Translate
HOME »

Leaching Chamber Guidelines

Once the Authorization to Construct (ATC) has been issued by our office, you may begin construction of the On-Site Sewage Facility (OSSF). The OSSF must meet minimum requirements as specified in Title 30 of the Texas Administrative Code Chapter 285. It is the responsibility of the installer, homeowner, and OSSF operator to be familiar with the OSSF regulations and permit requirements. The OSSF must comply with these requirements during installation, inspection, and operation.

  • CONTACT INFORMATION
  • ehealth@amarillo.gov
  • Food Establishments, Mosquito Control, Swimming Pools, Complaints:
    806-378-9472
  • In-Person:
    Simms Municipal Building
    Suite 275
    808 S Buchanan St
    Amarillo, TX 79101
  • Mailing Address:
    Env. Health Dept.
    PO Box 1971
    Amarillo, TX 79101

Leaching Chamber Inspection General Guidelines

The entire system must be uncovered to verify that minimum requirements have been met. See below for details.

Pipe from Building to Treatment System

  • Must be at least three inches in diameter and constructed of cast iron, ductile iron, PVC Schedule 40 or 80, or SDR 26 PVC
  • The slope of the pipe must be no less than 1/8 inch per foot of pipe (1 inch of fall per every 8 feet of pipe)
  • A two-way cleanout must be provided between the sewer stub out and the treatment tank. An additional cleanout is required every 100 feet on long runs of pipe and within five feet of any 90-degree bends

Pipe After the Treatment System to Disposal

  • Must be at least three inches in diameter, a minimum of five feet in length, and constructed of ASTM 3034, SDR 35 PVC, PVC Schedule 40 or 80
  • Must maintain a continuous fall to the disposal system
  • There must be at least one foot of fall from the bottom of the outlet device to the bottom of the trench

All treatment tanks must be installed according to manufacturer instructions and must be level.

The flowline of the tank’s inlet device in the first compartment of a two-compartment tank must be at least three inches higher than the flowline of the outlet device.

Inlet and outlet devices must use a “T” branch fitting and have a minimum diameter of three inches.

A laser level will be used to ensure the proper slope has been maintained from the cleanout to the inlet of the treatment tank. The laser will also be used to verify the required three-inch difference between the inlet and outlet devices.

Risers must be installed on each tank within the treatment train, extending at least two inches above grade, with an inside diameter equal to or larger than the inspection or cleanout ports, which must be at least 12 inches in diameter. Risers must be permanently fastened to the tank lid, be watertight, and fitted with removable watertight caps. They must also be protected against unauthorized intrusion.

A secondary plug, cap, or other suitable restraint system must be installed below the riser cap to prevent tank entry if the cap is damaged or removed. This is often referred to as secondary containment.

The required amount of drainfield is based on the total Gallons Per Day (GPD), typically determined by the square footage of living area and/or number of bedrooms in a single-family residence. Sizing may vary depending on the type of dwelling(s) served.

Each excavation must be a minimum of 18 inches wide and not exceed 150 feet in length. Most leaching chambers are two to three feet wide.

The drainfield must have a minimum of twelve inches of cover on the leaching chamber and a maximum depth of five feet.

Multiple excavations must be separated horizontally by at least three feet of undisturbed soil.

The bottom of the excavation must be level to within one inch over every 25 feet of excavation or within three inches over the entire excavation, whichever is less. This will be verified using a laser level.

Private Water Well

  • 50-foot radius to treatment tanks

  • 100-foot radius to disposal field (can be reduced to 50 feet if the water well is properly pressure cemented)

  • 20 feet to sewer line

Public Water Well

  • 50-foot radius to treatment tanks

  • 150-foot radius to disposal field

  • 20 feet to sewer line

Water Line

  • 10-foot radius to treatment tank, sewer line, and disposal field

Foundations, Buildings, Surface Improvements, Property Lines, Swimming Pools, and Other Structures

  • 5 feet for tanks and disposal field

Easements

  • 1 foot for tanks and disposal field

Select A Language to Translate This Page

About Translations on Amarillo.gov

The City of Amarillo offers translations of content on Amarillo.gov through the Google Translate web translator (translate.google.com). Because Google Translate is an external service, the City does not control the quality or accuracy of translated content. As a result, some translations may contain inaccuracies, and there may be issues with the appearance of translated pages, including errors in images.

If you encounter incorrect or substandard translations, you can help improve them by contributing better translations using Google Translate:

  1. Hover over any text containing an error, and a pop-up box will appear.
  2. Click “Contribute a better translation.”
  3. Double-click the area of the pop-up that says “Click a word for alternative translations, or double-click to edit directly.”
  4. Make your edits directly in the text box.
  5. Press “Contribute” to submit your suggested changes.

For more information on contributing to Google Translate, visit Google Translate’s help page.

Please note that the City of Amarillo does not control the process by which contributed translations are incorporated into Google Translate.

The City of Amarillo is dedicated to enhancing the accessibility and multilingual content available on our website.

City of Amarillo: Property Taxes Rebated Per Year by Agreement Type 

Overview 

The chart shows the dollar amounts of property taxes rebated per year over the last five fiscal years, broken down by agreement type. There were no Chapter 380 property tax rebates in the first two years listed. The total amount increased slightly each year, with a more significant increase in the most recent year. 

Values 

Numerical values presented on the image: 

 

Fiscal Year 2020/2021 

Fiscal Year 2021/2022 

Fiscal Year 2022/2023 

Fiscal Year 2023/2024 

Fiscal Year 2024/2025 

Chapter 311 

$533,080 

$547,426 

$574,947 

$591,249 

$821,350 

Chapter 380 

$0 

$0 

$37,387 

$39,172 

$61,013 

Presentation 

The bar chart shows the amount of property taxes rebated in the past five fiscal years, broken down by agreement type. The horizontal axis shows each of the past five fiscal years and the vertical axis shows the dollar amount rebated. For each fiscal year there is vertical column, comprised of two stacked columns, each of which representing the different agreement types. 

City of Amarillo: Number of Tax Abatements Granted Per Year 

Overview 

The chart shows the number of businesses that received a tax abatement from the City of Amarillo in the past five fiscal years. The 2020/21 and 2021/22 fiscal years each had four active abatements, 2022/23 had five, and 2023/24 and 2024/25 each had seven. 

Values 

Numerical values presented on the image: 

 

Fiscal Year 2020/2021 

Fiscal Year 2021/2022 

Fiscal Year 2022/2023 

Fiscal Year 2023/2024 

Fiscal Year 2024/2025 

Active Abatements Per Year 

4 

4 

5 

7 

7 

Presentation 

The bar chart shows the number of businesses that received a tax abatement from the City of Amarillo in the past five fiscal years. The horizontal axis shows each of the past five fiscal years and the vertical axis shows the number of active abatements each year. Each year has one column, with the height indicating number of active abatements in that year.

Amount of Taxes Abated Per Year 

Overview 

The chart shows the dollar amounts abated over the past five fiscal years from Chapter 312 tax abatement agreements. Each fiscal year shows a larger dollar amount abated, with minor growth over the first three years, a higher increase in the fourth year, and minor growth again in the fifth year. 

Values 

Numerical values presented on the image: 

 

Fiscal Year 2020/2021 

Fiscal Year 2021/2022 

Fiscal Year 2022/2023 

Fiscal Year 2023/2024 

Fiscal Year 2024/2025 

Taxes Abated by City of Amarillo 

$510,061 

$623,017 

$679,849 

$965,261 

$1,143,899 

Total Abated by All Entities Including City of Amarillo 

$1,569,512 

$1,926,332 

$2,103,099 

$2,884,936 

$2,959,496 

Presentation 

The bar chart represents the amount of taxes abated over the past five fiscal years. The horizontal axis shows each of the past five fiscal years and the vertical axis shows the dollar amount abated. The bar representing taxes abated by the City of Amarillo is sightly offset to the side of the bar representing the amount abated by all participating tax entities for each fiscal year. This shows that the amount abated by the City of Amarillo is a part of the total amount abated by all entities.

City of Amarillo: Taxes Rebated Per Year by Type 

Overview 

This chart shows the dollar amounts rebated by the City of Amarillo from economic development incentive agreements over the past five fiscal years. Each year is broken down by rebate type, including property tax rebates, hotel occupancy tax rebates, and sales tax rebates. Each fiscal year shows a slight increase in total dollars rebated, with a more drastic increase in the most recent fiscal year. 

Values 

Numerical values presented on the image: 

 

Fiscal Year 2020/2021 

Fiscal Year 2021/2022 

Fiscal Year 2022/2023 

Fiscal Year 2023/2024 

Fiscal Year 2024/2025 

Property Tax Rebates 

$533,080 

$547,426 

$612,334 

$630,421 

$882,363 

Hotel Occupancy Tax Rebates 

$686,747 

$753,112 

$794,828 

$871,423 

$808,348 

Sales Tax Rebates 

$0 

$21,046 

$55,528 

$45,881 

$368,716 

 

Presentation 

The bar chart represents the amount rebated by the City of Amarillo for each type of tax rebate over the past five fiscal years. The horizontal axis shows each of the past five fiscal years and the vertical axis shows the dollar amount rebated. The different rebate types are stacked vertically in each fiscal year, with the height representing the total dollar amount rebated.