HB 561 Summary

• Requires owners of onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems to have systems inspected at least once every 5 years, beginning July 1, 2025, with the Department of Environmental Protection administering the inspection program through a county-by-county phased implementation over 10 years.

• Department must adopt rules establishing a 5-year inspection cycle schedule, minimum standards for functioning systems, requirements for pumpout or repair of failing systems, and enforcement procedures for non-compliance.

• Requires new or revised basin management action plans to include a list identifying and prioritizing spatially focused project suites likely to yield maximum pollutant reductions.

• Mandates department assessment of projects costing over $1 million through integrated and comprehensive monitoring to verify they reduce nutrient pollution or water use as intended.

• Requires local governments to develop wastewater treatment plans and onsite sewage treatment remediation plans by July 1, 2025, addressing nutrient load reductions for domestic wastewater facilities and onsite systems.