The Types of Septic Systems in San Angelo

City Sewage System

• Most residential and commercial buildings within the city limits of San Angelo connect to the city sewage system. A city ordinance also requires that a residence with a private sewage system must connect to the city sewage system, once the ability to connect to the city sewage system is available. The city sewage system uses a waste water treatment facility to recycle the water. The reuse of water in San Angelo is a requirement because the city is generally under a drought condition throughout the summer season. The city septic system is considered an organized waste disposal system.

Private Sewage Facility

• Septic tanks are the private sewage facilities authorized by the San Angelo city ordinance. The lot must be of sufficient size to dispose of the sewage discharged from the residence or building. Those lot sizes cannot be less than 20,000 square feet, unless a septic tank existed on the property before the new regulations took effect. The different types of septic tank systems authorized for licensing is found in a publication called, "A Guide to the Disposal of Household Sewage," published by the Department of Health.

Evaluation

• A new construction site must have a qualified engineer authorized by the City of San Angelo to determine which private sewage facility will be authorized for that location. Once the evaluation is complete and the license is granted, the license will only be good for five years. After five years, the private sewage facility will be re-evaluated to ensure the septic system is still in compliance with all city ordinances.

Tanks

• The City of San Angelo authorized four different types of septic tank installation for private sewage facilities. The conventional septic system, low-pressure dose system, the evapo-transpiration system and the aerobic wastewater treatment system can be authorized and licensed by the licensing board in San Angelo. Each type of tank system uses some form of storage tank and waste water effluent disposal systems, such as a leach field or evaporating method. All of these sewage systems run the effluent out to a holding tank where the sewage is disposed of in different ways.