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Individual Wastewater System

Getting your System Approved

To begin the process of getting an individual wastewater system approved, the owner must contact Planning and Zoning (202 KB) (801-468-2000) in the area to determine if there are land use restrictions. They must also contact the sewer district that services your area and obtain a letter stating that your building does not need to be connected to the public sewer.

If the building will be connected to a public water system, obtain a year-round water availability letter from the water company.

For drinking water in the Salt Lake City watershed, you need documentation of an approved year-round connection from the Salt Lake City Public Utilities (801-483-6769).
If you need a private well, contact the State Division of Water Rights (801-538-7240).

Analyze your Soil

The State Division of Water Quality (131 KB) (801-538-6146) provides certification to individuals who conduct these tests; percolation tests must be conducted by someone with a level 1 certification.

Exploration holes should be dug to at least 10 feet, or until you hit bedrock or groundwater. One hole should be in the drain field area and the other should be in the intended replacement area.

Percolation tests are performed to determine how fast liquids move through the ground. This depends largely on soil type. Soil that is too sandy will let water pass through without being treated by microbes, while soil with too much clay makes waste percolate poorly.

The Salt Lake Valley Health Department reserves the right to verify percolation test results. Underground wastewater disposal might not be suitable for the area if there is less than two feet of soil from the trench bottom to groundwater, if there is less than five feet of soil above bedrock or another type of impervious layer, or if there isn't enough land with less than a 25% slope for the system and drain field replacement. There are also requirements for minimum horizontal distances to ground features.

Submit Your Plans to the Health Department

The system must be designed by someone certified at level 2 by the State Division of Water Quality (131 KB).

The plot plan should:

• Be drawn to scale: 1”=20’ is preferred, but a range of 1”=8’ to 1”=30’ is acceptable.
• Identify slopes 0-25% and greater than 35%.
• Locate private well locations on the property and within 100 feet of the property line
• Locate public well locations within 1500 feet of the property or drinking water source protection zone 2 boundaries.
• Show any
  • Ditches,
  • Dry Washes,
  • Gullies,
  • Wetlands,
  • Streams on the property,
  • or within 100 feet of the property line.
• Include two soil exploration holes and percolation test results, including location and depths at which the tests were conducted.
• Identify proposed drain field locations including the 100% replacement area and calculations.
• Include the proposed home and other structure locations, including driveways and parking areas.
• Show a side profile of the sewer line, septic tank (including riser), and drain field.
• Include a cross-section of the absorption system.
• Describe the septic tank capacity.
• Include the floor plan with number of bedrooms and planned bedrooms. Include the possibility of a finished basement; the system’s capacity is based on the number of bedrooms in the home, so if any future increase is anticipated, it should be recorded.

Approval of Plans

Wastewater disposal systems must be designed in compliance with Utah Rule 317-4.
If plans are not approved, the designer must make corrections and resubmit