New Weblink - HB1726 (richmondsunlight)

Non-gravel effluent drain systems for onsite sewage systems; regulations. (HB1726)
2013 Virginia General Assembly session

For convenience, there's a new Richmond Sunlight web address for HB1726 amongst the top tabs listed above. This House bill proposes an "emergency" clause for drainfield trench products that require no gravel.

Last year the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) discussed this topic in some detail at the Sewage Handling and Disposal Advisory Committee Meeting. May 17, 2012. VDH was considering a consolidation of legacy VDH policies allowing contractor substitution and modification of VDH permits. [click here for pdf of Meeting Minutes (DRAFT) under Agenda Item #3, on Page 5 of 13]

It remains to be seen if this 2013 General Assembly or the regulators of the Commonwealth will dismiss or ignore the recommendation of the Sewage Handling and Disposal Advisory Committee:

 "In general the Committee was supportive of not allowing footprint reductions for VDH designed systems but was not opposed to the substitution of gravel-less technologies on a 1:1 basis."

Meanwhile, there's a lively public commentary about HB1726 currently in progress, just click here or on the small box above labelled "HB1726 (richmondsunlight)". As of yesterday, there were 12 comments posted on Richmond Sunlight, including two comments distinguished as "Editor’s Pick".

Last week HB1726 managed to garner overwhelming support from the Virginia House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions with amendments (22-Y 0-N) (see vote tally). Yesterday, January 21, 2013, the Committee's amendments were agreed to and engrossed by the House as amended (HB1726E) (Printed as engrossed 13102106D-E, click here).

(HB1726) AMENDMENT(S) PROPOSED BY THE HOUSE
HEALTH, WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS

1. Line 25, introduced, after requirements

insert

pertaining to the promulgation of chamber and bundled expanded polystyrene effluent distribution system regulations for onsite sewage systems

HEALTH, WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS

2. After the end of line 28, introduced

insert

4. That the Board of Health shall promulgate regulations for other effluent distribution system technologies for onsite sewage systems as may be deemed necessary by the Board.

Finally, here's a short excerpt from an overview link for Richmond Sunlight (click here):

Overview

 “Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.” —Justice Louis Brandeis, 1914

Richmond Sunlight is a non-partisan website that aggregates information about the General Assembly, the lawmaking body that governs the state of Virginia. It is an independent, volunteer-run website that is in no way affiliated with the Virginia General Assembly or the state government.

The Data

All data about bills—titles, numbers, patrons, text, status, etc.—comes from the General Assembly's Legislative Information System, which is the General Assembly's own service. Some of the data comes in bulk from their FTP CSV service, which is provided for services just such as Richmond Sunlight. Most legislative data is updated hourly, but bill histories (the bill's progress—votes and the like) are updated daily around 2:30pm, because that is when the General Assembly makes that data available.
The remainder of the data is gathered from a variety of resources. Fundraising data comes from the Virginia Public Access Project, election history data comes from the State Board of Elections, and the remainder comes from a variety of resources.