septic systems

Talking about soils makes me think about suitability for septic systems and the importance of appropriate soils. For most people who live in the city, they never use a traditional chambered septic tank and drain line system that is common throughout much of the rural United States. If a proper site and system is not designed on a site it can leach into wells and be a public health risk for yours to come. This is especially important in mountain and coastal communities where many of the soils are marginal and the ecosystem are often more fragile and affected by the addition of excess nutrients.
Here in Watauga County the selection of a site is getting more and more difficult because a good portion of the suitable land has been built upon. Coupled with this fact is that the regulations and standards have been tightened. Today, if anyone purchases a vacant piece of property an automatic contingency should be the testing of soil for proper septic system percolation. The process takes about 1 month and is extremely slow and can be a nightmare if you have a real steep site or a site that has been disturbed. As a consultant I get several calls a year asking me to help with the septic evaluations. I gladly oblige, but I explain that how North Carolina handles the septic permitting is completely different. In NC only the health department’s employee can design a system. In most other states licensed soil scientist and sanitary engineers can do the work for the private sector.