Due to seasonal groundwater levels, St. Mary’s County Health Department will begin wet season perc testing for lower terrace soil types on or about March 27, 2017. Perc testing for all other soil types (upland areas) will begin if and when water tables reach normal wet season range.
Perc test applications received since April 2016 that were not able to be conducted will be scheduled first. While the water levels are currently high enough for limited testing, perc testing may not run continuously through spring should the water table recede – causing testing to be suspended. Testing will resume if water tables rebound to necessary ranges.
Program staff at the health department’s Environmental Health Division conduct soil evaluations for the construction of residential and commercial septic systems. In addition, they also evaluate soil for replacement septic systems if the current septic systems fail. Applications for new construction perc testing are located at the St. Mary’s County Department of Land Use and Growth Management (LUGM), located in the Patuxent Building on the Governmental Center Campus in Leonardtown and require a fee. The application may also be located at the St. Mary’s County Government’s LUGM website at www.stmarysmd.com/lugm. All permit applications are available for download at the link for Permits.
For more information, please contact the St. Mary’s County Health Department’s Environmental Health Division at 301-475-4321 or the St. Mary’s County Land Use and Growth Management Department’s Permit Services at 301-475-4200, x1500, or link to the health department’s website at www.smchd.org.
