Oregon rules on "waste water" from small winery/cidery

[doctorcosmonaut]

Does anyone know if in Oregon an orchard/winery/cidery needs a septic system and/or special permit for "waste water"? The "waste" water, in my case, would only be the water left over from cleaning out barrels and spraying down the floor... nothing really different from if I was just running the farm as usual (just now I'm processing my fruit into alcoholic beverages instead of sending them to a store).

 

[scarekrow]

I've worked on three separate wineries, my job was the drains and concrete work. All needed to pass state inspectors. One we daylighted straight out of the building to a hillside where the grapes grew. The second we connected to a septic tank and pumped to a low area of the property. And the third was a combination brewery and winery. They would wash out there equipment into drains which was hooked up to the city sewer. It's mostly water anyway nothing caustic. Any peels and solids can be composted or fed to the chickens

 

[doctorcosmonaut]

Thanks for that info! So it doesn't need to have a septic? Who determines which system is allowed? We don't have any city hookup, our house (on the farm) has a septic, but it's pretty far away from this operation.

 

[scarekrow]

No tank needed. You can run it off away from the building like rain drains for your gutters. The farther you get it away from where your wine is the less bugs you will attract

 

[doctorcosmonaut]

No tank needed. You can run it off away from the building like rain drains for your gutters. The farther you get it away from where your wine is the less bugs you will attract

Nice! So that's legal in Oregon/EPA rules? It's considered agriculturally exempt and not "waste water"?