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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBROOKWOOD General InformationME AC3 it4CN DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION [VIUNICY ARTY OF RAAN�HOFR�'C�PNA L OFF/ CE DEPT. OF HEALTH & ENVIRONMENTAL PROT';-Cf EON OCT 1 4 1980 RECEIVEDOctober 1 National Bank of Alaska ATTN: Danielle Pouch 7-025 Anchorage, Alaska 99510 To Whom It May Concern: , 1980 a U ❑ JAY S HAMMOND, GOVERNOR 437 E. STREET SECOND FLOOR ANCHORAGE, ALASKA 99501 (907) 274-2533 P.O. BOX 615 KOD/AK, ALASKA 99615 (907) 486-3350 P.O. BOX 1207 SOLDOTNA, ALASKA 99669 (907) 262.5210 P.O. BOX 1709 VALDEZ, ALASKA 99686 (907) 835-4698 P.O. BOX 1064 WASILLA, ALASKA 99687 (9071 376.5038 PWS // 211520 I have inspected the Brookwood utility water system and found it to be in compliance with all applicable State regulations. cc: Les Bucholtz, DHEP JJ 18-091-H Sincerely, qtel ews ujr Environmental Field Officer ••• t;••., • -1••• (1.-." -t- c.:: ., • ( %z.• •.• 1N% eJ ; • 1 • • UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE OFFICIAL BUSINESS SENDER INSTRUCTIONS Print your name, address, and ZIP Code in the space below. • Complete Items 1, 2, and 3 on the reverse. • Moisten gummed ends and attach to front of article if space permits. Otherwise affix to back of article. • Endorse article "Return Receipt Requested" adje. cent to number. $, RETURN 8, TO -0 ..,- ` k$ a Health & Environmental Protection 0 z -• . Environmental Sanitation Z CV �J ` 825 L Strlet or Sender) a 4 z 7 V Anchorage, Alaska 99501 Q �a 44 'A T,anra Barri snn (Street or P.O. Box) PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID PA ENT OF Pc*.... if t \ 4 (City, State, and ZIP Code) c 2 m rn rn 0 rn 1 v 2 to 0 0 2 • SENDER: Complete item; T. 2, and i. Add your address in the "RETURN TO space on reverse. 1. WMD/ljh The following service is requested (check one). II Show to whom and date delivered 154 II Show to whom, date, & address of delivery.. 35rt ❑ RESTRICTED DELIVERY. Show to whom and date delivered 65¢ • RESTRICTED DELIVERY. Show to whom, date, and address of delivery 85q 2. ARTICLE ADDRESSED TO: Allen J. Harris -z..,-- A -/-4-e----- =/---= tan - . a '1 .t. td !LL,efikre- 1n.,. r' Esage,_ .4.1mglea 9 5f}' . ',' 37 'i 3. ARTICLE DESCRIPTION: REGISTERED NO. CERTIFIED NO. 1 102069 INSURED NO. (Always obtain signature of addressee or agent) I have received the article described above. SIGNATURE ❑ Addressee ❑ Authorized agent 7,_ `r / L/ ' ' I . DATE OF DELIVERY/ POSTMARK 5. ADDRESS (Complete only ii requested) 6. UNABLE TO DELIVER BECAUSE: CLERK'S INITIALS ,'Z cur: 1976 -0-203-456 March 11, 1977 Mr. Allen J. Harrison Anchorage, West llth Avenue Anchorage, Alaska 99501 Subjects Brookwood Utility According to this department's water sample moniter list, we have not as yet received a water sample for the above subject well system for the month of February, 1977. Our records indicate that you are responsible for turning these mandatory samples in for the subject water system, If you have not done so as yet, please obtain a water sampling bottle from the State Lab, 527 East 4th Avenue, as soon as possible and return the sample to the same address for analysis. If you are no longer in charge of the subject water system, please notify us immediately to any name and/or address changes. If there are any further questions, please contact this office at 279-2511, extension 224, or at the above address. Thank you for your co-operation in this matter. Sincerely, William M. Dixson Principal Environmental Control Officer TWD/l j h RECEIPT FOR CERTIFIED MAIL -300 (plus postage) SENT TO • POSTMARK OR DATE STREET AND NO. P.O., STATE AND ZIP CODE OPTIONAL SERVICES FOR ADDITIONAL FEES 15¢ 65¢ 350 85# RETURN 1. Shows to whom and date delivered RECEIPT With delivery to addressee only 2. Shows to whom, date and where delivered SERVICES With delivery to addressee only DELIVER TO ADDRESSEE ONLY .. 50d SPECIAL DELIVERY (extra fee required) PS Form 3800 Apr. 1971 NO INSURANCE COVERAGE PROVIDED— (See other side) NOT FOR INTERNATIONAL MAIL GPO) 1979 0 - 551.959 Municipality of Anchorage MEMORANDUM DATE: April 30, 1976 TO: MAYOR THROUGH: DR. A. B. COLYAR FROM: KEN NORMAN SUBJECT: Brookwood Subdivision fidavgmei The attached notice of health hazard and declaration of public nuisance relative to Brookwood Subdivision serves two basic functions. First, it provides to property owners of certain lots in Brookwood Subdivision formal notice that the health authority recognizes and appreciates the gravity of the sewer conditions about which numerous homeowners in the subdivision have complained. Second, the notice facili- tates the Department's ability to take prompt enforcement action when necessary to eliminate standing and overflowing sewage under the authority of two separate ordinances. The Department has to routinely remind homeowners to maintain proper pumping frequency of sewage systems to prevent overflowing. Third, the document encourages both the area residents and the Municipality to execute those steps necessary for the provision of an adequate sewer system in that subdivision. MUNICIPALITY OF ANCHORAGE OFFICE OF THE MUNICIPAL ATTORNEY Box 400 ANCHORAGE. ALASKA 274.2525 NOTICE OF HEALTH HAZARD AND DECLARATION OF PUBLIC NUISANCE TO: MUNICIPALITY OF ANCHORAGE AND PROPERTY OWNERS OF BROOKWOOD SUBDIVISION Whereas Brookwood Subdivision, located approximately one-fourth of a mile east of the Old Seward Highway on Huffman Road, Anchorage, Alaska, contains a community water system developed during the late 1950s that was the subject of an epidemiological survey conducted by the Anchorage Department of Health and Environmental Protection during November, 1975, and Whereas the data in the epidemiological survey, attached hereto and made a part of this notice and declaration, provides overwhelming evidence of widespread occurrence of septic tank failures within Brookwood Subdivision at described sites due to factors other than age of the system, and Whereas those widespread septic tank failures not only have lead to the occurrence of overflowing sewers and standing sewage but also result in a risk of contamination of the community water system through sewage filtration into ground water supplies in the Brookwood Subdivision, and Whereas, by the authority vested in me as the Health Authority under §S 16.45.080 and 18.15.040 of the Greater Anchorage Area Borough Code and as Director of the Anchorage Department of Health and Environmental Protection, such condi- tions may be declared a health hazard or public nuisance subject to abatement. Take notice therefore that the community water system of the Brookwood Subdivision where described in the attached survey as failing is declared to be a health hazard and public nuisance that should be abated by providing the Brookwood Subdivision with public sewer facilities with all deliberate speed in whatever manner permitted by law and until that time MUNICIPALITY OF ANCHORAGE OFFICE OF THE MUNICIPAL ATTORNEY Box 400 ANCHORAGE, ALASKA 274.2525 by requiring these property owners of Brookwood Subdivision to keep their properties at all times free of overflowing and standing sewage. A. B. COLYAR, M.D. Director, Anchorage Department of Health and Environmental Protection 4441 IC '4 y-3o-�� DATE: i UE zLiA'( MAR r^ a 1 U 1976 4.1 71/1 Municipality of Anchorage MEMORANDUM Maich 12, 1976 TO: Dr. A.B. Colyar, Director THROUGH: Dr. Leroy C. Reid, Deputy Directo FROM' Chief Sanitarian File No.: 4-1 SUBJECT: Brookwood Subdivision - Health Hazard This subdivision is 1/4 mile east of the Old Seward Highway on Huffman Road. It was developed in the late 1950's with a community water system. The lots average 12,000 square feet and on-site sewage disposal has been used to date. Over the years as the subdivision has continued to develop the problems of ground saturation and on-site sewage system failure have increased. The soils in a majority of the area are a clay -silt type and surface ground water is a problem. During November, 1975 our department conducted an epidemiological survey of this area (see attachment) . This subdivision needs public sewer this year. In order to expedite this matter and alleviate a serious public health problem I am asking that the subdivision be declared a public health hazard. The people circulated a petition for public sewer a couple of years ago but nothing came of it. Our department has discussed this problem with numerous homeowners and they do not see why they have to tolerate these conditions. There are sewer systems that have to be pumped weekly to prevent overflowing and we routinely have to remind homeowners to maintain proper pumping frequency. This subdivision must be given priority for public sewers this year to solve a serious public health hazard. Declaring a public health hazard is one of the first steps toward getting public sewer extended to serve this area. old" Strickland, R . S . Chief Sanitarian RS/lw Attachment cc: Dale Merrell, Manager Sewer and Water Utility Nov rnht r 16, 1975 .Rolf Strickland, It .S , . Chir..f Surlit:tripn Environmental Control Offic..:r ;'.rr.oltt ood L1bcl.:iA;on ;'pici-!n:;i olhgicit Study Attached is u report on the results of theta surv:'y T conducted to g sther information on the c.perr,ttontgl hiEtory or septic tnrrk A,--;wn.Fre ciispopal :;rt,tcr:ts in Drookwood • Subdivision. The cintr,;vas rsnalyzeil tiping the 'rirrsebce+rcr "Survival Curve" tIchnique., with Rddittrn8t explanatory r^?text'tt drawn from three other source totott in the teat of the report. Z,'lw r::nee A. .lora s+ Erivirrn lent:xi Control (Officer • LA.I/t.lw I:I'll)I; 1101.0GR Ai, S'i't'ltl' UI' SEPTIC-TANI< C'li\-11'0\i, I't)I; BROOKWOOD SITBDiVISION Purpose: To determine the operational success of septic t:wk on-site sewage disposal systems in the surveyed area. Tho data obtained establish the extent and locati n) Of problems and :ire utilized to construct :I "survival (:ttr\'e" fui' the systems in the surrcycd area. The procedure utilize(( :<tticly for ((Illstrtictiltl; a s,eptie teak survival curve was adopted from art article by John 'I'. \tinnel)er'tger, Ph.D.. tvliiel) appeared in the July/ August, 1975 issue of the .lour'nal e1 l;nvirolitnentn1 lIe;itth . Survey Arca Originally the study was to include only Brookwood Subdivision, which is located off of Gregory Street just north of Huffman Boned in Anchorage, Alaska. however. some additional hone owners ;t i)(eeilt to but not in Brookwood Stihdivision were also 'contacted (see Figure t) . Procedure A door -to --door survey was conducted. Each home owner was ;given the opportunity to complete the survey either immediately or send it back to the Department in ;.i stamped return envelope. 1f no 000 was found who could at least deliver the survey to the owner, it \vas left, where it could he found easily, with n return envelope and instructions (survey included in appendix) . 1)efinitions ()I' Septic 'Tank Failure A septic t:inl: is considered to have failed if sewal.;e daylights (appears) on the surface of the. tgrc)und. This indicates tll:tt the drain field is not absorbing tlIC sewal;c properly. A failure cart either be complete, meaniiii, the sewage e continues to ;accumulate over a long period of time, or periodic, meaning failure occurs periodically followed by reabsorption. In addition, having to pump a system more than once n ye.tr also constitutes a failure. Survey Statistics Niin bee of surveys; delivered: (,(, Number of sttt've,'- returned: 51 Percentage. returned: 79 , introductory Comments Prior to nudot't;ticing this survey , there had been a well documented history of complaints' relating to the ung;:,tip;f:,c'tul'1' aper:ition of :eptie tanks in Brookwood Subdivision. )1 petition to create a Lateral Inwrovement Distr'ic't. whirl ivouid 111;11<e pul)lic sew(:r nvail:rble to the subdivision, has 1)00.11 approved 1.)y the property owners. Before the petition could he approve(( by the then i,or(O;gh Asscnll)ly , ;u' 4,rdirtaitc'e way; passed 1 w iclt 1)1:1c,eci :► moratorium un any further public se\1'Ol'illg Of the "hillside ;lt't.';i" lllntil a comprehensive _ r , I '.1V�> \) LJ�� ....()L /� ' AVE. ! / ‘,1' ` 7 ^Y�' 'I / • ,^ / /.. !� -�-2- 6-` .I | / -----' ----' . v |.] . .. .. "Ii/ -] / |--- | ' `\ `' .1:'':--------101 ��/�/i . |i -!| (`).'/ (1| -- . -. 1 L. > `! i 7'� / 0''-0—j.-'��'| 1 ( i ; . ,` ._-___---_, F' //^�L''x ov ) ; 1�� | - • .\.....•_ ''.,' _. . u|� . : , ( ' •'1',1\| ; ^' �•\ .. \ �: ! } ! \ | \ . . /_-__�__- \ \ }' �� � / 1::',_) |'' (-:_:._::-)-1 ' 1-; ()-A/) VV|li\jk 'AVE.1. | | / \ | __\_' • ` \ ". '..- . |40*F. -/ ----`------ -u- --r----(� \\F\\/F-\/ A('\� /\ �\\}\1V � Y /\\\'\� . /»\.', v[|o(rt)o (21/''.'"/''''\`'\//',`�j I:tucl '.v s devoltrltcttl, v:hieh c.uulri be used to guide development, The latter action has, in effect , left the residents of l,ronl;tvooel tvith no recourse, This being they case, it teas; nut surpritiinf; that the re:tt•tion to the taking of this survey was generally favorable. it \v:+!:, c•xplainc<i to those 1tei111.. s;t►t'"yrd that the findittt;'s ttould help to detcrn►it►c; thtsrc diel dist ,tt1 itatni:dinte or potential health hn,:arcl. ICitc:t► :;nalyzitlg the results of the survey , in relation to the predominant physiographic characteristics occurring. in the ><ttt•\'e'' area. 1 t'tinc'.nt infora1'ttie>!t aIld analysis tve-'r'e'_ dt•:twn from the follotvittl; three sources: 1. :\ recent t'c.'pot•t (open fila report.75--105) entitled, ilydrology for Land - Use Planning: Thr,. lulls;ide Area , Anehorave, Alaska , prepared by the U.S. 1)epartment of the Interior. Geological Survey in cooperation with the ' (greater :\nchorago Arca fiorotIgh; 2. r\ topographic map of the survey area prepared by t\'f1ke.r :\las1c;t. Inc., of Anchorni;c .:\ I:+sk:► from :+ 1971 aeri:tl photol; rapl►; 3. A memorandum prepared by ftc,i�rrtl . ?�r:tlt i?►tvironrncnt:►1 Control officer Ill, concerning an on--sit0 investigation he conducted within the survey area. The aerial photograph and ntcn►ot'andutn are included in the appendix to this report. Construction and Interpretation of the Septic -Tank Survival Curve sc'lttic:• t0nk survival curve is constructed from data t'ldoh provides information on the operational history of existing and past septic systems in the survey area. Along with the age of till systems which have failed. the age of all existing- satisfactorily operating' systems is determined. 1►1 those irtstanecs \vherc a system failed ;Ine.1 either ,a.new system • was installed or the existing system was upgraded, the resulting;' system is consi.dcreel a new system and its age is calculated accordingly. The latter data are grouped into ag'e intervals. The size of the age intervals varies depending upon the overall age of development in the survey area. Systems which have failed fall into one of these intervals based on their age at the time of initial failure. Successfully operating systems tvi11 lilcetvise have reached 0 particular age interval at the time the survey is taken. Phis operational (1;tt:t for l'rooktvuod appears in Table 1. r\ three year time interval %vrts chosen he'c:;)i) .0 it i,t•ovided for 0 l;4,oc1 data spread. In c alctilati►►ls; 1110 age of systems at the time of initial failure and the ag;e of tilos,' Ilit•h h:+(l stieees.s;fully operated, any part of ;t year teas considered to 1)0 :t full yc`ar of operation. The next stop in constructing 0 septic: -tame survival curve involves making; 0 determination of that percentage of systems which continues to opQrOto into successive age intervals. These surviving.;' percentages ore that plotting against lithe to alit:tin the survival curve 1.0i' the septic -Lank systems in the l'roolcwuod survey area. The follo\Vi►►ts; preeeiltn•e ;Intl c•:Ilc'ttlatiuns are \ISt'd tt+ dal"t'►nint' the sut•vivinl, pe► ct�iit;iges for each ;Ig.0 inion\':tl (se'e Table 11) . t " I • ' 1 I ! I I ,.. , I .., ( 1 i 1 i 1 • • ... 0 ri ' .7.,' - r.: i r ,., _...., (Y) I ! 1C9 _ al . . . . . 9/ r . . . i 0 I . i .,,,, i ; , , 4/ . I 1 l CO'I "-....... -I — ......— 1 •• • ' L r- r21 .....) CO —) a., .., ,,, L.o _ , (1 i 1 Cd LI) c:c 1 0,.. i r I t i I ; 1.1.J I I -r t 1 , , 1 I I Lt.! .,..7. 41 I 7 — ! ....,. j •- 0 co I c7i I co : (-75 f i ..) r: 1 0 I u -i (7•7; - 1 I - ( -. i 1 i CM i I 1 I C.D r 73 i i I ' i I CD i ..? I '.-• J ! 1 . i i 1 . I 1-0 I 0 i Lk/ et) Li I '; ,4 rd ; _._ . i L.n 1 c); C; i i 1 I i I 1 - .._ 1 1 rt: I i .., • I i . ! . ; 1..1_ • :. `,"' , ) I C_..) i .% ..? _ I 1 ‹c _....4 i - - • , ; I --, cr. t ------- . -----'---•--. - - — . I ! 1 1 cy: I I I I , I — ; re _s, --i. 1 i 1 I I 1 ;*. I '1 • co ' ,9 II 0 I1 II—. (- • cri ;L.; c:r I , 0 OPE ' [Oi;P,I_ DATA FOR THE. I;DOOKWOOD '[.Y ARCA —.n;4,, _S ,d,'Jq' _LIM c tl ___ , ). r., _.riiJcrr,,...___` __Mat t,tn3______ tip, .LhtLI vc l_lYVuA)_. 0 - ? t I - to ( 0 1-9 Io 5 13.1; 5 1 NER 15 - 1 1 . Ity addin'' th ' number of sys;te'nlr, which ha( ,i rr I 1 and were l•;orlcing in each a;;•(_ tle•t'•,';t1 , find 1totii the number interval :lnd the lc)t:ll number rtl' installation�,�.l;tnllatirl►1s in rich age rind the number of installations re;l(:hint; each age grclnp. 'Phis is ne= romplis,h('d by taking. the t()tnl number r,l' installations as the starting point (l .e. , :Ill tiytit('il1S re(tClied the lil'st ;t(;'t intel'l';11) , sul)tr;lcting• tfle tlulilbOi' or instill:ltiolls in the first •;11;(:' interval to get the numbel' reaching tht' st'0111(1 al;.e! inter \';11 , a11(1 :;t, e,n nrtf i l (11x: number reaching OW fillal ;1 E; e' !''t'OUI' is round. 9. 3. 1'iild the total nurnite,r or systems which failed in esieh age (;roup. •!. For each age interval calculate a ('ailing quotient by dividing the number of systems lvhich failed in each ago iiilery;Il by the number of systems which reached that nge interval. 5. To find the 1)err'('►ttaf"e of systt'ms survi 'Irl in t':Icll a l' ± )(.:((alae:, systems l f ( inlcrval, the 1 „e. of systems; which failed in the preceding i from the percentage or systems •`;U1'1'IV1i'�• �, interval lti slll)traiaeCl interval , the survivingpercentage. �, inlet that interval. In the first age f is, of mitt: rsr' . 100. The percentage of systems which failed in the first age interval is round by multiplying the failing• quotient for the first :tt;e interval hy 100. 1'hc percentalte. surviving into the second are systems interval found by sub— tracting the percentage which (ailed in the filtitr interval lll fro)•100. .(tis gives the percentage of surniving into the second age interval. Again in turn. the percentage which railed in the. second rite' ' '� r,(, itltet•vnI is round by Multiplying the failing quotient r )ocdan;(' ' 1 rtt far (.1e second age interval by the ! r•( of systems surviving into the second age interval, and so on. - 19efore examining the survival data for the Brookwood surv( reader must realize that the operation of a septic tank syst('nyislnot s iinnl in Table Il, the successful operation( or failure. Systems generally have varying flY n questdin of upon their design capacity, materials used, and soil absorption characteristics.e!)endint; The severity o1' septic t;u11c failures in the Brookwood .survey area is evident from the data in both Tables i and II. in Table I, with the exception orOm"over 15" ;Ir'e inter each time period the number of inst;tllations tvhich had railed exceeded the nuntberlof thtose inst;rlln•tions which were working satisfactorily. One of the more surprising findings is that 31';, of the: systems failed within the first age interval, 0-3 veal's. To put it simply the (1:11;1 indicates That nearly ;t third of the sceptic -tank systems installed in the Brookwood survey area should fail prior to entering their fourth year of operation, This rapid ante. of attrition is ch;t1 mcteristic of an • • n}, experiencing' serious septic Wink operational problems. �u err A comparison of the m•er all results to rl:it;t from a sinriliar study done in Engle River, Alaska (i.e. , Eagle Valley Lateral Improvement District 50-10) further Substantiates this conclusion. While the findings from- the l;roolwoucl survey suggest that jt.tst • slightly over 53'1,, of the septic•-tanlc.systems installed in the survey area will continue to operate satisfactorily into their seventh year of operation, the corresponding figure for the study clone in Palle liver was 7,1./16. Assuming; that the quality of the septic -tank installations in both study areas is fairly uniform. this (viola' difference must are attribut- nble to variations in soil. tot 'I;m}rieal. and/or hydrological ic:rl chnr•ncicr'istics (Note: This assumption is based on the fact that ;r -major' portion of the development in hath subdivi- sions occurred after 1968). To obtain the septic -tank survival curve, the surviving percentage for ench age interval was plotted against time. The resulting curve is pictured in Figure 2. You will note that the 1009, surviving point was plotted at time 0-3 years. The curve does indicate that the failure of septic -tank systems in the 1;rookwood study area displays the expected direct relationship (i.e. , the probability of failure increases with the passage of time). Apart from the inconsistent jump in the 13--15 year age. interval . the t'•r;rph is nearly.a straight Iitre. It does suggest that fear s:\':;trms will operate successfully for over 15 years. It must be reemphasized. tint the surviving percentages and the survival curve constructed from them show nothing; mucro than the probable rate of septic -tank failure based on the data gathered from the survey. !While it does provide ;e valuable piece of information for • making policy decisions regarding the continued use of septic -tank systems in the survey area, the survival data, as presented. does not help to explain why, apart from the effects of age, Irby the failures ;n'e occurring. • In attempting to answer the question why , information on the general soil, topography, and hydrological characteristics of the survey area must be coupled with information • describing the location and distribution of the failures, the nature and the extent of each failure, and the apparent cause of each failure. General Comments: Location of failures: The location of each septic --tank failure in the Brookwood study area is shown in Figure 3. There is a further differentiation made between those systems which are now failing (darkened F) ;rnd those which have failed in the past lout are now operating satisfactorily (darkened S). ,\n asterisk appears. where the existing system is not the original but an -upgrade of the original or ;r previous system. No ;asterisk indicates that. pumping has been the only corrective action taken. . The most serious problems are occurring ;dung Rainbow Avenue in Blocks 1 and.4 of Brookwood Subdivision. A\ majority of the !home owners have been unable to correct their failing systems. • E IORE 2 SLI RVIVA1. CURVE FOR THE BROOI.1'IOO[) SURVEY AREA 10-1) Ttme A3v. lutiecvn1 ('ccrs) 13 -IS OYER I<� r‘•,\.14(\:. y • 1STnillUTlot.! IJF .I.Pric-Thwx rMl (I)-' LLr - (sr)_; i _ �t�.-.1-;.j) I d s �` !44R - LL - - .. Li I EL11(, _S1 ' r\\� -- ► T Fl iSirF;,-;i) '�.20E.N(� _ A i CJ s 'N II1� '1- R. yI.NUQ L AVL �_-::�; 1i® r �„ 0 It 11 U .(' --I = � - SRVEY n Pn 4 E��ock No FF.' E SyslcrnU pve,L\ec}• ,ys4am Ile, \rncs LEGEND ES:' 1 Pw,l ss}c..m Ftvi�a-c •— Oi)u-aA nJ soa�5�oc\or�1 o.S 4Qr P�m�nJc � E :_Q!t: sys}cln I-u�\ •t• U�'�cu``\• Sy�Aern OpErcci;n5 Sq{isSoLlonttY fSl C� S}Eln q,(1 S1,1,sIrS rc J. {orr No 1�rs tory oS Scmkf 7-7N-1 _NJ 4. 4; 0�1r,1.1. pr Ai.nc n} loc4c�� 1(&rrnr %ion VGrGr1E or survey not re4\frneci Nature and Extent of The F iili►ros In order to better understand the implications of the distribution pictured in Figure 3, n further explan:rtion of the data is needed. An ex:uninatio►1 and n crnnpal'ison of'the operational history mid present operating status of the systems, by block, would seem most appropriate. "There are a total of twenty homes located in Mock 1 of Itrookwoocl Subdivision: valid data was collected for fourteen of these homes. All of the home of%tlCI'S stated that their septic tank systems had failed or we►•e f:tiling;'. Only three individuals had been able to correct the drl'ieicueies ill their sys tents. In earl) ease this was accomplished • by upgrading the original system. Two of the systems lute's, over eight years old at the time of upgrading; the third system had been in operation for four years. Three of the 11. septic tank systems that are now failing;' in block 1 were upgrades of the original systems. 'Therefore, the total number of failures among the fourteen homes surveyed was seventeen. This gives a foiling percentage (not related to survival curve calculations) of 85`, just within Mock 1 of itroot:wood Subdivision. The age data for the fourteen systems that have been installed at the I1 sites which are now failing indicate that old age is not the reason for the high incidence of failure. Only four of the systems haci been in operation for more than three years prior to failure. Another four failed in their first year of operation. As in block 1, there have been a significant number of system failures in ]flocks 2 and 3 of Brookwood Subdivision• Out of the 1h hours owners who responded to the survey. 15 noted that their system had failed. However, only three of these individuals were unsuccessful when they niteilrpted to correct the situation. in all hut one instance, the home owners trho were stic i.essful had upgraded their system by installing;. a new drain field or trench. 'Three additional failures were added into the record because 000 satisf•actor•ily operating upgraded system was not an upgrade and two upgraded -systems are presently failing. of the original system Unlike those failures in block 1, the failures in blocks 2 and 3 are, no doubt, due primarily to the age of the systems. As was noted previously. n11 but four of the failures in block 1 occurred within three years after install:ction. in contrast , 16 out of the 18 system failures in Blocks 2 and :3 took place after the third year of operation. The pattern and frequency of septic talk failures in Block 4 of Itrool:tvooci Subdivision is very similar to than found for bloc]: I . All of the failures, save one, have occurred on the east side of It:rinhow ,vertu, ;tad all of these systems have continued to fail after ulrt;rading. In actsal ntrnticc•rs. five of the ten respondents from block •1 reported that their existing;• system tvas failing. 'There were 0 total of 11 failures recorded for block 4 because all the presently failing systems are upgrades of the original systems which .. failed . A\`,'was the case for block 1 , the age distribution of the failures in bloc]: 4 (loos not correlate with the high incidence of failure (i.e. , 1) of the 1 i failures occurred within the first three years of operation). 1'�itb resl>rrt t() 11o1'liocr of t!i>• :urvr,y :iron u' nhost si;tnificant finding' is that syster:hs o>11 lots directly behind and adiaeent to Int:: on the east side of bloke 4 have failed or ore failing. A of the failure- to -age data for each o1• the blocks in ltrookwo0d Subdivision and the 1'em:►ining portion of till` survey is l;iveri in hhlr Ii1. Note the correspondence between the data for Blocks 1 ;incl 4 (13i ok vood) and ltlocks `' and 3 (Itroolcwood) . 11'hile in the latter , age appears to be the primary fac'toh• pearling;' to failure, in the former, there k a i-,trnne. indication that factors other than age are causing premature failure. Another measure ()I' the degree to which a system has failed is the frequency ;it which n system must he pumped. Al:>nv of the respondents could not begin to count. the number of times their systems had been pumped. For example, the people living on the upper end of block 1 pump their systems, on the average , about twice a month. as wot►1c1 be expected, the freclt►0ncy of pumping. increases significantly in -tile spying wlien runoff is heavy. 'There was also cunscnsus ;111i011g the retiponderits that fall teas a particularly difficult period. C:haracteristics oI' The Physical Environment R1uch of the following discussion concerning the physical environmental characteristics of the survey area was inferred from the findings and data presented in the pl.eviously noted USGS publication, hydrology For ',and -Use Planning;: The Hillside arc:►, Anchor;►1_;e, Alaska. I)irret transfer adata was not possible 1>c'cat.►se the area described in the publication lids directly guest 01' the itr'ookwood survey boundaries. However, when rnal:ii>.g interpretations and recommendations, the authors generally extrapolated their findings to include the entire hillside area. "The general Ilillsiclr area consists of westward sloping land tlnit is bordered by '1'tu'trng:Lin Arai 011 the south and west and 1>y the (.'htrgach Mountains on the cast" (Ilillsic(e Study , p. 1) . This open is pictured in Figure 4. The two primary purposes of this discussion arc: 1 . To familiarize the reacler with the general pliysiograpbic characteristics of the lirook.00cl survey arca, and 2. '1'o introduce possible explanations for the septic tank operational history . as presented thus far, based on the prevailing physiographic.: features, The three physiographic features that have the greatest influence on the operation of septic tames irh any particular arca :bre the predominant soil types present and the prevailing. topographical and hydrological characteristics. Unconsolidated glacial sediments comprise most of the surficial deposits in the Hillside 01.0.0. Generally these unconsolidated materials contain poorly sorted rock particles and have low permeability (11111side Study , p. 3) . From l'eviewint:' the soil test records for the study ore:. it appears that the l;'errer:il surficinl soil types ill the ItrooI:wood survey arra tvotilcl elan;sified as unconsolidated l i1C11 1 1 I _la'�Cur : 1 _Ili oak)rf.'.Y„i___ O-3 10-1a 13-15 OVER 15 1 FAILURL-TO-AGC DATA U.S.G.S. STUDY ARE Source: Hillside Stud ,//• �.? '�. „A N" ; .;• '•t, is:,; • x,1 /.•• 1,' 1:, .• S1 -1�;� �,• S.1{!. X1',1 • r�'�� j? ..,�:?' lZ YI /f'� _{•' a`1/ it,..- j ,•75�=v •:�G I.1 rt I ( 'P./� .' i3.7,f. •.f ,,rp.. 1. ,t;.t... f; 'i , i -.,• l: t,,It t •S� t Il (.i •i! 4A ?Ili 1 .;'UE 4I1( •, • 4,2 : z '" J :,1 r'� '//:i• �j,/'j ! .i.:4!:,:,,,,,,,,▪ ..:•,;, • jam' •j� '�' '/. /'i 4'S\ /t'r ';)i't`. nr(q «••JI:ttEi) Or rf.rj((! 4114 a (O'•/ a! n ns 110 1..111 .1 r••i.'r,r5 ' a `.'S 6 7 Kuck/, rut. glacial deposits, commonly referred to as till. Under an organic overburden, which varies from nearly zero to three feet thiel; , the soil i:; described as a gravelly to fine sand. for the most part, this sand i;; not "clean". meaning it contains varying amounts of silt and clay. Upoii further examination, a very significant locational pattern; relating ' to soil suitability for nn -silo sewage disposal, emerged. . The surficial sands and gravels in Blocks 2 and 3 of Brookwood Subdivision are relatively clean to very clean. In contrast, those of Block 1 told on the east side of Block 4 contain moderate to high levels of silt and As the percentage of silt ;hod clay increase in sandy soils, the soils' capacity to absorb liquids increases, but their ability to percolate and, thereby , drain off liquids decreases. During tunes of heavy surface runoff, these types of soils can easily become saturated (hillside Study , I►. 26). Herein. lies a partial explanation for the high incidence of failure and the short operational lift:spans of .Septic tank installations in the latter two .areas. '1.'opographie configorations and hydrologic drainage patterns that are commonly associated with unconsolidated glacially derived deposits in the hillside arca are summarized in Table IV ,. along tvitll their impact on liquid waste disposal.:. The conditions outlined tinder each 01 the headings describe fairly accurately the conditions that do exist in the Brookwood study area. '.1'o provide a better picture of the topographic features and resulting drainage pattern, a recent topographic Wrap of the survey area was included in the appendix. It will help the reader to more fully understand the discussion which follows. A large portion of the survey ;ire:, is , in fact, located on land having ;t southwesterly slope of less than 1 percent . Slopes of greater than 5 percent occur in the following two locations: 1. Iltrr:rning northwest to southeast across the western half and south- east corner of Block .1, Brookwood Subdivision; and 2. lnrnrcdinle,ly behind Lots 4, 5, and 6 of Block 1 , Brookwood Subdivision. Outside the l.ounda;•ies of the survey area there rrre (significant topographic features that also influence the resulting drainage pattern. The most striking of these is the sharp down-slope directly west and south of Gregory Road (i.e., slopes of from 5-15 percent on the south noel 25-45°; on the west) . The other interesting feature is the presence of what is referred to as hummocky topography south of Rainbow Avenue. An area of hummocky topography is so designated because a snide range of slopes 00001' 5inrtr1l:tnt'ou5ly in one area. "Slopes range from nearly flat on the top of hills and bottoms of depressions to Steep on hill- sides" (hillside Study, p. 31) . To sttmrrtarize, the 13roo1:tt'c►od survey area is located on the ivester'n edge of what.is essenlinlly a glacial uutw:sh plain. 'I'lre general localitnr of this outwasll plain can be Seen ill Figure 5. • • lO (1) 7.) V) CI U vl V) v 1-- c)' Ctl v .• 1. •_t; l-) L.; M lll C_) V) L7 (:) C); C)_ :•- CI :.0 _J Cil N CJ J CIy cL C.:. Cr: I.IJ V) I L C.L L7 C) L' ri • t . so • • 1 . , 1 • .S, 1 1.ra, L;' G 1 1' ' , • C 1• • • ,r 11 n n «1 o. • ••:. LC) /'`'Cl, / ...: / ••:. i. ..': k k \ /A /* \ • ,,' \ 1 ' Ik \ /\ \ --‘• '‘''. ) ',I — ' -' ' t % 1 ) '‘ / , , ... ,, : . • • \ t . 1 ''',,, ‘ • ( , , \\ c \, i4 ., ••. .. ' 1 i \ ''• •1 \l, ‘ \ • •• .1.4 o ' ' 1...' • .''...• ' '• • ' •1 ' '' ". ' :.1 o : So. • In / •• •• , • • • a 1 i \ 37 •• 1 .., .. "k 'a •'. ,.:.‘.1 3 t'. r(7' /!'' ;•'':il' ';' '• Z. -7's .•'.. • ';'."••• •••••• ':,..i....:•7':',.?......%"... ....,91,..r.,...•::... '•'',. ‘, ,•:;.:1.,'''''''' > . • .. , *:`....:•. \`‘,/,'': ...' / I N ..1. , . /.., \ \ 1.' )1.4.. \ . ',. . \ ..'s:....7..t.:..i:i : 7 .s. . . .:- t ' -'... : 91 ': \ I 4 . , , . , ... • ' / , ' \ i'3.\. ,‘ • .. ''. , .. 1/4\ ... ' ' , I ' ( 4 • ' . 1 .. .. ‘ \ , .t a t LI 1 • .1•9•• ''' • '' 9,140•49,•\ • O ‘..4 : 4.4 . .''' ,! ..4.,-,1%‘..,o ..,...• .. , / • \ .....„ 44 . s , , t\.s:-4.!‘'Z'.•.!.,• ' ' ': 1! ' 141-1 , 1 : , I ' •J• -1). 1. 4., • • l' ..%, k , ,:.... 7.•'••-•;'.,',\V..4„.\\ :'•\.; r vs ‘'..-• ' • •-• ' ' • "'" '• i • '.. \ : ...' ,., kJ .... c•,... kv...•• ..• l• • ' • . .•• t i •., . \ .„ • in . • , • x.::......,..,',\', bb------------ \ ,., • n / • • t ' • • •o• • ,•••/....,-••• I •• . ., •••1 • \ ;' ' • 1 ' • • t ./ ' ' . • t' . '' ..} ' ' . /' ,1., "-•• 1•/ • r... • . ' 2- • ' 10 ' 1.1 ;',./:. --; • -; 2 J,1 .• '.• .i. / 1 . - (••' •••,-,. 4,.., , , .„,,•:, . . I,. ,.. ••• \ g tf , : ...:::‘ ‘ 1 ....... ' \ 1 '''t r: I/ `.4;,.., 1!,;'1'• '! "6 •:". \-:, •. 1 '-'‘, ., 0 .1.. •1 •of 111 f 1 IL .1 •••• \.1 k \cR.\.. .,,,....,•,,,,,, ,. 0 `t.', .% ; \ l't* • ' : " ' • •;",: v • •••• .-• .--, ' \ . \' . u \ /-•.' 2/.-..,,,,,;-•:i•-,/ ' / — • ./.:.":- , ,-,:'• ,-*Y ...:•.."''.:2! •":. , 7.'',, \ % ,/: i - i 1 ... , /r „„ 1.....4,!:;-•r:i... .- , • • \ • ‘) 4 9 , / ' , . •••••"'\' - • 1 1) •1 . P •II "1 • •: t* -11 • • 7. • " • - _• I I/ 1 • ar • — • .... • 1. I') ,•••• .1.;s • • 1 • • Cr) The: clr ainnl;e pattern in the survey area i:; ;;u).h that the land area immediately behind Rainbow Avenue, running south frorn ktntt Road, receive:: the majority of the runoff coming;' from the upper areas; to the tees;t. ,1 small stream actually runs behind the properties. The stream drains away from the properties south of R:1i11bow Avenue (sec Figure 13) . In:i h qu:ttc drainatie of this adj:wwi( 1:%rid is the major factor contributing to the failure of septic tanlc.syst(n)s :dont.; Rainbow Avenue. 'Alan -made alterations OI' the (Ir:rilla!;e pattern have compounded the problem by further hinderint; the, soils' ability to, absorb surface v.atet• runoff'. This man -caused alteration involves ;1 hind filling; operation taking;. placer in and around the lanes south o1• Rainbow Avenue. '1'h,,r roc:rtic)n oI' the ;n:tjor• and minor fill areas are pie:turc'd in Figure 7. (Robert P. Neale field observations and 1;1cu1orandunt of O(•tobe r 9. 1,x7:1 Apart from decreasing • the total effective area :available for al)sol•ption. the %veil{ht of the fill is further restricting su1)Sl'fuce percolation of the surface water t:..hich is absorbed. These man-made alterations of the aiready poor drainage conditions, coupled \vitt' the existing poor soil conditions, have combined to raise the f;•r•ound tvotr:r t:tl)1e. It would 1)0conjectut r to say that the effluent not being absorbed by the .failing septic tank systems is flc)tvin;;• into the primary ground water su )1)ly serving 1 „the sul)division's community well system. '}'here is the possibility that conditions :1'c such that :1 somewhat artificial but isolated %•;:iter• table has been produced. None -the -less, the potential for contamination of the drinking;' water supply doe's exist. it may be possible to partially improve the (11•airmit.e problems by completely filling the existing swampy area, leaving; just enough room to allow for free flow of the 'stream. The upper end of the.swampy are:, would be filled initially. This would restrict the flow of runoff into the area and, in time, hopefully lower the neater• table (Robert P. Neale field observations and memorandum of October 9, 1975), At best , this action tvoulcl be a stop -(;;1p measure akin to treating a deep knife wound with a band --aid. 1'o sum up, with respect to the failure of septic tank systems. there are two cause and effect relationships operating within the Brookwood survey arca. For Blocks 2 and 3 of Brookwood Subdivision, the equation looks like this: CAUSE (i'rimary: age -Secondary physiographic factors) = EFFECT (Septic tank failure necessitating upgrading and/or pumping. Corrective action. by and large. successful) . For Bloci; 1 and the east side of Block 4, the appropriate equation is: CAUSE (primary: the combined influence of physiographic factor's - Secondary: ago) _ EFFECT (Sceptic lank failure necessitating upgrading :and/or pumping. Corrective action. by and large. unsuccessful). C:onc111(1incy Remarks The Stn•vival data 011(1 ((lrVe provide Oyer, hcltttin1r evi(lenee that the Widespread (Ccln'rence Of septic tans: failures Within the liroOl:Wc,,,cl Survey :,era is l:trg'cly attrihutalhle to factors other 111:11 ;age, Along the south and east sides of Rainbow r. I.. DRAIHAGL• PATiLRNS I'.I I 1„.'..,.___. i'i 1 :.i 1 I -_._ �� .I ------ 1�- i I BVI L, 1•,^ n i �, ; {H1'i"i, . I l� ,. '' --I 1„ i 1 ..._ l I1:-:.'•;) i 1 1 I 1• ,[ELLL J) ' . �'\,, I . —, __1 i- I. L_ - !' I _._ I __ I---1---- . '• • f '..1: I I ... I I `' I, __k1\If,11iV,,y Avf: I) I I " i \ \ ,/ 1 I • ;� 1 1. IICr.%� ...-• -- I _')URVE\r A C� n Ioct: No N l_oc„!,:,, oS lo!r, L i=C-.11\111 FILL AREAS • • (1 A/) - --1 ------'--- / ---'''-' r • --_ --� j ,. |� 4, i') / '.-_-------''V/K(�N m /'` /! / r` ;::/ Source: R. P. Neale, memo. • '--- 1) �1,- ( { �-.I | -- ----^� {. - ) �-i _- �4 `'|�|/-[.V� �_)|-||-|.- (�)i'--- ~• \^1 | || 1^�; � _.. _1*- _____�'`��-'.14 �l< �N/ i - | / u/ / o v i -_-|u| 1/ --- 'i'-�(I)-�-^- l-| - ' .f. I"4 l' ' | | 1� ,'..{ 1-1'--- (-1 --/o; | ' /�] --'. --LI�� -'''.. , i , / .:` ~ . k§'I RI 1 '>..' /'''-'/ /; _.AVE _' `/�y1 | '� / \ � '/ /� -`~ c- (.�-7/��c���� •,l � ' ''L�J'Y���|F.��..( --/� ----[----- �1 ,( ---- - ' —'l` ---- N -\\\ 1.1Y `Y \/ . \iV[\\/ () Nock No ,oco\''.`o\ /o(; /,/�.`,//,/}`'\��/ In [GFHD �`� �__~-^ Am°,r F`\\ 0v*� L1.~,~ mP`\\ Am\ Avenue, the situ;►tint such that the residents arra eon!Ate(' with both an existing and I►otcnt►nt health hazard. In the first instance, there arc the obvious (Innrors presented by overflowing setters nrtcl sewage s;t;rnctittl; in 11U(lclles on the sut'face Of tho 1;'ronncl. For esnn►plo • ono individual responding to the survey suited that she was ;►frr►id to let hor children play in the backyard because the latter situation was n c•nntinuaf prol)len►. Secondly , there r•Nist,; the potential for cmntr►n►ination of the community water system through infiltration of what is essentially rats' sewage into ground w;►ter•supplies . On tile issue or. public there was a gene,r;►I cottsrinsns among survey resl►ondhnts that it tt';ts needed badly. \lost were hard pressed to understand why it had not heart put hi tont;' ;ri;•n. References 1. HydroloE,ry for Land -Use Planning: The Hillside Area, Anchoragf.` Alaska.. Prepared by Larry I,. Dearborn and tVi11iaaan 11a J.nrnivell for the United ,States Department of the interior, Geological .Survey in cooperation with the Greater Anchorage Area Borough. Open -File Report 75-105. 1 APPENDIX oh. • 1T;J: SURVIVAL ':.(IF'.'LY This survey attempts to measure the operating success of septic tank disposal systems in the surveyed arca. A septic tank 1s.considered to have failed if sewage daylights (appears) on the surface of the ground. This indicat.cs that the drain field 1s not absorbing the sewage properly. A failure can eiLhi•r• he compete, me,rninu the sewage continues to accumulate on the surface .-(;1' it long period of Llli;e, or periodic, meaning failure occurs periodically fol lo.. erl hy re.ahsorp1ion. 1n addition, having to pump a system more than once n year also constitutes a failure. --` - 1. Location of hone 2.,Number of bedrooms 3. Is the existing system y.torthL original system? Lem? Yes No Doesn't !:now 4. Do you know in what. year the existing system was installed? Year Doesn't Know . 5. Has the existing system ever failed? Yes No 6. If yes, in what year and season did it initially fail? YearSeason Doesn't: Know 7. If yes, 1• :as any corrective action taken? Yes No 3. If yes, what was dune? - a. Septic tank pumped _ b. New trench or drain 1 ieid duij c. Other 9. Has it failed since that time? Yes No 10. At what time of year docs it generally fail (i.e., spring, summer, fall or winter) 11. How many times has the system been pumped? 12. Additional remarks fll?1112;AT a d ►I'�Tr:Efiei, l►a67/1 PATiZI A r1. .OJGH E ORAND Pi fill TO: Rolf R. Strickland, Administrative Officer FROM: • Robert P. Neale, Environmental Control Officer III DATE: October 9, 1975 • SUBJECT: Brookwood Subdivision Brookwood Subdivision has had a record of high water tables for many years. Septic systems have normally only failed during the extremely' high water table periods; they now have begun to fail for much longer. periods of time. _ The water table scene; to be getting increasingly higher, with no relief in sight. I feel the reason for the gradually increasing problem is because of the filling operation being carried out behind, and directly .bordering, Rainbow Avenue. .The south side of the street seems to be the only area experiencing the high water table problem. • The filling operation is putting an increasing pressure in the swampy area between Iiuf.fthan Road and Rainbow Avenue. The small drainage stream in this swamp cannot drain the swamp fast enough, thus keeping the water table high for a longer period of time. 'There is no way to prove that the filling operation on the adjoining property is the only cause of the higher water table, but I feel it is most -likely the main contributing factor. There•is an actual moving stream behind Rainbow Avenue homes, so it is impossible to completely block off the watery area uphill of their property, although it might be -possible to ask the people who are land filling to fill the upper end of the swampy arca first, leaving just enough room for the stream to pass through. This plight help restrict drainage water from entering the swamp in the first place, thus slowing down or lowering the water table of the area. This water alight Lhcn seek new surface drainages, and thus not enter the swampy area initially. Enclosed is a rough sketch portraying the area in question. Attatclunent nrl fY"tf 1 1 /41 �� jam, •• � • Robert:. L P. Neale Environmental Control Officer III L:73 ri c A WEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSE1id'ATION SOUTHCENTRAL REGIONAL OFFICE Mr. John Simpson c/o Henry Waterfield. W. P.E. 330 L Anchorage, AK 99501 Dear Mr. Simpson: JAY S. HAMMOND, GOVERNOR 338 DENALI STREET MacKAY BUILDING, ROOM 1205 ANCHORAGE 99501 May 10, 1976 MUNICIPALITY OF ANCHORAGE DEPT. OF HEALTH & ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION MM 12 RECEIVED This is in response to last week's inquiry involving the Brookwood Subdivision and its flooding, sewage and potential health problems. I understand that representatives of the Municipality's Environmental Quality Department have visited the subdivision and are aware of the problems you mentioned. During the week of May 3, 1976 the Environmental Quality Department cited a resident of the subdivision for environ- mental pollution. They were fined $300.00. With the Municiplaity aware and currently involved in trying to correct Brookwood's pollution problems, they seemingly are in the better position to help you and direct the home owners on means for correcting other difficulties as it regards to.flooding and sewage control. Shouldthe water table be too high to permit use of a seepage pit and/or field then a holding tank may be the answer. With regards to flooding,the Municipality may want to respond to Mr. Rock - ford's plans to deepen the ditch abutting the backyards of homes on Rainbow Avenue. Should your efforts on behalf of the Brookwood Subdivision continue I recommend you direct further inquires to the Environmental Quality Department. In view of Rockford's plans this year to add more fill to this existing lot, you may wish to contact Mr. Tisdel of the State Division of Land since he reportedly is aware of the situation. His counseling on the matter could be of interest to you in your desire to help the Brookwood residents. Sincer S. . Cyr Environmental Field, Officer cc: Dept. of Environmental Quality Anchorage Municipality sv M!Jilicipality of Anchoruge MEMORANDUM DATE: April 19, 1976 TO: Brookwood Subdivision File FROM: Principal Environmental Control Officer SUBJECT: Update on Brookwood Subdivision Problem On Friday, April 16, 1976, I accompanied Mr. John Simpson, a representative of the H.A.L.O., Huffman Area Land Owners, to the Rockford Corporation's landfilling operation off of Huffman Road. This fill is directly behind the Brookwood Subdivision which has a high water table problem. A report, I filed last year, explained that the filling operation is pushing back some of the ground and surface water towards Brookwood Subdivision, but the area in which they are filling presently isn't affecting the existing conditions. The Rockford Corporation had placed a ditch completely around their property six or seven years ago for the purpose of carrying any runoff away from other landowners, but due to soil conditions the ditch hasn't been completely successful. After a long discussion with Mr. Rockford, we decided that if the ditch were rerouted to an area away from the backside of Brookwood it could remove water from a swamp area at the conjunction of the two properties. Mr. Rockford was extremely co-operative and has volunteered to provide the land and $500 towards the cost of an estimated $3,000 to lease a large backhoe and operator for excavation. At this time, Mr. Simpson and the H.A.L.O. group will be contacting the homeowners of Brookwood Subdivision and the Klatt Aggregate Company to find out if they will bear their share of the cost. I feel that Mr. Rockford has been extremely co-operative and that he has done about all we could ask of him. He was also advised about having the proper permits to carry on his filling operation and he would send a man out to apply for whatever permits he would need. Robert P. Neale Principal Env gnmental Control Officer RPN/ljh -P ,i# C� j?gip DATE: T' 4'SDAY MAR 1 6 1976 Municipality of Anchorage �:� �'1 � March 12, 1976 MEMORANDUM TO; Dr. A.B. Colyar, Director THROUGH: Dr. Leroy C. Reid, Deputy Directo FROM: Chief Sanitarian SUBJECT: File No.: 4-1 Brookwood Subdivision - Health Hazard 6"fi) This subdivision is 1/4 mile east of the Old Seward Highway on Huffman Road. It was developed in the late 1950's with a community water system. The lots average 12,000 square feet and on-site sewage disposal has been used to date. Over the years as the subdivision has continued to develop the problems of ground saturation and on-site sewage system failure have increased. The soils in a majority of the area are a clay -silt type and surface ground water is a problem. During November, 1975 our department conducted an epidemiological survey of this area (see attachment) . This subdivision needs public sewer this year. In order to expedite this matter and alleviate a serious public health problem I am asking that the subdivision be declared a public health hazard. The people circulated a petition for public sewer a couple of years ago but nothing came of it. Our department has discussed this problem with numerous homeowners and they do not see why they have to tolerate these conditions. There are sewer systems that have to be pumped weekly to prevent overflowing and we routinely have to remind homeowners to maintain proper pumping frequency. This subdivision must be given priority for public sewers this year to solve a serious public health hazard. Declaring a public health hazard is one of the first steps toward getting public sewer extended to serve this area. olf' Strickland, R.S. Chief Sanitarian RS / lw Attachment cc: Dale Merrell, Manager Sewer and Water Utility :love -0)0r 18, 1975 Rolf Strickland, It .S . , Chief Sanitarian Environmental i ontrol Ofico. lircokwoot1 Subdi i4gon rpidemio1ogient Study Attached is P. report on tho results of thf4 survoy I conducted to gather information on the operational history of septics tank s,lwnge disposal systems in Brookwood Subdivision. The data was analyzed using. the Winneberri; r "Survival Curve" technique, with additional explanatory material drawn from three other sources noted in the text of the report. dl~iwrenee A. Jon'as Environmental Control officer E1'IUJ;i1110L0G1CAL STUDY O1' S1?1''1'10-'1'AN1< SU'RV1\'Al. FOR 1iR001<1'1'OOD SU13.1)IViSION Purpose: To determine the operational success of septic tank on --site sewage disposal systems in the surveyed area. The data obtained establish the extent and loe;rtion of problems and are utilized to construct t ;1 "survival curve" for the systems in the surveyed area. The )procedure i.itili•red in this study for constructing a septic -tank survival curve was ;adapted from an article by John T. 1Vinneberger, , Ph.D. , which appeared in the July/ August, 1.975 issue of the Journal of Environmental health. Survey Area Originally the study was to include only Brookwood Subdivision, which is located off of Gregory Street just north of Ii1.lffnnin Rodd in Anchorage, Alaska. however', some additional home owners adjacent to but not in Brookwood Subdivision were also contacted (see Figure 1) . Procedure A door-to-door survey was conducted. 1.bich home owner was given the opportunity to complete the survey either immediately or send it back to the Department in a stamped return envelope. If no one was found who could at least deliver the survey to the owner, it was left, Whel'o it could be found easily, with ;1 return envelope end instructions (survey included in appendix) . Definitions of Septic 'Can): Failure A septic tank is considered to have foiled if sewage daylights (nppears) on the surface of the ground. This indicates. that the drain field is not absorbing the sewage properly. A failure can either be complete, meaning the sewage continues to' accumulate over a long period of time, or periodic, meaning failure occurs periodically followed by reabsorption. In addition, having to pump a system more than once a year also constitutes a failure. Survey Statistics Number of surveys delivered: 56 Number of surveys returned: 51 Percentage returned: 79 , 0 Introductory Comments Prior to undertaking this survey , there had been n well documented history of complaints relating to the unsatisfactory operation of septic tanks in llroolci\'oocl Subdivision. A petition to create n Lateral lnrprovcnlclit District, which would make public server available to the subdivision, has been approved by the property owners. Before the petition could be approved by the then Borough Assembly , an ordinance was passed which placed n moratorium on any further public sewering of the "hillside Arca" until a comprehensive FIGURE 1 ( '`'( . | � | �^ ,jr [_—_:� ^' /1 `: - �� --'- ----- 'i 1'): r/ —`-� _-_-��: / ' | _-� �-�-_��__'__ / -/ �� _ � �,_�-- _V/iL��k-' �Y}: '�� '' / ��/` !l/ l /- ---- / / | / ��^ }^�� / / !oy(,),----i---,--- . --,-- / '- �Y} ---�__�''� / / 1 �� | | | | / ��i |_| � J. �'| i | . / '__-._'-_._-�_-' / FL/z�p�fx oY �� / '!�' �-T-/|Y- l ��-/�-T-r- � '` / i�� / �>� ' ' | | ' --��-//-�| | /�{ | | | | -��-----� ���-il-���/�-,-�- � "0 / / | / � i -----'m�.—_��'o`_L�� ��_� � -- --~-' / clm | -_- '- CLL- -cv_tiiou �\ '' (''/\Y[�`` ')-- �/U~ o~7- \\�\| ! � \/ -8---/--'-x��-'---�.. . -'..-', / / | CO / / "~^ mE /� `'/ //� \ �'-� �` coYX � - F- ------'-------------------- . SVRV \/ AR ' A p LOC (•dfol` o[/nr >// "..11/r.'//`'11./'!,'`^n|`pv/^'.0','/ .Enid use plan was developed, which could 1)0 used to guide development. The latter action has, in effect, left the residents of Brookwood with no recourse. This being the case, it was not surprising that the reaction to the taking of this sur ey was generally favorable. It was explained to those being surveyed that the findings would help to determine if there did exist an immediate or p0tcrltial health ha::nrd. W17lien analyzing' the results of the survey , in rel:rtiorl to the predominant physiog•raphie characteristics occul't'ing in the sul'Ve\' :U'ea, pertinent information and :analysis were. dr;nvn from the following three sources: 1.. A recent report (open file report 75-105) entitled, Ilydrolo y for Lnnd-- Use Planning: The hillside Area , Anchorage, Alaska prepared by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Geological Survey in cooperation with the Greater Anchorage Area Borough; 2.. A topographic asap or the survey area prepared 1)v s't'alker Alaska, Inc. of Anchorage, Alaska from :a 1074 aerial photograph; 3. A memorandum prepared by Robert P. Neale, Environmental Control Officer III, concerning an on-site investigation he conducted within the survey cu'ca. The aerial photograph and memorandum arc included in the appendix to this report. Construction and Interpretation of the Septic -Tank Survival Curve A septic -tank survival curve is constructed from data which provides information 0n the operational history of existing and past septic systems in the survey area. Along with the age of all systems which have failed, the age of all existing satisfactorily operating systems is determined. In those .instances where a system failed and either a new system was installed or the existing system was upgraded, the resulting system is considered a new system and its age is calculated accordingly. The hitter data are grouped into age intervals. The size of the cage intervals varies depending upon the overall age of development in the survey arca. Systems which have failed fall into one or these intervals based on their age at the time of initial failure. Successfully operating systems will likewise have reach0d a particular age interval at the time the survey is taken. This operational data for Brookwood Appears in 'fable 1. A three year time interval was chosen because it provided for 0 good data spread. In calculating the age of systems at the time of initial failure alyd the age of those thick had successfully operated, any part of a year was considered to be :1 full year of operation. The next step in constructing a septle-tank survival c1.11'V0 111 volves making a determination of that percentage of systems which continues to operate into successive age intervals. These surviving' percentages :110 then plotted against. time to obtain the survival curve for the septic -tank systems in the Brookwood survey area. The follott'ing; procedurce and calculations ar0 used to determine the surviving percentages for each age interval (set '1':11]10 11) . OPER/\ IONAL DATA FOR THE BROOKWOOD SURVEY AREA 11 1 tLLY5 i_iYlU 1 0 - 3 Ls, 0 GSL LI'Jnf.kins ;) r-: ` r r.t _ In CI 1 - 9 10 5 1315 5 1 OVER i; — 1 LLI >— LiJ cr) c:1) cz) ta] LjJ I— < _J 1-1 , 1 .A ,,,s, a 1 , 0 r- Ln, re ! -9 : ____ ___,, 0 r - r— (.6 co co k.() cr 01) r- LP .$) J- cod 0 0 Cn 0 0 J) • 1 . Hy adding number of systems which had fa,,.ecl and were working in • each age interval,. find both the irulrrbel' i,f iustnllations in each age interval and the total number of installations. 2. Find the number of installations reaching each age group. This is ac= complislied by taking the total number.' of installations as the starting point (i.e., all systems reached the first age interval), subtracting the number of installations in the first til;'e interval to get the number reaching; the second age interval, mid sir 00 until the number reaching the final age group is found. 3. find the total number of systems which failed in each age group. 4. For each age interval calculate a failing quotient by dividing the number of systems which failed in each age interval by the number of' systems which reached that age interval. 5. To find the percentage of systems surviving in eneh age interval, the percentage of systems which failed in the preceding;' interval is subtracted from the percentage of systems surviving into that interval. In the first age interval, the surviving percentage is , of course, 100. The percentage of systems which failed in the first age interval is found by multiplying the failing quotient for the first age interval by 100. The percentage surviving into the second age interval is found by sub- tracting the percentage which failed in the first lige intervnl froth 100. This gives the percentage of systems surviving into the second age interval. Again in turn, the percentage which failed in the second age interval is found by multiplying; the failing quotient for the second age interval by the • percentage of systems surviving into the second age interval, and so on. Before examining the survival data for the Brookwood survey area given in Table II, the reader must realize that the operation of a septic tank system is not simply a question of successful operation or failure. Systems generally have varying lifespans, depending upon their design capacity, materials used, and soil absorption characteristics. The severity of septic tank failures in the Brookwood survey area is evident from the data in both Tables i and II. In 'fable I , with the exception of the ''over 1.5" age interval; within each time period the number of installations which had failed exceeded the number of those installmtions which were working satisfactorily. One of the more surprising findings is that 31`, of the systems failed within the first age interval, 0-3 years. 'I'o put it simply the data indicates 'that nearly a third of the septic -tank systems installed in the Ilrool:woud survey area should fail prior to entering their fourth year of operation, This rapid rate of attrition is characteristic of an area experiencing serious septic -tank operational problems. A comparison of the overall results to data from a simi1iar study done in Eagle River, Alaska (i.e. , Eagle Valley Literal Improvement District 50-10) further substantiates this conclusion. While the findings from the Brookwood survey suggest that just slightly over 53'1, of the septie--tank systems installed in the survey area will continue to operate satisfactorily into their seventh year of operation, the corresponding figure for the study done in Eagle River was 74.46. Assuming that the equality of the septic -tank installations in both study ovens is fairly uniform, this wide difference must be attribut- able to variations in soil, topographical, and/or hydrological characteristics (Note: This assumption is based on the fact that a Jnajol.• portion of the development in both subdivi- sions occurred after 1968) To obtain the septic -tank survival curve, the surviving percentage for each age interval was plotted against time. The resulting curve is pictured in Figure 2. You will note that the 100% surviving point was plotted at time 0-3 years. The curve does indicate that the failure of septic -tank systehls in the 13rookwood study area displays the expected direct relationship (i.e. , the probability of failure increases witli the passage of time) . Apart from the inconsistent jump in the 13-15 year age interval, the graph is ncarly'a straight line. 11 does suggest that fcw systems will operate successfully for over. 15 years. It must be reemphasized that the surviving percentages and the survival curve constructed from them show nothing more than the probable rate of septic -tank failure based on the data gathered from the survey. While it does provide a valuable piece of information for making policy decisions regarding' the continued use of septic -tank systems in the survey area, the survival data, as presented, docs not help to explain why, apart from the effects of age, why the failures are occurring. In attempting to answer the 'question why, information on the general soil, topography, and hydrological characteriSties of the survey area must be coupled with information describing the location and distribution of the failures, the nature and the extent of each failure , and the apparent cause of each failure. General Comments: Location of Failures: The location of each septic -tank failure in the Brookwood study nrea.is shown in Figure 3. There is a further differentiation made between those systems which are now failing (darkened F) and those which have failed in the past but are now operating satisfactorily (darkened S). An asterisk appears where the existing system is not the. original but an upgrade of the original or a previous system. No Asterisk indicates that pumping has been the only corrective action taken. The most serious problems are occurring along. Rainbow Avenue in Blocks 1 and 4 of Brookwood Subdivision. A Majority of the home owners have been unable to correct their failing systems. FIGJRE 2 100 SURVIVAL CURVE FOR THE B OOI;I.AOOD SURVEY AREA 'IU co 0 30 an 10 • n.c1 10 -ID Tune lbw.Intecvid (Yec.rs) • 13-15 overt IS AS7RI(1UTITO OF 5r_P'TIC-TAIJK FAI(�.,c; s G\ ..CP "\—• (rti SURVEY API 0 Nock No. N LEGEND E ni i -in SY s\ern Fatt���C L CJII Upra.Vecl` Sys}Q.m i=o.\\�nc3 P'\"' system F('`\t — Opccol "nJ Sa:4 �soclor�(y aS 4�o p"mp,^. r�' past sys}ern Fa�(arti.. k-hmk-Q6, sysA m oPert ins Sa�%sSo�lontty L� S.s}em operal�n s���s�c�r(y". bio h,siocy os stmlvre N114,va owner pc' •EEnonli Iacic<< t63erna}tion l f ve,ca4 oc ,��cvE Rod rekw-necl. Nature and Extent of The failures In order to better understand the implications of the distribution pictured in Figure 3, a further explanation of the (lath is needed. An examination find a comparison of•the operational history nrld present operating status of the systems , by block , would seem most appropriate. 'flier( ore n total of twenty homes located in Block 1 of Brookwood Subdivision; valid (lata was collected for fourteen of these homes. All of the 110010 owners stated that their septic tank systems hod failed or were foiling. Only three individuals hod been able to correct the deficiencies in their systems. In (rich case this was accomplished by upgrading the original system. Two of the systems were over cif; -ht years old at the time of upgrading; the third system had been in operation for four years. Three of the 11 septic tank systems that are now- failing in block 1 were upgrades of the original systems. Therefore, the total number of fai lures among the fourteen homes surveyed was seventeen. This gives a failing percentnf;'e (not related to survival curve calculations) of 85`;; just within Block 1 of Brookwood Subdivision. The age data for the fourteen systems that hove been installed nt the 11 sites which are now foiling indicate that old nge•is not the reason for the high incidence of failure. Only four of the systems had been in operation for more than three yenrs prior to failure. Another four failed in their first year of operation. As in block 1, there hove been a significant number of system failures in Blocks 2 and 3 of Brookwood Subdivision. Out of the 18 home owners who responded to the survey, 15 noted that their system had failed . however, only three of these individuals were unsuccessful when they attempted to correct the situation. In all but one instance, the home owners who were successful had upgraded their system by installing a new drain field or trench. Three additional frlilur'Os were added into the record because one satisfactorily operating upgraded system was not an upgrade of the original system and two upgraded systems are presently failing. Unlike those failures in block 1, the failures in blocks 2 and 3 are, no doubt, due primarily to the age of' the systems. As was noted previously, nil but four of the failures in block 1 occurred within three years riIter instal1ntion. In contrast, 16 out of the 18 system failures in Blocks 2 and 3 took place after the third year of operation. The pattern and frequency of septic tank fnilures in Block 4 of Brookwood Subdivision is very similar to thrit found for block 1. All of the failures, save one, have occurred on the east side of ltclinbow Avenue and all of these systems ]hive continued to foil after upgrading. In actual numbers, five of the ten respondents from block 4 reported thnt their existing system was 1'nilillt; .. '110re were a total of 11 fnilnres recorded for block 4 because all the presently failing systems are upgrades of the original systems which failed . As'was the case for block 1, the age distribution of the failures in block 4 does not correlate with the high incidence of failure (i.e. , 9 of the 11 failures occurred within the first three years of operation)`. With re$pect to the re1,,,tining portion of the survey nre,l , 1,10 most significant finding is that systems on lots directly behind and nd acen1 to lets 00 the oast side of block 4 have f;licd or :ioc failing. A summary of' the failure -to -age (Iain for each of the blocks in Brookwood Subdivision and the remaining portion of they survey is given in 'fable 111. Note the correspondence between the data for Blocks 1 and 4 (13i'Ookwood) ;and Blocks 2 and 3 (Brookwood) . While in the latter, age appears' to be the prinn:lry 1'r1cto1.' lending to f;tilt.n e , in the former , there is: a strong: indiction that factors other thou age me causing premature failure. Another pleasure of the degree to which ;t system has failed is the frequency at which n system must be pumped. Many of the respondents could not begin to count the number of times their systems had been/!pumped. For example, the people living on the upper end of bock 1 pump their systems, on the average, ;ibout twice a month. As woul l he expected, the frequency of pupping increases significantly in the spring when runoff is heavy. 'There was aiso a general consensus ;unolrg the respondents that fall teas 0 particularly difficult period. Characteristics of The Physical Environment Much of the following discussion concerning the physical environmental characteristics of the survey area w;1s inferred from the findings and data presented in the previously noted U (aS publication, Ilvd1olO y For 1,111(1-1.Ise Planning: The lfillsido Area, AnchorAlaska. Direct transfer of data was not possible because the area described in the publication lies directly west of the I3rookwood survey boundnrics, However, W11e11 making interpretations and recommendations, l.he authors generally extrapol tted their findings to include the entire Ilillside area. "The general hillside area consists of westward sloping load that is bordered by 'l'llrnagaln Arm on the south and, west and by the Chugach Mountains on the east" (1lillside Study , p. 1) . This area is pictured in -Figure 4. The two primary purpose` of this discussion are: 1. '1'o fnnniliarize the reader with the general physiographic characteristics of the Brookwood survey arca, and 2. '1'o introduce possible explanations for the septic tank operational history , as presented thus far, based 00 the prevailing physiographic features. The three physiographic features that have the greatest influence on the operation of septic to ales in any p:1rticulnr 11000 are the predomill;lnt soil types present and the prevailil g topographical and hydrological characteristics. Unconsolidated glacial sediments comprise most of the sul'fici;il deposits in the Hillside area, Gonernlly these unconsolidated materials contain poorly sorted rock particles and have low permeability (llillaide Study , p. 3) . From reViewing the soil test records for the study area, it appears that the goner:tl surficial soil types 111 the hrtu kwood survey arc;1 would ho cl;issified as unconsolidated TABLE III FAILURE -TO -AGE DATA Tnifrvc 1,1 L 3 fl1 kLf (3L2kvi nrac1 Li C0 W 3 0-1 -15 0V R 1'5 FIGURE U.S.G.S. STUDY AREA Source: Hillside Study, /// //• of•' . 1 •//: 14 / r;, ///%j./;// j/' //;/ 4,ci %/i jii '•.r /// // '4•/•/• / �5• / /l/ /;,./•'/,7..r // /.r Q..14 - v' • ' •I 1 .1Kul I'. .�. A4'.:... ..,_. rJ.'f �.�•,i,''•.2:N 5 5 7 KILO41E 75E5 !" t' -1 ji AIA • (,I .4; RAI 1111 l.;'o)E. ARC O 51110' ARCA C . ARCA (()V1. 121 11 U 1 0 1li 3 VCRED BY REPORT- 114 EPORT 114 1.11:EIRr 3 4110FOS glacial deposits, cO mnonly refNrred to as till. Under an organic overburden, which varies Trona nearly zet'o to three feet thiels , the soil is described as a 1,•ray elly to fine sand. For the Most part, this ,;ind is not "clean", meaning it contains varying amounts of silt and clay. Upon further [examination, a very significant locational pattern,. relating to soil suitability for on-site sewage disposal, emerged. The surficial sands and gravels in Blocks 2 find 3 of I3roOkwoo4 Subdivision are relatively clean to very clean. In contrast, those of I31ock 1 and on the east side of Block 4 contain .moderate to high levels of silt and clay As the percentage of silt and c llay increase in sandy soils, the soils' capacity to absorb liquids increases, but their ability to percolate and, thereby , drain off liquids decreases. 1)u ring times or heavy surface runoff, these types of soils ran easily become saturated (11illsi.de Starady, p 26) Meier i, lies ;a partial explanation for the high incidence of failure and the short operatiowll lifespans of septic tank installations in the latter two areas. Topographic configtarrtions and hydrologic drainage patterns that are commonly associated with unconsolidated glacially derived deposits in the llillside area are summarized in Table IV , along with their impact on liquid waste disposal: • The conditions outlined tnade:r each k)f the headings describe fairly accurately the conditions that do e'ist .n the lirookwood study area. To provide a better picture of the topographic features and resulting drainage pattern, 0 recent topcigraphic anal of the survey area was included in the appendix. It will help the reader to niore fully understand the discussion which follows. A large portion of the survey area is , in fact, located en land having 0 southwesterly slope of less than 1 percent. Slopes of greater than 5 percent occur in the following two locations: 1. Running northwest to southeast across the western half and south- east corner of Block 4 , 131rookwOod Subdivision; and 2. Immediately behind Lots 4, 5, and 6 of Blocks 1 Brookwood Subdivision. Outside the boundaries. of the stirvey ,area there are c;ignificant topographic features that also influence the resulting',drainage pattern. The most striking of these is the sharp down-slope directly west land south of Gregory Road (i.e., slopes of from 5-15 percent on the south and 25-45 on the west) . The other interesting feature is the presence of what is referred to as hummocky topography south of Rainbow AvIenue. An ;area of hummocky topography is so designated because a wide range of slopes occur simultaneously in one area. "Slopes range from nearly flat on the tope of hills and bottoms of depressions to steep on hill- sides" (Ilillside Study p . 31) . To summarize, the Brookwood syarvey ;area is located 00 the western edge of what is essentially n glacial out -wash plan. '1'hac general location of this outwash plain can be seen in Figure 5. LC) V) L) Cf) 1--1 LLJ 1- I-1 "ft --I CI) CD F— LU I-4 QJcL 1.1.1 LI_ Of. Cr. LIJ Cr) .LJ LI— LO 0 . ; t • • I •••• • 1 • • ' • ; • , • r 0) to r_- 0 1n a) C] vl 00 0 0 tJ { a) tZ CZ a) v) 0 V) 0 The drninge pattern in the survey arca is such- that the land area immediately behind Rainbow Avenue, running south from RItitt Roacl, receive the naajority of the runoff coming from the upper ,areas to the west. A small stream nctnally runs behind the properties. The stream drains away from the properties south of Rainbow Avenue (sec Figure 6) . Inadequate drainage of this adjacent lane( is the majorfactor contributing to the failure of septic tank.systems along Rainbow Avenue. Man-made alterations of the drainage pattern h;r\'e compounded the problem by further hindering the soils' ability to absorb surface water runoff. This man -caused alteration involves 0 land filling operation taking place in and around the land south of' Rainbow Avenue. The location of the major and minor fill ;areas arc pictured in Figure 7. (Robert P. Neale field observations and memorandum of October 9, 1175). Apart from decreasing the total effective area available for absorption, the weight of the fill is further restricting subsurface percolation of the surface water which is absorbed. These man-made alterations of the already poor drainage conditions, coupled with the existing poor soil conditions, have combined to raise the ground water table. It would be conjecture to say that the effluent not being absorbed by the failing septic tank systems is flowing into the primary ground water.' supply serving the subdivision's community well system. 'There is the possibility- that conditions ;are such that a somewhat artificial but isolated water table has been produced. • None -the -less, the potential for contamination of the drinking water supply does exist. It may be possible to partially improve the drainage problems by completely filling the existing swampy arca leaving just enoul:;'h room 'to allow for free flow cif' the stream. The upper end of the swampy area would be filled initially. This would restrict the flow of runoff into the area and, in time , hopefully lower the water table (Robert P. Neale field observations and memorandum of October 9, 1975) . At best, this ;fiction would be a stop -gap measure akin to treating a deep knife wound with a band-aid. To sum up, with respect to the failure of septic tank systems , there are. two cause and • effect relationships operating within the lirookwood survey area. For Blocks 2 and 3 of Brookwood Subdivision, the equation looks like this: CAUSE (Primary: age -Secondary physiographic factors) = EFFECT (Septic tank failure necessitating upgrading and/or pumping. Corrective action, by and large, successful) . For I3lock 1 and the east side of Block 4, the appropriate equation is: CAUSE (Primary: the combined influence of physiographic factors - Secondary: age) = l I'1'ECT (Septic -tank failure_ necessitating upgrading and/or pumping. Corrective action, by and large, unsuccessful) . Concluding Remarks •The survival data and curve provide overwhelming evidence that the widespread occurrence of septic tank failures within the Brookwood survey area is largely attributable to factors other than age. Along thesiout hi and east sides of Rainbow f-/6UKL 6 DRAIN8GL PATTERNS ---- -\|O-»/] | � •-'--i--�__� �� - �`�/ / �� ` °~/ _----=i.,` ��� _ �-'_ -_ H-- .......°' --i / / | |'- ,_ -- /�=�uo\[/ /4--I-J�� '-- )i -�� *A-�`"�| '/�� '`�1| |�' _|-_,- i '.FL; ' �'/ /» / � \�—|-\`/ |'i--- | / __-,-.[/�i (�- 17... ,/ , }' "ii /| ( /.I [ 1.:;2) ~ N'. ` ` )�- / /�----���(.7--) `- ] ' nm/Y,^^^.^ -- '^ `|| |Ji / / l`s| L-'! �----- -' / | v` 0,| | ( ` //~-�� � / |/'/ _.I.T.-1 /__^_~\' `N/ '- 8``` A- ''' `[,, | / ./ . (/)| / . '. (:)"` 14or AZ " /'` J -_-'-___--_-__'__- __--_-__-_ EYL.U�U�(-1 1.7\ ���\l\1V /\|\' ' /\. 0 L ocvLx` o( )o {|/"'"/ (' i' «[1`/»«^» 4 LE�[N� r1c:11NL 7 • Source: R. OC,vit t_ __.... _ _.•I ___.._ N I -4--;i- --17 I 0 E1ock No. Locc,1,,,, Io(; 111 ()r!(' IC / (, li,.1,):;' .r, f1! H.". '1r •� L E M\10 1.4\vor 111 A'r� m,n�r F1I Arca I L "') o rCo.m 1=10,(v fdeale, memo. Avenue, the situation such that the residents are eonfr•t ed with both an ezistital; and potential henitl) hazard. In the first instance, there are, the ol)viot_as dangers presented by overflowing;• sOt\'ea's ,uad s(!tV21(,,'e stnatclinl;' in puddles on the surface of the t;•rcauncl. for example, one individual responding; to the survey stnted that she t\';as ;afraid to let her children play in the h;acicynrd because the latter situation v;is 0 continual problem. Secondly, there exists Hie polrntinl for contamination of the community water system througyh infilt.r;ition of what is essentially row sewnl;e into l;•rcauncl water supplies. On the issue of public seiverinly , theme was n ggenernl consensus among survey respondents that it 'was needed badly. :11ost were hard pressed to aancler.stand why it had not been 1)01 in long ragyo. 1 1�cf(?relle OS 1. Ilydrolooy for Land -Use Pl,annin_g' The Hillside Area, Anchorage, Alaska. Prepared by Larry L. Dearhorn and 11'i ]li;irn W Barnwell fot' the United States Department. of the Interior, Geo1ogical .Survey in cooperation with the`Greater Anchorage Area Borough. Open -Pile Report 75-105. 1 �Lyl|C TANK SUKYiVa SURV[Y This survey attempts to measure -the operating success of septic tank disposal syst0US in the surveyed :area. A s2ptic tank is considered to have failed if sewoye'ayliUhts /0pp08 s\ on the surface of the ground. This indicates that the dr0iD�fiCld iS not Jb[U'biog the sewage properly.-: A failure coolciLher be complete, meaning the sewage continues to accumulate on the sm'kucn for o long period 0( time, or periodic, n2Ooing [3ilu,re occurs periodically followed byro0|`s0r|`ti0n. In addition, having to pump O system more than once d year also constitutes a failure. 1. LOcat1 of home ! / 2. �NU0ber\1f bedrooms J. Is the ::!eXistiny system the original system? Yes: . N 0 UVUm'i N'ow_______ 4. Do you ]kOOw in what_ year the existing iy3L xV8S installed? Year Doesn't, Know 5. Has th `existing system ever failed? Yes / No � -_-_- 6. If yes,- in What year and season did it initially fail?Year, .5eason Jloesn't Know: [� � 7. If yes„was any corrective action taken? YC No i --------- O. If yes , -what was done? a. Septic tank pumped._ b. trench or dr4j ----'--- o. her �_---- D. Has it failed since that time? Yes , No 10. At what time of year does it generally fail /i .e. ` spring, summer, fall or winr\ ` 11. How many times has the 'system been pumped? 12. Additional rem.o'kl ----�- EATEE AN "°EHME . EA:. . ➢UGH TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: Rolf /14 Strickland, Administrative Officer Robert P. Neale, Environmental Control Officer IIx October 9, 1975 Brookwood Subdivision Brookwood Subdivision has 1iad a record of high: water tables for many years. Septic systems have normally only failed during the extremely high water table periods; they now have begun to fail for much longer. periods of time. The water table seems to be getting increasingly higher, with no relief in sight. I feel the reason for the gradually -increasing problem is because of the filling operation being carried -out behind, and directly bordering, Rainbow Avenue. The south side of the street -,seems to be the only area experiencing the high water table problem. Te filling operation is putting an increasing pressure in the swampy area between IIuffman Road and Rainbow Avenue. The small drainage stream in this swamp cannot drain the swamp fast enough, thus keeping the water table high for a longer period of time. There is no way to prove that. the filling operation on the adjoining property is the only cause of: the higher water table, but 1 feel it is most likely the main contributing factor.- There is an actual moving stream behind Rainbow Avenue homes, so it is impossible to completely block off the watery area uphill of their, property, although it might be possible to ask the people who are land filling to fill the upper end of the swampy area first, leaving just enough room for the stream to pass through. This might help restrict-. drainage water from entering the swamp, in the first place,: thus slowing down or lowering the water table of the area. This water might then'.seek;new surface drainages, and thus not enter the swampy area initially. Enclosed is a rough sketch portraying the area in question. Robert P. Neale Environmental Control Officer III Attatchment A [1 (1""u11 /41 1771 • • IS February 17, 1977 Department of Public Works Public Services Division Project Development Section Environmental Services manager Brookwood Subdivision After many psporta of failing on-site sewer systems and contaminated wells the Borough Department of Environmental Quality °oeeducted a survey of septic tank disposal systems in Brookwood Subdivision in the fall of 1975. This survey was conducted by Lawrence A. Jones, Environmental control Officer and the results of that survey with supporting data of findings are attached. This study was instituted in October, 1975 and concluded November 16, 1975. On April 30, 1976, Dr. A.B. Colyar (then Director of the Department snt of Health and Environmental Protection) declared and published a "Notice of Health Hazard and declaration of Public Nuisance. The situation with individual ani -site serer systems in this subdivision have continued to fail and it is imperative that corrective action be taken as expeditiously as possible. Please consider this an official request to the project Development Section of the Public Services Division, _Department of Public Works to develop an LIQ to serve Brookwood Subdivision Joseph $.. Bla Environmental ental s. i ass $an J$8/1 j1a Attachments NUISANCE COMPLAINT FORM ('c,ra�l.�LU.-tit's Name Street Address: 92/ Phone IkI., � ,/c5g.113ox No. _Pocription of Complaint: Name of Person Against Whom Complaint is Made: Owner of Property Where Nuisance Exists: Owner's Address: Location of Complaint: Phone No. 3 /3‘ c-- Person Receiving Complaint: Street Add Date: //2- _ el I certify that such statement of facts is true to the best of my belief and know- ledge. I request that the foregoing matter be investigated and that appropriate action thereafter be taken. I am willing to testify to the facts stated in the foregoing complaint in court if necessary. Complainant Live atigat or: REPORT OF ACTION TAKEN Date Investigated: Action Taken: DATE COMPLAINANT WAS CALLED REGARDINq DISPOSITION OF COMPLAINT: April 8, 1969 Hr. Damon Wads 2428 East 20th Anchorage, Alaska 99504 SUBJECT: Sewer and Water Facilities - Lot 4, Block 5 Brookwood Subdivision for Five Bedroom House Dear Mr. Wades The Greater Anchorage Area Borough Health Department has examined the photographs submitted of the sewer system serving the subject residence and hereby gives approval of the system. The water supply its from the Brookwood Subdivision community well and is approved by this Department. Sincerely, DAVID R. L. AMC Medical Director BY: RRS/err M. D. RoiY t. stria:kland, . S. Sanitarian 01, _4..1; ac�r/[il`�cc' � lieif'd-u _dt /u G( -rte rt�'r1 f /2/y /////f cA Fr. Larry Rayl' t 1 i ]rams i1 -l4 Pai-ntiow /Yax An.chora:p, Alaska. j9562 G2 Dear Mr. Williams: SUBJECT: nverflowi.ii ; Sewa e at 1914 iainbew Street 11i Greater Anchorage Aron "orou h Health Department received a complaint of overflowing sewage at 1914 Rainbow Avenue on " oveml,or 6, 1969. Personnel of the foalth Depart'nent made an inspection of the subject premises on November 7, 1969 and the overflowing sewage was noted. At the time of the inspection, 'irs. Williams was contacted and she informed the 'J lth Department e cess ..nt«tivt_'s t-11(‘ ser't!.c t`.�nk was malfunctioning and that the situation should be corrected by Monday, November 10, 1969. nn November 17, 1969, a rc in- spoction was rade by the Health Department Personnel and the situation had not been corrected although the seepage pit had been ;lumped. The discharge of Sewage onto the surface of the ,,round is in direct conflict with Borough Ordinance #7,9-6P, and as such is punishahlc as a misdemeanor. Because of weather conditions Taking work on the sewer system difficult at this time, you are hereby requested to kce � tije sewer system free from overflow by frequent pumping until weather conditions are again such that the present sewer sy- stem can be rejuvenated. In the interim, any reoccurance of overflowing sewage will result in prompt legal action by this Pe,artrnent . J L:rn Sincerely, DAVID) R. L. DtJNCAN, .'1.!). "cyclical Director UV: John I. 'Loe, tf, r. Sanitarian RECEIPT FOR CERTIFIED MAIL ---20¢ EXTRA SERVICES FOR ADDITIONAL FEES Deliver to Return Receipt Addressee Only Shows to whom Shows to whom, and when when, and where 50¢ fee delivered delivered U 10¢ fee ❑ 35¢ fee POD Form 3800 NO NINSURANCE CQVERAGE OT FOR INTERNATIONAL PROVIDED (See other side) Nov. 1964 POSTMARK OR DATE RECEIPT FOR CERTIFIED MAIC EXT Retur Shows to whom and when A SERVI FOR ADDITIONAL Receipt 'Shows to whom, when, and where delivered delivered 10¢ fee ❑ 35¢ fee POD Form 3800 Nov. 1964 FEES Deliver to Addressee Only 50¢ fee POSTMARK OR DATE NO INSURANCE COVERAGE PROVIDED— (See other side) NOT FOR INTERNATIONAL MAIL TIONS TO DELIVERING EMPLOYEE w to whom, d fe, a ffelYv r ONLY ss where d ivere 40\addressee 1041 charge req r ort ie services_ Cit Receivedthe numb ed article described below. E OR NAME OF ADDRESSEE (Mxstalwaysbefilled in) REGISTERED NO. 2 -KY CERTIFIED NO. INSURED NO. DA E DELIVERED G ATURE OF AD ESSEE'S AG NT, IF ANY SHOW WHERE DELIVERED (only if requested) 066-16-71M8-10 GPO POST OFFICEDEPARTMENT Ill fAL BUSfNESS POD Form 3811 INSTRUCTIONS: Show name and address below and complete instructions on other side, where applicable. Moisten gummed ends, attach and hold firmly to back of article. Print on front of article RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED. PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, 8300 POSTMARK OF DELIVERING QFFICg Q:\�11JJ !!SS r . tY s 401. TO NAME OF SENDER GREATER ANCHORAGE E AREA BOROUGH HT -,.‘,ALT„ DEPARTMENT STREET AND NO. OR P.O. BOX -l';' F" fiM'Cet 1l �ilz'sr_a ttl� E` ;L./1;5f-i4 2.9'iO4 RA POST OFFICE, STATE, AND ZIP CODE NUISANCE COMPLAINT FORM .1!1, 1-a.3,u.u e ' s N ame : ,1.�i�2 C.G� Street Address : _7' / 40 9` _ Phan,, N^ J Y11 - S-% Box No. Pnrrription of Complaint: Ohl/ Owner of Property Where Nuisance Exists: Owner's Address: Location of Complaint St �- Perso Receiving Complaint: Date: //:1—d, -- certify /_certify that such stateme f facts is true to the best of my belief and know- t'9ie V R/1 V Name of Person Against Whom Complaint is Made:di(11-2-14;14a0,-r Phone No. ledge. I request that the foregoing matter be investigated and that appropriate action thereafter be taken. I am willing to testify to the facts stated in the foregoing complaint in court if necessary. 4 atekele_a-- Complainant 1,1 lir3t i gator. REPORT OF ACTION TAKEN Date Investigated: Action Taken: DATE COMPLAINANT WAS CALLED REGARDIN, DISPOSITION OF COMPLAINT: 111 0 -4 "t1 C1 I c T:1 Li) C., i &) C-1 n z tv • o t - Ci 0 0 C) '17) 0 • 5' p•_, (.7) (1,-) 0 c0 aft z 7? -273 / Ccw)_n.inant' s Name: Street Address: NUISANCE COMPLAINT FORM Phone No.3 0I -41 ? Box No. /„/,L Description of Complaint: Name of Person Against Whom Complaint is Made: Owner of Property Where Nuisance Exists: Owner's Address: Location of Complaint: Phone No. Person Receiving Complaint: Street Address: Date: �,4d I certify that such statement of facts is true to the best of my belief and know- ledge. I request that the foregoing matter be investigated and that appropriate action thereafter be taken. I am willing to testify to the facts stated in the foregoing complaint in court if necessary. Complainant Investigator: Date Investigate Action Taken: REPORT OF ACTION TAKEN .2 7' DATE COMPLAINANT WAS CALLED REGARDING DISPOSITION OF COMPLAINT: NUISANCE COMPLAINT FORM Complainant's Name: Cee/YX/M02- Street Address: .S�-G• Phone No. Description of Complaint: Box No. 9.0a tl1 s-t1GlJ ��C r 'v��n£ c 444_0 Name of Person Against Whom Complaint is Made: Owner of Property Where Nuisance Exists: Owner's Address: II. Location of Complaint: :..s%iwiirli - - - - ►ia/i r e Phone No. Person Receiving Complaint: / Date: Z 7 2 I certify that such statement of facts is true to the best of my be- lief and knowledge. I request that the foregoing matter be investi- gated and that appropriate action thereafter be taken. I am willing to testify to the facts stated in the foregoing complaint in court if necessary. Complainant Investigator: REPORT OF ACTION TAKEN Date Investigated: Action Taken: /7(.2- t-- •-) DATE COMPLAINANT WAS CALLED REGARDING DISPOSUJON OF CO7LAINT: _ „- .Complainant's Name: Street Address: NUISANCE COMPLAINT FORM /53 6 / %'E, 7LT9 Phone NoA e/2/-#06 Box No. Description of Complaint: ,,--#-/?,07) v� .?%fir % Name of Person Against Whom Complaint is Made: Owner of Property Where Nuisance Exists: Owner's Address: Phone No. Location of Complaint: 1 /Vp' 20o/e/ Person Receiving Complaint: Street Address: Date: ; -27-Z/ I certify that such statement of facts is true to the best of my belief and know- ledge. I request that the foregoing matter be investigated and that appropriate action thereafter be taken. I am willing to testify to the facts stated in the foregoing complaint in court if necessary. Complainant 'Investigator: REPORT OF ACTION TAKEN 7 7 )ate Investigated; ction Taken; kC :E CQMPLAINANT WAS CALLED REGARDING DISPOSITION OF COMPLAINT:-- _441:c Comp.La.i.nant's Name: Street Address: NUISANCE COMPLAINT FORM Phone NQ Y ;29 ,k Box No. Description of Complaint: 7 z 3 :;//) Name of Person Against Whom Complaint is Made: Owner of Property Where Nuisance Exists: i*� Owner's Address: Location of Complaint: Phone No. Street Addr s : Person Receiving Complaint: I certify that such statement of facts is Date: true to the best of my belief and know- ledge. I request that the foregoing matter be investigated and that appropriate action thereafter be taken. I am willing to testify to the facts stated in the foregoing complaint in court if necessary. Complaina Investigator: REPORT OF ACTION TAKEN )ate Investigated: /773/7/ ction Taken: ,a -y? hog*/ .........••••••••••.....••••••••••• Pk -v n L" 5 14 -rfi art 6-5 i) poYy peL,21,60 tot e .41••••••••••••••.• 'E COMPLAINANT WAS CALLED REGARDING DISPOSITION OF COMPLAINT: ,.. Complainant's Name: NUISANCE COMPLAINT FORM 1 C94/ Street Address: / g Phone No3 /-(x(7'7 Box No. Description of Complaint : ��,,w4e__,:e_e4te-Aoe A 77rK/k7J pe12-7L.$(-/1a Name of Person Against Whom Complaint is Made: Owner of Property Where Nuisance Exists: Owner's Address: 1"one No. Location of Complaint: Person Receiving Complaint: Street Address: r toe,10-(44'46q„ed,41-7 Date: 1 certify that such statement of facts is true to the best of my belief and know- ledge. I request that the foregoing matter be investigated and that appropriate action thereafter be taken. I am willing to testify to the facts stated in the foregoing complaint in court if necessary. Ytatti-otd Ltiv_ed Comp ;re://5-,/ 44a4iL/ Investigator: REPORT OF ACTION TAKEN )ate Investigated: Action Taken: 404 :E COMPLAINANT WAS CALLED REGARDING DISPOSITION OF COMPLAINT: