Septic Fails and Fixes
Northwest Arkansas is growing in both population and infrastructure at a rapid pace, and that means wastewater management is also being pushed to the surface.
Septic failures are unfortunately not uncommon in our region due to the soil’s topography. Pair those conditions with an older system that has been pushed past it’s abilities for a growing family, and you can get a septic failure.
Watch this short video on How a Septic System Works to understand how wastewater is treated from many homes in this region. You can read more below to learn some common mistakes to avoid with your septic system.
This is a concrete septic tank that has just been placed and will be under ground when construction is completed. After construction and the septic box has been buried, it is important to make sure the outputs are readily available and not going to be damaged in order to provide routine maintenance to your septic system.
This image on the right shows a septic system’s lateral field in construction. These lateral fields can take up the majority of some home’s lawns. The pipes, even when buried underground, can be damaged by heavy equipment, cars, or lawnmowers passing over them, resulting in a septic failure.
After a septic system’s lateral field’s soils become oversaturated over time, the field is unable to filter wastewater effluent. On smaller property lots, it is vital to make sure there is room for a septic field and an secondary septic field in case your soils become oversaturated.
IRWP runs the Septic Tank Remediation Program to help cover the cost of repairing or replacing failed septic systems in our watershed.
If you notice effluent leaking from the tank or the leach lines where the water should be absorbed, work with a septic professional to diagnose the problem. If you live in the Illinois River Watershed, Beaver Reservoir, or Buffalo Watershed in Arkansas and have a failing septic system, water quality nonprofits IRWP and H2Ozarks can provide technical and financial assistance to help you get it fixed. This reimbursement program offers a combination of grants and 0% interest loans (with no income cap for assistance) to repair or replace all or part of your onsite wastewater system.
Program Managers:
Illinois River Watershed - Morgan Keeling, IRWP morgan@irwp.org
Beaver Reservoir Watershed - Shelly Smith, H2Ozarks Shelly@h2ozarks.org
Buffalo River Watershed - Stefanie Reynolds, H2Ozarks stefanie@h2ozarks.org
Maintaining Your Septic System
BBB Septic
If taking care of your septic system is second nature to you, you are among the few. Many homeowners struggle to locate their septic outputs to provide routine maintenance. To ensure the longevity of your septic system, get the tank pumped regularly and keep the lateral lines clear and protected. Here is a calculator to help you estimate a safe time between pumping based on your tank and household size. Other than regular pumping, carefully consider what you put down your tank and avoid using additives or flushing anything other than waste and toilet paper that is degradable.
De-Bunking Septic Maintenance Myths
- With Piper Satterfield from BBB Septic
Myth #1: Don’t pump the tank until you have a problem.
Pumping out the tank gets rid of any solids that have built up over time. If the solids layers are too thick, then they get pushed out into the absorption lines and this degrades the septic field. This typically leads to the lines needing to be replaced. When lines are replaced, that means a new soil test, septic system permit, and installation must be completed.
Myth #2: I have more than 10 acres, I don’t need a septic system.
Before 1999, if you had 10 acres or more and met certain criteria, then you didn’t have to apply for a septic system permit; however, you were still required to have ample onsite wastewater treatment. Unfortunately this requirement was often overlooked and resulted in many cases of raw sewage running directly onto the ground. Some counties still observe the “10 acre exemption” rule, but Benton and Washington Counties have not allowed this since 1999.
Myth #3: I don’t need to pump my tank because I use Rid-X.
The use of additives does not remove the need to have your septic tank pumped out regularly. Neither does the addition of yeast, buttermilk, a cup of sugar, a dead chicken, a dead opossum, (and, yes– we have seen this). Your body produces all of the natural bacteria needed to make the tank do its best work, but the tank still fills up with undigested solids over time.
Myth #4: Greywater doesn’t go into the septic system.
If the system was properly designed and installed, then every sink, toilet, washing machine, dishwasher, bathtub and shower should drain into the septic system. In Arkansas, all greywater is required to be placed subsurface for treatment.
Myth #5: What I flush goes away forever.
One routine pumping visit ended in divorce when the hose pulled a giant ball of condoms from a septic tank. We can see the grease, wipes, tampons, toy cars, teddy bears, barbie heads, and everything in between that is sent down the drain. Sometimes removal of these items can end up costing extra during a routine pumping, if it doesn’t cause a failure. Chemicals put into septic tanks that don’t easily break down can contaminate the groundwater.
