For the Butte County Public Health Department

Due to growth and development pressures in areas where soil and other environmental constraints preclude the use of traditional onsite wastewater disposal methods, Butte County retained Questa to evaluate the use of other alternative treatment and dispersal technologies.  Questa provided an independent, expert evaluation of the County's policies, practices, and applications for managing onsite wastewater systems, and recommended appropriate modifications to the existing wastewater program for continued progress and protection of environmental health. The study's objectives included: 1) identifying appropriate types of onsite wastewater treatment systems to address environmental conditions and constraints, 2) identifying specific geographical areas of water quality or public health concern warranting special technical or management approaches, 3) evaluating current County practices with pending statewide regulations under AB 885, and developing recommendations to achieve compliance,  4) defining new management responsibilities for onsite systems associated with changes in technologies or regulations, and  5) evaluating options and providing recommendations to address new management and oversight requirements.