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By MICHAEL MARTZ
Arundel Newspapers Staff Writer
RICHMOND — In many counties across Virginia, the raw waste pumped from home septic tanks traditionally has been spread on farmland.
In 1982, the Virginia Department of Health adopted regulations to put an end to that.
But four years later the General Assembly is still trying to resolve the issue, which pits concerns over public health and the environment against the needs of rural communities that lack alternatives to spreading the sewage on land.
Legislation has passed the Senate that would allow land application of septic waste — dubbed “septage” by state regulations — until July 1, 1991. Waste mixed with lime could be spread directly onto fields, but raw sewage would have to be injected into soil.
The legislation’s patron is Sen. Madison E. Marye (D-Montgomery), who chaired a joint subcommittee that has studied the issue and held hearings around the state the past year. A resolution before the House of Delegates would continue the work of that subcommittee.
Although the measure contradicts the 1982 health department regulations, its supporters include the Warrenton-based Piedmont Environmental Council, which considers the bill an earnest attempt to end the practice of spreading septic waste on farmland without creating an unfair hardship for septic haulers
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