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STATE WATER RESOURCES CONTROL BOARD - 7 - ORDER 7 - ORDER WQ 2014-0153-DWQ GENERAL WASTE DISCHARGE REQUIREMENTS FOR SMALL DOMESTIC WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS system, and should be constructed with cleanouts or a flushing system similar to at-grade and/or above grade systems when needed. Subsurface disposal areas should be planted with shallow rooted plants to prevent erosion and provide for uptake of wastewater nutrients; trees and shrubs should be removed to prevent roots from damaging the leachfield. Similarly, burrowing animals can damage an at-grade or above grade (mound) disposal system and result in leakage. Burrowing animals should be promptly controlled and repairs to the disposal system completed as soon as possible. 19. Setbacks from wastewater treatment areas, dispersal areas, and/or LAAs from domestic wells, flowing and/or ephemeral streams, lakes/reservoirs, and property lines are provided in this General Order. Setbacks are included as a means of reducing pathogenic risks by coupling pathogen inactivation rates with groundwater travel time to a well or other potential exposure route (e.g. water contact activities). In general, a substantial unsaturated zone reduces pathogen survival compared to saturated soil conditions. Fine grained (silt or clay) soil particles reduce the rate of groundwater transport and therefore are generally less likely to transport pathogens; coarse grained soil particles or fracture flow groundwater conditions may be more likely to transport pathogens. Setbacks also provide attenuation of other wastewater constituents through physical, chemical, and biological processes. The setbacks provided in this General Order are based on the title 22 water recycling criteria, the California Well Standards, the OWTS Policy, the California Plumbing Code, and commonly imposed setbacks by regulatory agencies. 20. The OWTS Policy identified wastewater disposal as a potential contributing source of pathogens or nitrogen to an impaired surface water body.5 OWTS Policy Tier 3 addresses impaired surface water bodies and describes an Advanced Protection Management Program (APMP) as the minimum management program for wastewater systems subject to the OWTS Policy. In general, wastewater systems located within the geographic area of an APMP are not eligible for coverage under this General Order unless the Regional Water Board's Executive Officer determines the discharge is acceptable based on site-specific conditions, the level of wastewater treatment, and/or total maximum daily load (TMDL) implementation plan requirements. 5 Impaired surface water bodies are those identified on a list approved first by the State Water Board and then approved by USEPA pursuant to Section 303(d) of the Federal Clean Water Act. 6 The geographic area of an APMP is established (in order of hierarchy) by an approved TMDL, an approved local agency defined APMP, or 600 feet from the water body. September 23, 2014