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Septic Design Process

The most frequently asked question I get is,

 “How does the septic design process work?”

Because the process differs slightly between counties, each project is different. What follows is a general outline and response to this commonly asked question.

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Repairs

Imagine you have sewage backing up into your home, or your drain field appears to be surfacing sewage, which has led you to call a septic professional, or you have had a certified septic inspector doing an inspection on a home sale, or possibly a routine inspections, and it is found that your septic systems has failed. The inspector will then recommend a septic designer to design a new system, or to repair the existing one. 

Step 1) A designer will come to your location and analyze the existing septic components, i.e. tank(s), drain fields, and filters. A new septic drain field will generally be required to be installed. This means that new/fresh soil samples will be dug and analyzed (often times the new soils will be found with a small excavator) in areas that are adjacent to, or away from the failed soils. Holes will be dug in your yard, and flagged so that the health department can analyze and corroborate the designer’s findings.

Step 2) The designer will then prepare the proper paperwork (drawing of property including old and new drain field locations, as well as tank details such as pumps, floats, control panels, etc.) and will submit the design proposal to the health department.

Step 3) The health department will come to the site and verify the soils that the designer has submitted, as well as location of new drain field and components in accordance with local and state regulations. 

Step 4) The health department will approve the design, or in some cases, work with the designer to adjust the design as regulations may require. Once the design is approved, you as the homeowner will then hire a certified septic installer to come out and install the approved design.

Step 5) Once the installer has completed the initial install, they will call the designer back out for an inspection of the system. Once the designer has inspected the system, they will adjust their drawing, fill out the required health department paperwork and turn this into the county, verifying that they approve of the installation. This drawing package is called an “as-built,” which means it reflects the actual installation, as some things can change during the installation process.

Step 6) The county will come to the installation site and also approve the install. After the county approves it, the installer will return with the proper machinery to back out, back fill, and final grade the project. 

This process differs slightly per county, but ultimately is very similar.   

Note: If you end up with a septic system that requires a higher treatment level (this happens with poor soils or other site restrictions) a maintenance agreement between you and an O&M company (Operation and Maintenance) must be signed, notarized, and recorded with the county. 

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New Construction

Congratulations! Imagine you’ve found that perfect piece of land to build your new home on. Then you are told that you are not on public sewer, and that you will need to have an onsite septic system. If this is the case, you will need to contact a septic designer at some point in the building process. 

While this varies by county, generally you have to have your water source (either a well site planned, or a plan and approval to hookup to city water) and an approved septic design on file with the county before you can complete the building plan process. 

Step 1) After you’ve purchased your property, a septic designer will come to the location to dig soil log holes and analyze the soil properties, as they apply to setback rules. (Setbacks from wells, creeks, banks, wetlands, etc.) This step requires that you have your house location staked out, so that soil logs can be done in appropriate locations. Note: If there are potential wetlands on the property, a wetland review/study is highly recommended prior to a septic feasibility study.

Step 2) The designer will prepare a design package, including appropriate county paperwork, and will submit the package to the health department for review. Keep in mind that new construction review can take some time with the local health department! There are a lot of aspects of new construction projects that need to be considered. Ask your designer what the current wait time is for county approval. 

Step 3) Water source: if you are going to be on a well, your designer may be able to include a “proposed well site location” in their drawing, as well as filling out the appropriate county paperwork so that you may use the design for the well site portion of your project. A well site MUST be a minimum 100′ from any drain field, and 50‘ from septic tanks. It works well to have the designer know where the well will be located, so that they can design accordingly. 

Step 4) The county will approve the proposed design as it fits with other protocol for the project. If it is not approved right away, the designer will work with the county to adjust the design so that it fits all requirements for the project. Future Infiltration trenches, drainage pipe, storm water systems, etc. can effect the location of the proposed drain field, so working closely with site project engineers is crucial.

Step 5) Your design is approved! Your next steps are to work through the building process with the county until all plans are approved and you are ready to start building.

Step 6) Hiring a certified installer is the next step in the process, once an approved design is on file. You can work with your project manager/builder to coordinate with an installer on when/how the project will take place. It is very important that the drain field area remains native and that soils are not compacted, mixed, or removed from the drain field location. It is recommended that the drain field and reserve area (this is a duplicate footprint to the drainfield, but is held in reserve for future failure possibilities of the proposed drainfield. Note: You cannot build on, or alter the reserve area that is staked/flagged off, so that any subcontractor on the site knows not to alter the drain field or reserve in any way. 

Step 7) The installer has done most of the work on the installation of the approved design. The installer will call the designer back to the project location for final inspection. Once the final inspection of the installation is approved, the designer will prepare/adjust the design drawing according to what was actually installed. (Sometimes during installation, small changes occur, and should be documented on this final approval drawing, called the “as-built” drawing, and recorded at the county.)

Step 8) The designer turns in the “as-built” drawing, and the county comes out for inspection. Once this is completed, the installer can back fill and final grade the project. 

Note: If you end up with a septic system that requires a higher treatment level (this happens with poor soils or other site restrictions) a maintenance agreement between you and an O&M (operation and maintenence company) must be signed, notirized and recorded with the county. 

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Feasibility Study

Northend Septic Design will do feasibility studies on a piece of property that you are thinking about purchasing. This is a preliminary soil evaluation only, and does not guarantee an approved septic system, but it will give you a good idea about your septic options on the proposed property and location. 

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Feeling overwhelmed yet?

There are a lot of details that go into these steps. Northend Septic design is here for any and all questions about the process, or “how things work.” Feel free to give us a call, email, or use this contact form any time during this process. 

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Fees

Another question I am commonly asked is, “How much will this cost?”

I would love to have a straight forward answer to this question, but the cost is entirely dependent on the site and soil evaluation. Once an understanding of the project and its details are established, pricing can be estimated. A final a approval of a design, that can be sent to an installer for bidding, is the most accurate way to establish a cost estimate. 

The general rundown of fee descriptions is:

• Septic Design Fee (varies by situation and county)

• Installation fee (Depended on design findings, but this is the most expensive portion of the project)

• County fees (vary depending on design system proposed and locations)

• “As-built” fee (end of project inspection fee by designer)

Thank you for taking the time to read and understand the basics of the design process.

We look forward to being part of making your project a success! 

— Apryl Dennis (Licensed Septic Designer)
360-618-2312 (Call / Text)
northendsepticdesign@gmail.com

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