Alternative System

If neither the standard system nor lagoon are feasible options due to physical characteristics of the site, an Alternative Private Wastewater Disposal System (“alternative system”) shall be required. Various types of alternative systems are approved for use in Riley County.  All alternative systems shall be subject to an annual inspection.  The property owner or the licensed installer shall submit a completed Alternative Wastewater Disposal System Application (pdf) and fee (pdf). 

The alternative system owner will be required to maintain the system in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and the "Riley County Environmental Health Administrative Standards for Alternative System Inspection and Maintenance." (pdf)

The alternative system will be subject to only an annual inspection by one of two optional methods:

a. Option 1: The Riley County Environmental Health Specialist will conduct the annual inspection and generate a compliance report filed with this office. (The Environmental Health Specialist will not perform maintenance on the system.)

b. Option  2: The system owner or owner's designee will conduct the annual inspection in the presence of the Environmental Health Specialist, who will generate a compliance report filed with this office. (The Environmental Health Specialist will not perform maintenance on the system.)

If the compliance report shows an alternative system is not in compliance the owner must bring the system into compliance, which may require the owner to apply for a repair permit. A re-inspection as described in paragraph 4 is required as a final step.

The cost of the annual inspection will be $100.00 and any re-inspection will be $75.00. All alternative system owners will be billed the $100.00 for the initial inspection at the start of each calendar year. The Environmental Health Specialist will contact the owner to schedule the system's inspection.