32.1-163 - Definitions.
§ 32.1-163. Definitions.
As used in this article, unless the context clearly requires a differentmeaning:
"Alternative discharging sewage system" means any device or system whichresults in a point source discharge of treated sewage for which the Board mayissue a permit authorizing construction and operation when such system isregulated by the State Water Control Board pursuant to a general VirginiaPollutant Discharge Elimination System permit issued for an individual singlefamily dwelling with flows less than or equal to 1,000 gallons per day.
"Alternative onsite sewage system" or "alternative onsite system" means atreatment works that is not a conventional onsite sewage system and does notresult in a point source discharge.
"Betterment loan" means a loan to be provided by private lenders eitherdirectly or through a state agency, authority or instrumentality or alocality or local or regional authority serving as a conduit lender, torepair, replace, or upgrade an onsite sewage system or an alternativedischarging sewage system for the purpose of reducing threats to publichealth and ground and surface waters, which loan is secured by a lien with apriority equivalent to the priority of a lien securing an assessment forlocal improvements under § 15.2-2411.
"Conduit lender" means a state agency, authority or instrumentality or alocality, local or regional authority or an instrumentality thereof servingas a conduit lender of betterment loans.
"Conventional onsite sewage system" means a treatment works consisting ofone or more septic tanks with gravity, pumped, or siphoned conveyance to agravity distributed subsurface drainfield.
"Licensed onsite soil evaluator" means a person who is licensed underChapter 23 (§ 54.1-2300 et seq.) of Title 54.1 as an onsite soil evaluator. Alicensed onsite soil evaluator is authorized to evaluate soils and soilproperties in relationship to the effects of these properties on the use andmanagement of these soils as the locations for onsite sewage systems.
"Maintenance" means performing adjustments to equipment and controls andin-kind replacement of normal wear and tear parts such as light bulbs, fuses,filters, pumps, motors, or other like components. Maintenance includespumping the tanks or cleaning the building sewer on a periodic basis.Maintenance shall not include replacement of tanks, drainfield piping,distribution boxes, or work requiring a construction permit and installer.
"Operate" means the act of making a decision on one's own volition (i) toplace into or take out of service a unit process or unit processes or (ii) tomake or cause adjustments in the operation of a unit process at a treatmentworks.
"Operation" means the biological, chemical, and mechanical processes oftransforming sewage or wastewater to compounds or elements and water that nolonger possess an adverse environmental or health impact.
"Operator" means any individual employed or contracted by any owner, who islicensed or certified under Chapter 23 (§ 54.1-2300 et seq.) of Title 54.1 asbeing qualified to operate, monitor, and maintain an alternative onsitesewage system.
"Owner" means the Commonwealth or any of its political subdivisions,including sanitary districts, sanitation district commissions andauthorities, any individual, any group of individuals acting individually oras a group, or any public or private institution, corporation, company,partnership, firm or association which owns or proposes to own a seweragesystem or treatment works.
"Regulations" means the Sewage Handling and Disposal Regulations,heretofore or hereafter enacted or adopted by the State Board of Health.
"Review Board" means the State Sewage Handling and Disposal Appeals ReviewBoard.
"Sewage" means water-carried and non-water-carried human excrement,kitchen, laundry, shower, bath or lavatory wastes, separately or togetherwith such underground, surface, storm and other water and liquid industrialwastes as may be present from residences, buildings, vehicles, industrialestablishments or other places.
"Sewerage system" means pipelines or conduits, pumping stations and forcemains and all other construction, devices and appliances appurtenant thereto,used for the collection and conveyance of sewage to a treatment works orpoint of ultimate disposal.
"Subsurface drainfield" means a system installed within the soil anddesigned to accommodate treated sewage from a treatment works.
"Transportation" means the vehicular conveyance of sewage.
"Treatment works" means any device or system used in the storage,treatment, disposal or reclamation of sewage or combinations of sewage andindustrial wastes, including but not limited to pumping, power and otherequipment and appurtenances, septic tanks, and any works, including land,that are or will be (i) an integral part of the treatment process or (ii)used for ultimate disposal of residues or effluents resulting from suchtreatment.
(Code 1950, § 32-9; 1954, c. 646; 1964, c. 436; 1970, c. 645; 1972, c. 775;1979, c. 711; 1984, c. 457; 1990, cc. 342, 861, 869; 1994, c. 747; 2007, cc.892, 924; 2009, c. 829.)