Question about demo'ing septic tanks and field lines.

[CM1995]

Bidding a project for a new condo where there 7 existing houses with what I assume are 7 septic tanks and 7 leach fields. These homes are old so anything could be in the ground and there might be more or less.

I have abandoned/demo'd tanks before with the standard protocol - notification to local Health Dept., pump dry and either collapse the sides and break up the bottom or knock holes in the bottom with the bucket teeth and fill with stone. However I have never had to remove the leach field lines.

This project will require the tanks and leach fields to be removed. Are there any regulations as to the disposal of the leach field - pipe, stone, surrounding soil, etc.

I know this will vary from locality to locality just trying to get an idea. The county health department has a section on abandonment of the tank as described above but nothing about leach fields. I'll found out more about the procedure locally as this job just landed on my dash. Just curious as to how other folks are required to do it.

 

[Dickjr.]

Around here , all the soils that are blackish or gray from effluent have to be hauled to a suitable disposal site that is equipped for contaminated soil. So we have about a 65 mile haul. I think it has to be excavated allowed to dry somewhat then loaded and took to disposal site. Gets pretty pricey considering its a 3 or 4 step process. Of course if you have a suitable dump site , no body's looking and you don't mind working weekends sky is the limit. Kind of like following a cattle trailer loaded up the interstate. No its not raining.

 

[CM1995]

That's what I'm thinking Dickjr, the leach fields will have to be excavated and hauled to a permitted landfill which will be pricey.

The only way to estimate/bid a job like that would be by the CY of material disposed as none of us have X-ray vision to determine the size and depth of a leach field installed 80 years ago or what modifications were done during that time.

My gut instinct is to cut it out, haul it off to a dump site I have and be done with it. It's not causing any harm next to the homes so it wouldn't be a problem at a dumpsite but we all know those days are over.

 

[JBGASH]

CM, My advice & experience is to be very carefull where & how you dump it if not at a proper landfill, it will be very likely someone will be keeping tabs on where the spoils/sewage go too. I would even have the documentation in hand from the landfill after the job to prove you did all things legal & to the governing authority's & state rules & criteria regarding leachfield disposal & abandonment. I built a sewage lagoon on my farm for septage disposal 15 yrs ago and when I got the permits from the Mo. DNR I had to give them rights to inspect it for life as they see fit- they still come at least 1- time a year.