Your Private Septic System and the Soil Type on your Property Part Two, the EPA and other agencies, have been giving the shallow drainfield, where all soil life resides, a whole lot more credit for the job that shallow drainfields do in treating the waste from the home. This sure is another reason the EPA places such emphasis on maintaining the vadose zone, where the soil receives oxygen from the air.
This zone is essential to maintaining a healthy ecology of soil bacteria and maximizing uptake of nutrients and elimination of pathogens.
There are millions of microorganisms in the trench of a typical drainfield.
Your Private Septic System and the Soil Type on your Property Part Two,there are billions of these organisms in the top foot or so of the soil, 98% of soil life is in the top 16 inches. Shallow, gravel less drainfields, that utilize the cleansing properties of the top few inches of the soil, as well as the roots of plants, in removing nitrogen and phosphorus, are in use throughout North America. The EPA estimates that 750,000 ahallow drainfields have been installed in America in the past 15 years.
Back in the 1890's, when folks dug their drainfield trenches by hand, shallow trenches were standard. Many drainfields used during that time were over planted with a garden. Which assured the plants a constant supply of nutrients and water. At times when the systems were loaded with more effluent than it could handle, ponding occurred above ground.
With the advent of the backhoe, and its deep digging capacity, trenches became deeper, and out of sight, out of mind. Less ponding, and also less cleansing action from the top six inches of the soil. Things seem to have came full circle, but with the technical advantage of leaching chambers and pressure dosing. Heres something of interest, the standard distance thats required between typical gravel filled trenches is the distance thats necessary for a backhoe to operate.
(Post 576 - 31 Aug. 2009)
Links to Parts Three and Four
Your Private Septic System and the Soil Type on your Property Part Three
Your Private Septic System and the Soil Type on your Property Part Four
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DAle, I do find your blogs helpful and today I learned a new workd vadose.