DEP Warns Landowners About Illegal Recreational Vehicle Sewage
Connections -PA-DEP release - 6 December 2010
Cases That Threaten Environment, Pose Risk to Sewage Systems
Discovered in Four Counties
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
Dept. of Environmental Protection
Commonwealth News Bureau
Room 308, Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg PA., 17120
CONTACT: Daniel T. Spadoni, Department of Environmental
Protection Northcentral Regional Office, 570-327-3659
WILLIAMSPORT -- Recent cases in which recreational vehicles, or RVs,
used as residences have connected to sewage systems or holding tanks
have prompted the Department of Environmental Protection to warn
landowners in the Marcellus Shale region such connections are illegal
and dangerous without proper approvals.
“With the tremendous growth of the Marcellus Shale gas industry,
there’s been a significant increase in the demand for housing,” said
DEP North-central Regional Director Nels Taber. “To meet this demand,
landowners are opening up their property to RVs and allowing those
vehicles to tap into their septic or sewage systems. Doing so is
illegal unless the landowner has received the proper approval from us
and their local municipality.”
Taber said DEP has found instances of this activity in four counties
throughout the north-central region. In one case, recreational vehicles
were discharging sewage over a bank into the Tioga River. In another
case, the landowner had RVs connected to the on-lot septic system
serving his home, risking a malfunction that could have damaged his
property.
“It’s important that the proper planning and evaluation be done before
making any changes or additions to a sewage system,” said Taber.
“Systems are designed with given capacity and adding to that could lead
to a malfunction that contaminates the environment or causes costly
damage to a family’s home or sewage systems.”
It is illegal to connect recreational vehicles to sewage facilities or
holding tanks without first obtaining planning approval from the local
municipality and DEP.
The Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act, or Act 537, requires sewage
facilities planning whenever:
• A land development proposal on an existing parcel would generate at
least two Equivalent Dwelling Units (EDU) of wastewater, or about 800
gallons per day which is similar to two average homes;
• Addition to an already developed parcel would generate at least 400
gallons per day, or one EDU of wastewater; or
• An existing parcel zoned for residential purposes changes to
commercial zoning designation, or incorporates a commercial component,
such as an area accommodating recreational vehicles.
Taber also noted that any proposals for connecting to existing
municipal sewer lines or on-lot septic systems require sewage
facilities planning, and this planning should be completed and approved
by the municipality and DEP before any permits are issued.
Sewage facilities planning involves evaluating sewage infrastructure
such as public sewers, on-lot sewage systems, or holding tanks before
making any changes or adding flow to ensure those systems can
accommodate the additional sewage.
Property owners should contact the local sewage enforcement officer or
DEP’s sewage planning staff for assistance before siting any
recreational vehicles or dwellings on their property.
Sewage enforcement officers are requiring those who have violated Act
537 to remove recreational vehicles used as dwellings from their
property or face enforcement action, which could include having a
summary citation filed against them with the local district magistrate
seeking an appropriate fine.
For more information, call 570-327-3659 or visit http://www.depweb.state.pa.us