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Inspection Report 12 August 2005 <br />Windmill Cove Marina <br />San Joaquin County <br />system is reported as having 1,000 linear-ft. The marina system leach field size was unknown at the time of our <br />visit. Using similar numbers as the RV park, the hydraulic loading from the marina residents would be 1,480 <br />gallons per day needing 740 linear ft of leach line. From the description provided of the leach field and its <br />location, it would appear that the designated area would not support the estimated linear feet of leach line <br />necessary. However, supposing that the required leach line were installed at the identified location there would <br />not be any set back from the river. <br />Note this hydraulic evaluation is intended to be a quick overview of the current resident population described to <br />us by the Windmill Cove Marina representative and does not address additional loading from holiday and or <br />special event traffic. <br />The treatment capacity is of the most concern for each leach field system. Septic tanks are primary treatment <br />and in order for a septic system to complete treatment to acceptable levels prior to discharge to waters of the <br />state, a five-log reduction in pathogens and filtering of other pollutants is needed. In order to get a five-log <br />reduction for pathogen removal, filtration and aerobic bacterial predation from unsaturated soils are necessary. <br />To complete the wastewater treatment, one should have at a very minimum one foot of dry soil per log reduction <br />(this is described in the 1972 Regional Water Board Guidelines for Waste Disposal from Land Developments). <br />To comply with the guidelines, each septic system leach field needs to have five feet of separation between <br />highest groundwater and the bottom of the leaching trench. Standard leach field construction requires a total of <br />five feet, at least one foot of soil over the trench and four feet of trench below the distribution pipe. Thus <br />standard construction requires a minimum of 10 feet of soil above highest groundwater. <br />The marina's leach field area is estimated as having a total of five feet of dry soil above high water mark and the <br />RV system's leach field area has about two feet. <br />Since the marina system has an estimated five feet of dry soil this leaves zero feet of separation between the <br />high water mark and the bottom of the leaching trench. The RV system is even more precarious. It is estimated <br />as having approximately two feet of dry land above the high water mark. Standard leach field construction <br />would then set the bottom of the trench three feet into the high water mark. Therefore both systems are <br />discharging septic water (primary effluent) directly into waters of the state. <br />Another issue would be the set backs from the San Joaquin River. Both systems have zero set back on at least <br />one side of the leach field and the marina system may have zero set back on both sides of the leach field. The <br />1972 Regional Water Board guidelines stipulate 100-foot set back from a flowing stream, however this is an <br />estuary environment, which is quiescent and more like a lake or reservoir and the guidelines state that a 200-foot <br />set back is required for lake or reservoir.