Sewage Enforcement Officers (SEO)
SEO News ItemsAct 34
On June 5, 2020, Act 34 was signed into law as an amendment to the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act (35 P.S. 750)(SFA). Act 34 of 2020 amended sections of the SFA that were previously amended by Act 26 of 2017; specifically, sections 5(c.1) and 5(c.2). On March 2, 2021, an All SEO Letter was sent to clarify the Departments expectation of what municipalities should do with proposals for new land development that they have already received and that were submitted based on the draft Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act Program Guidance; Site Suitability and Alternatives Analysis Guidelines for New Land Development Proposing On lot Sewage Disposal (385-2207-001) (Planning Guidance) that was developed in response to Act 26 of 2017. The letter contains important deadlines for sewage planning proposals and can be found under the All SEO Letters heading on this webpage. The Department is working on additional guidance to address specific items associated with the implementation of the SFA as amended by Act 34 of 2020. This guidance will be forthcoming in another All SEO Letter.
The SEO Certification and Training Program Guidance (385-2314-002) has been revised. It was published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on December 12, 2020, as final. The Technical Guidance Document (TGD) and the Comment and Response Document is now posted in the Departments eLibrary and also accessible via the link below under the heading SEO Training Program. The TGD provides a framework for the Sewage Enforcement Officer (SEO) certification and training program with the goal of producing a knowledgeable and skilled SEO community to help administer the on-lot sewage program in Pennsylvania. The program includes criteria for SEO candidates who wish to become certified SEOs, criteria for certified SEOs to maintain their SEO certification, and criteria for lapsed or inactive SEOs who wish to reinstate their SEO certification. In response to public comments on the draft TGD, changes were made, including: several clarifications; providing for up to three continuing education credits to be carried over from one certification cycle to the next certification cycle; and providing options to test out of the precertification soils course. Changes of note:
The Department recently received an inquiry from a local agency regarding the charging of a fee for a Sewage Enforcement Officer to conduct a complaint investigation. We have been advised by DEP's regulatory counsel that the imposition of such a fee is not sanctioned by the Sewage Facilities Act and is not one of the powers and duties granted to municipalities by the legislature. Please consult with your regional DEP office if you have any questions in this regards.
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) entered into a joint policy in June 1996 (modified December 2002) regarding privies, holding tanks, and water supplies under pressure for existing leased campsites on state lands. To further provide clarification to SEOs and campsite Lessees of the obligations under the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act and DEP's and DCNR's regulations regarding sewage disposal on leased campsites, DEP and DCNR have partnered to develop this new fact sheet.
On April 16, 2015, the states of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) to share data developed to document the performance of advanced onsite pretreatment units for nitrogen reduction. This will simplify and expedite the approval processes for these technologies in each individual state, and reduce costs to residents and manufacturers. Prior to this MOC, all states nationwide approved systems on an individual basis, and many do not take data collected by other state programs into account.
The benefits of data sharing include:
These advanced treatment systems reduce nitrogen loading by an average minimum of 50 percent. Onsite systems are the smallest source of nutrient loading to the Bay at 3-4% according to the modeling efforts at the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program Office.
As a result of recent inquiries from SEOs regarding conflicts of interest, please follow this legal directive (PDF) if conditions apply.
Note: The following All SEO Letters were sent via electronic mail. If you did not receive any of these letters, please contact RA-SEOtrng@pa.gov to update your email address and request which letter you would like to be resent.
State Board for Certification of Sewage Enforcement Officer
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Sewage Enforcement Officers (SEO)