Septic Systems in North Carolina
by Roger A. Wesley
A public sewer is not available to the vast majority of North Carolina rural residents. They rely on septic systems (on-site treatment and disposal systems) as an effective means to dispose of the wastewater generated inside their homes. In 1999 more than 30,294 new septic systems were installed in North Carolina, and more than 4,944 existing septic systems were repaired.
Health officials will issue permits for several types of septic systems that can be installed to overcome specific site problems. Examples of these systems are pump systems, panel block, chamber, low pressure pipe, sand filter, and mound systems. In some cases, installers can modify a site that at first may not be eligible for a permit. They can make surface or subsurface diversion ditches, or perform a supervised fill or cut.
Your local environmental health office maintains records on the septic systems installed in your county. In many cases, they will be able to look up your septic system record, tell you the type of system you have, the location of its components and any site modifications that were made.
The septic system is located on the same property where the residence is located and is sited in a manner to comply with required setbacks and topographic features. The drainfield size is based upon the predicted water use for the dwelling and the water absorption rate of the soil. North Carolina law requires that every property with a septic system must have a designated repair area on that property that would accept a new drainfield to replace one that fails. The reason for this is that the soil acts like a filter and at some time in the future will clog up and no longer absorb the wastewater. Wastewater will then surface and back up into the house or contaminate the ground water.
A property owner should not adopt an “out of sight, out of mind” attitude toward the septic system. Septic system owners are required by North Carolina Sewage rule 15A NCAC 18A .1961 to operate and maintain their systems so they will not endanger their health or public health. Maintaining your septic system will give it a functioning life of 20 to 30 years before it fails. The most important maintenance you should perform on a septic system is to have the tank pumped out every 3 to 5 years. For this reason, many homeowners have risers attached to their septic tanks. The risers protrude above ground and allow for ease of pumping out the tank without digging up the ground over the tank.
On a day-to-day basis, you can be careful about water usage. Conserve water, correct any water leaks, avoid pouring grease and chemicals down your drains and limit any excess solids from going into your septic tank.
For more information, contact your local North Carolina Cooperative Extension office and ask for their publications on septic systems.
Roger A. Wesley is an environmental health supervisor for the Burke County Health Department. He has been involved with on-site wastewater work and other environmental health programs for the past 14 years. He is a registered sanitarian in North Carolina and nationally credentialed as a Registered Environmental Health Specialist.