Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Septic Tank and Pond Construction

[John Beutler (jbeutler]

Charles:

The requirements will depend on the codes where you build.  If you are 
building in the town of Tuscaloosa, the Zoning Code will apply
http://www.municode.com/Resources/gateway.asp?pid=10302&sid=1

If you're in the County, county codes (such as they are) will apply.  When 
I lived in Auburn years ago, the towns were pretty tightly regulated, but 
you could do almost anything in the County.

I would be working the local politics pretty hard while you are looking for 
a site.  It's no good having a site that the powers that be don't want you 
to develop.  A Planned Unit Development will give you a lot of flexibility 
in return for closer oversight and approval of your plans.  Talk to the 
Planning & Zoning folks and see what is possible.  They tend to be pretty 
supportive of "smart" development, which cohousing certainly is.

Here in Maryland, we're waiting for construction of a new sewer line (bids 
awarded just last week) so we can get sewer taps and finish building.  I 
would guess that most cohousing communities are on public sewer systems.  I 
know our county would be loathe to approve joint septic fields - they would 
be a mini-version of the small sewer plants that have given them a lot of 
headaches over the years.

Cheers

JAB

At 03:13 PM 1/4/2007 -0700, balaji [at] ouraynet.com wrote:
> Dear All,
>
> Have any of you in already established cohousing and/or ecovillage
> settlements dealt with septic tanks?  Our community will use a cluster
> housing approach, probably in duplexes and triplexes.  There could be as
> many as ten clusters.  Will one tank for each cluster be sufficient, and
> if so, what size?  What about the aborption field -- how should it be
> oriented with respect to the clusters?  Do any of you have site plans (for
> your own communities) which lay out the plumbing/septic systems?  (Love to
> see them, if so.)
>
> On the matter of pond construction, any advice would be most welcome,
> especially concerning site selection.
>
> Thanks very much,
>
>
> Charles
> Tuscaloosa Cooperative Association
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tuscaloosa_community/
>
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John Beutler
Liberty Village, MD
jbeutler [at] adelphia.net
http://www.libertyvillage.com/