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In this second article I would like to discuss waste water.  Waste water should be one of the first things you consider when buying a rural property upon which you intend to build your dream home.  (If you missed the first article in the water series, click here.)

There are two basic types of waste water systems: a septic tank (with or without a leech field) and a lagoon.  There are a few other types such as mound, bio or mechanical systems, but I don’t know much about them.

I have heard many people say they won’t buy a property if it has to have a lagoon.  They don’t want some stinking cesspool on their property.  I can understand the reason, but I consider this a little short sighted.  A properly designed lagoon placed in the correct location can be very efficient with little odor.

How do you decide which to use?  Well, it is really all about balancing the amount going in with the amount going out.  And if you have you heart set on a piece of property, then the soil properties will make much of the decision for you.

Septic Systems

In order to use a septic system you need to have a percolation test run by a qualified person.  This measures how fast water will drain into the soil.  If it drains well, usually a septic tank with a short discharge pipe (lateral line) will do.  If it drains a little slow then a leech field might be needed.  A leech field is a series of perforated drain lines that extend out from the septic tank.  If the percolation test shows it drains very slow or not at all, you need a lagoon.

Septic tanks require routine maintenance. They are designed to separate the floating stuff and the non floating stuff, and all of it must be biodegradable.  You need to be aware of what can and what shouldn’t go down the drain.  If it is not biodegradable, it will build up in the tanks and in the lateral lines. Eventually it will plug up, but you won’t know it until it is backing up in your yard.

Septic designs require more accuracy in estimating how much material is going in.  The collected solids must be digested by the enzymes in the tank.  These enzymes have a limit to how much they can eat.  Significant increases in the amount of stuff going in might cause the system to plug up.  And heaven help you if you buy a property with a system designed for a household of up to 6, but you have 12 kids, or worse – 6 teenage boys.  Enzymes can be harmed by toxic chemicals, so you need to be careful with the Draino or other strong chemicals.  Detergents are generally okay, and I believe the phosphates actually help the growth of enzymes.

Lagoons

Lagoons are much more forgiving.  They are not nearly as prone to problems caused by flushing non-biodegradable solids.  And it will keep working even if you adopt 12 teenage boys!

They do stink on occasion, and it can get bad.  For this reason, many folks won’t have one.  I agree with this for small plots of land – say 3 acres or less.  But if your house and lagoon are located correctly, and you use some simple landscaping, the odor can be controlled.

Locate the lagoon down wind.  Seems like a no-brainer – right?  Well it’s not always that easy.  The lay of the land might mean you have to build a longer driveway or give up a great view.

For those breeze free days, locate the lagoon as far from the house as practical.  That way the odor is dissipated by the rule of squares (twice the distance = 4 times the stink reduction).

Screen the lagoon from sight using a row of trees or other landscaping techniques – out of sight, out of mind.  But don’t plant trees or shrub on or within the bermed areas.  This is commonly not allowed by regulation.

Lagoons are not maintenance free.  You will have to trim out those volunteer trees occasionally.  Sometimes cattails or other wetland vegetation will start growing, that might not be allowed by regulations.  But this job can be hired out at much less than a plumber and backhoe cost.  Around my place, there is a boy that advertises lagoon cleaning using goats.  I’ve heard his services are great though I’m not sure how he keeps this going, because livestock are not allowed within lagoon areas.

We have a lagoon, and it works well.  I recently noticed a couple of small shrubs that need cut…I just might have to call “Two Goats and a Boy”!  ♥