall be included in this information.
   2. (b) Any chemical compound to be introduced into the system in an effort to repair the system shall be identified by chemical composition or trade name, including the concentration and quantity of product used. The method of product introduction shall be stated. For example, product introduced through the distribution box.
   3. (c) Any repair method proposed which intends to physically disrupt the absorption surface shall include a drawing of the drainfield system that includes a diagram of the sites where the absorption surface will be disrupted. The depth of each disruption shall be recorded at each site.
4. (4) Where the absorption surface of the drainfield is within 6ꞌꞌ inches of the wet season high water table, an alternative repair method addressed in subsection 62-6.015(3), F.A.C., shall not be used. The existing drainfield shall be removed and a replacement drainfield shall be installed in accordance with all other repair criteria, including separation from seasonal high water table and drainfield sizing. Paragraph 62-6.015(6)(f), F.A.C., shall be used to determine septic tank conformance.
5. (5) The Department shall make every effort to issue a permit within 2 working days after receiving the application for system repair. Repair permits shall be valid for 90 days from the date of issuance. However, if the system is maintained to not create a sanitary nuisance, a repair permit shall be extended for one 90 day period.

6. (6) Construction materials used in system repairs shall be of the same quality as those required for new system construction. Aggregate and soil in spoil material from drainfield repairs shall not be used in system repair in any manner. Undamaged infiltration units, pipes and mechanical components may be reused on the original site. Any spoil material taken off site shall be disposed of in a permitted landfill or shall be limed and stockpiled for at least 30 days to prevent a sanitary nuisance. Offsite spoil material stockpile areas shall meet the prohibition requirements of subsection 62-701.300(2), F.A.C. The resulting lime-treated material shall not be used for drainfield repair, or construction of any onsite sewage treatment and disposal system. Any use of the lime treated material shall not cause a violation of Chapter 386 F.S., and shall not impair groundwater or surface water. Mineral aggregate and soil in spoil material may, at the option of the septic tank contractor and the property owner, be buried on site if limed before burial. Lime amount must be sufficient to preclude a sanitary nuisance. Depth of seasonal high water table to the spoil material must be at least six inches. Setbacks for buried spoil material shall be the same as for onsite sewage treatment and disposal system drainfields. A minimum of six inches of slightly or moderately limited soil shall cover the spoil material and shall extend to at least five feet around the perimeter of the burial site. Any failing system shall, at a minimum, be repaired in accordance with the following criteria:

   1. (a) System repairs shall comply with minimum setbacks and separations as specified in Rule 62-6.005, F.A.C. If current required setbacks and separations cannot be met, lesser setbacks as specified in Table V shall be maintained. For repairs only, if current required setbacks given below cannot be attained, absolute minimum setbacks shall be met. When site conditions exist which allow either absolute or current required setbacks to various features, current required setbacks shall be maintained from features with the highest protection factor. Setbacks to features with lower protection factors shall be reduced to the maximum setback or separation attainable, with no less than the absolute minimum setback allowed. A standard gravity flow system is to be used when possible to achieve the appropriate separations of absorption surface to seasonal high water and effective soil depth.

Footnotes to Table V:

1. For sites which contain oolitic limestone, the minimum effective soil depth shall be 12ꞌꞌ inches regardless of the date the original system was installed provided that the wet season water table is a minimum of 4ꞌ feet below the bottom surface of the drainfield.

2. Where severely limited soil underlies the drainfield, soil removal and replacement shall be performed as per Footnote 3. to Table III.

1. (b) For systems permitted on or after January 1, 1983, if system failure is due to excessive hydraulic loading, the original permitted drainfield shall be allowed to remain in service but shall have additional drainfield added to it. The resulting system drainfield size shall be 50 percent larger than the drainfield originally permitted, or shall be in compliance with drainfield sizing criteria specified in Rules 62-6.008 and 62-6.009, F.A.C., whichever is larger.

2. (c) Minimum sizing of drainfield repairs for residential systems installed prior to 1983 shall be based on the criteria specified below. Failed drainfields shall be replaced with drainfields meeting, at a minimum, the sizing criteria specified below.

   1. If sufficient area is available, the existing drainfield can be left in place and used as part of the system. A new drainfield equal in size to, and separate from, the existing drainfield shall be added and flow directed to both the old and new drainfield.

   2. Table VI and VII values are for subsurface and filled systems if the existing drainfield cannot be used as part of the repair. Mound trench systems shall be sized 10 percent larger than the values below and 20 percent larger if absorption beds are installed in the mound. The amount of drainfield installed during the repair shall not be less than the amount the system had prior to the repair.

1. (d) Repairs of commercial systems installed prior to 1983 shall be based on the following criteria:

   1. Sewage flows shall be determined from values found in Table I of Rule 62-6.008, F.A.C., or on the highest monthly flow for the previous 18 month period from documented water use records, whichever is higher.

   2. Failed drainfields shall at a minimum, meet the sizing criteria specified below.

   a. If sufficient room is available, the existing drainfield can be left in place and used as part of the system. A new drainfield equal in size to, and separate from, the existing failed drainfield shall be added.

   b. Sewage loading rates to trench or absorption bed bottom areas shall be in accordance with the values in Table VIII which are applicable to subsurface and filled drainfield systems if the existing drainfield is replaced with a new drainfield. Mound trench systems shall be sized 10 percent larger than the values below and 20 percent larger if absorption beds are installed in the mound.

1. (e) Where the cause of system failure is determined to be from root clogging of the distribution box or drainfield line of a system, and where removal of the root mass and replacement of damaged drainfield material will restore the system to its original design function, upon inspection and verification of the repair work by the health unit, permit satisfaction will be considered to be achieved.
2. (f) A tank need not be replaced as part of the repair if the health unit determines the tank to be structurally sound, constructed of approved materials, and if such tank has an effective capacity within two tank sizes of the capacities required by Table II. In addition, the tank shall be pumped and a solids deflection device shall be installed as a part of the outlet of the tank if one is not currently in place.
3. (g) Repairs to a system shall not be located within 2ꞌ feet of a sleeved and sealed potable water line or 2ꞌ feet from non-potable water lines.
4. (h) If the total drainfield area exceeds 1,000ꞌ square feet, or if the tank is too low to permit gravity flow into the drainfield, the drainfield shall be dosed. The requirements of subsections 62-6.014(3) and (4), F.A.C., shall be used for dosing requirements.
5. (i) Setbacks from an existing system to a public well shall not be decreased from existing setbacks, but shall be increased where practical to achieve the required setbacks as per paragraphs 62-6.005(1)(b) and (c), F.A.C.
6. (7) If a repair cannot be made utilizing the standards in subsection (6) above, all available area for drainfield repair shall be assessed and the repair permit shall allow for the maximum size drainfield that can be accommodated in the available area while allowing for the system to be installed above the wet season water table. Total removal of the existing drainfield and replacement of the drainfield in its original location shall be authorized if there is no additional area to enlarge the system. Setbacks to wells, surface water bodies, and other pertinent features which are less than the setbacks in subsection (6) above, shall not be reduced below existing setbacks. Nothing in this section shall be construed to allow a drainfield to remain in the wet season water table. The appropriate requirements for bottom of drainfield absorption surface to wet season water table separation in Table V shall be adhered to in all repairs.
7. (8) If soil replacement is to be performed on any repair, the requirements of Footnote 3., Table III, shall be adhered to.
8. (9) System repairs shall be performed by persons who are qualified to do so as set forth in Part III of this rule.
9. (10) Except as provided for in subsection (7) above, the amount of drainfield installed during the repair shall not be less than the amount the system had prior to the repair.
10. (11) Subsection 62-6.004(7), F.A.C., shall be used in conjunction with this section when permitting a repair in which the property has been divided after the original permit was issued.

11. (12) For inspection purposes when a drainfield is repaired using a physical disruption method, such as air injection, the contractor shall mark the location of each injection site in an easily identifiable manner.

    The Department shall inspect repairs to determine that the absorption surface of the repaired drainfield is at least six inches above the wet season high water table, to determine the repair process was completed according to the information provided with the repair permit application and to determine the repair site is free of sanitary nuisance conditions.

Rulemaking Authority 381.0065(3)(a) FS. Law Implemented 381.0065, 386.041 FS. History–New 3-17-92, Amended 1-3-95, 2-13-97, Formerly 10D-6.0571, Amended 2-3-98, 3-22-00, 5-24-04, 11-26-06, 6-25-09, 4-28-10, Formerly 64E-6.015.