cosa - CERTIFICATE of onsite systems approval
EVERY time a home is sold within the Municipality of Anchorage, a Certificate of On-Site Systems Approval, or COSA is required if the home is served by a private well and or septic system. The COSA is issued by the Municipality of Anchorage, based on the recommendations and testing performed by an engineering firm (C&M Engineering).
The purpose of a COSA is to ensure the family purchasing your home, is investing in property that is capable of serving them with adequate clean drinking water, and sufficient waste water disposal capacity.
We recommend having your well and or septic tested early on in the selling process. This reduces the risk of delaying or even losing a sale due to a failed septic system.
The following steps outline the COSA process:
Step 1: Hire an engineer, Preferably us. We can be reached at 907 854-5558.
Step 2: Provide the engineer with some basic information. Legal description or address of your property. Do you have a well and or septic? How many bedrooms is your home? Have you ever had problems with the well or septic? Do you have an asbuilt for your property? Are the septic standpipes visible, or have they been cutoff?
Step 3: Schedule the test with the engineer and schedule to have your septic tank pumped if it hasn't been pumped recently. The engineer may do a preliminary site evaluation prior to the test on older systems or systems that have a history of problems. (We do not charge for this)
Step 4: The Engineer tests the Well and or Septic. For homes served by private wells, water samples are taken at this time. Note: water samples can take over 10 business days to process, we can take the water samples early if time is a constraint. It is required that we sample for Bacteria, Nitrates, and Arsenic. PIWA and Radon sampling services can be provided as an additional service.
Step 5: If the system passes the testing, The engineer submits the COSA paperwork, including: as-built survey, water sample results, and proof the septic was pumped. The moa charges $526.00 to review the paperwork and issue the COSA. If the septic system fails, a new system is designed, permitted, and installed. This is costly and time consuming. Occasionally systems may be rejuvenated and re-tested. There is a substantial time interval between re-rejuvenation, and when we are allowed to re-test. We do not recommend rejuvenation, as it is more often than not effective.
Often a system will pass, but require repairs. Common repairs required are:
-Well sanitary seal replacement
-Well wire protection improvements
-Replace missing septic standpipe caps
-Extending broken or cutoff standpipes above grade.
-Septic Tank baffle failure (requires replacement and engineered permit)
-Repair of broken pipes
The pro-active homeowner can easily identify many of these issues and have them repaired prior to the engineer's inspection and testing.
Step 6 IF a new system or septic tank was installed, the engineer prepares records and submits them to MOA for approval, with the cosa package.
Step 7 The muni reviews the paperwork submitted by the engineer and issues the COSA. The COSA package contains records of the engineer's inspection and recommendations for the home-buyer. The home purchase transaction can be finalized.
contact us: 907-854-5558
The purpose of a COSA is to ensure the family purchasing your home, is investing in property that is capable of serving them with adequate clean drinking water, and sufficient waste water disposal capacity.
We recommend having your well and or septic tested early on in the selling process. This reduces the risk of delaying or even losing a sale due to a failed septic system.
The following steps outline the COSA process:
Step 1: Hire an engineer, Preferably us. We can be reached at 907 854-5558.
Step 2: Provide the engineer with some basic information. Legal description or address of your property. Do you have a well and or septic? How many bedrooms is your home? Have you ever had problems with the well or septic? Do you have an asbuilt for your property? Are the septic standpipes visible, or have they been cutoff?
Step 3: Schedule the test with the engineer and schedule to have your septic tank pumped if it hasn't been pumped recently. The engineer may do a preliminary site evaluation prior to the test on older systems or systems that have a history of problems. (We do not charge for this)
Step 4: The Engineer tests the Well and or Septic. For homes served by private wells, water samples are taken at this time. Note: water samples can take over 10 business days to process, we can take the water samples early if time is a constraint. It is required that we sample for Bacteria, Nitrates, and Arsenic. PIWA and Radon sampling services can be provided as an additional service.
Step 5: If the system passes the testing, The engineer submits the COSA paperwork, including: as-built survey, water sample results, and proof the septic was pumped. The moa charges $526.00 to review the paperwork and issue the COSA. If the septic system fails, a new system is designed, permitted, and installed. This is costly and time consuming. Occasionally systems may be rejuvenated and re-tested. There is a substantial time interval between re-rejuvenation, and when we are allowed to re-test. We do not recommend rejuvenation, as it is more often than not effective.
Often a system will pass, but require repairs. Common repairs required are:
-Well sanitary seal replacement
-Well wire protection improvements
-Replace missing septic standpipe caps
-Extending broken or cutoff standpipes above grade.
-Septic Tank baffle failure (requires replacement and engineered permit)
-Repair of broken pipes
The pro-active homeowner can easily identify many of these issues and have them repaired prior to the engineer's inspection and testing.
Step 6 IF a new system or septic tank was installed, the engineer prepares records and submits them to MOA for approval, with the cosa package.
Step 7 The muni reviews the paperwork submitted by the engineer and issues the COSA. The COSA package contains records of the engineer's inspection and recommendations for the home-buyer. The home purchase transaction can be finalized.
contact us: 907-854-5558