Types of septic systems.

Leaching pits, grey water systems, cesspools, leaching bed, septic tank systems and holding tanks are the types of septic systems recognized by Ontario's Environmental Protection Act. Most homes and cottages in Haliburton have systems that include a septic tank and leaching bed recommended by the Ontario Building Code. Our team is up-to-speed on Ontario's specifications, building code regulations and Haliburton's bylaws. It's important to have your system professionally designed and installed using quality materials, we use well known brand lines of septic products including Brooklin, Roth and Infiltrator.

Location of your septic system.

There are many regulations governing septic systems. For new site development projects septic system requirements may dictate your building location. With the building code requirements and variety of terrain in Haliburton, the location and design of your system is a critical part of your site plan and is required to be done well in advance of the actual building of your home or cottage. We will work closely with you and the municipality to determine where your septic system will be located and design it to follow building code regulations and bylaws.

Designing your septic system.

There are many things that are factored into designing a septic system. The size of your lot, size of your building, number of bedrooms, washrooms, whether you plan on building a garage or bunkie in the future, topography and grading, proximity to the property line, surface and groundwater, the need for a well and available space. We will come to your property, analyze the topography, assess the soil and bedrock conditions and factor in the space constraints before drafting a design. We will also ask carefully constructed questions to design a system to support your home or cottage so that you won't need to expand or reinstall a bigger system later.

Installation process.

Once the location of the septic system is determined and all required information pertaining to your house or cottage is gathered a design layout is made to be submitted to the municipality with a permit application. New septic systems require a test hole to be dug for assessment before the application can be approved. This is done to know what material the septic system is being installed in and if any alterations need to be made to the design based on our findings. The design will be reviewed by a septic inspector and the site will be inspected. The septic inspector has to approve the application before any work begins. Once we are given the green light, we are able to start the excavation of the new septic and complete everything up to the point of backfilling. The inspector will then need to re-visit the site to inspect all work done before issuing a permit to use the system. We will then fill in and cover the area with top soil for seeding, mulch or wood chips, and add any desired landscaping features around the septic bed.

Making your septic more attractive.

There are a number of landscape design features that can be installed around your septic bed or mound. Whether it's hiding lids of treatment tanks or ensuring your mount stays intact for above ground septic systems. The leaching bed location, size, shape, construction and maintenance of the bed all interact in determining how well the system will function. With careful design planning before the bed system is installed we can help to create a sustainable landscape that provides environmental benefits and aesthetic value. It's important to understand that the planting of certain types of vegetation on or near your septic bed may pose a threat to the long-term functionality. We can provide recommendations on the types of vegetation to plant that will remove moisture from the soil and prevent soil erosion.

Maintenance and septic system health.

In the Haliburton region, most properties are near shorelines so it is particularly important to maintain septic systems properly. A poorly functioning septic system can result in health risks, water quality problems that affect the water, property value and wildlife. There are some key actions you can take to prevent poor septic performance and septic failure.

• Use "septic smart" cleaning products
• Conserve water - use common sense
• Divert water softener/iron filter backwash to a grey water pit
• Keep trees and shrubs at least 10ft from septic bed
• Have your tank pumped and inspected regularly - every 3-5 years
• Install an effluent filter in your septic tank to protect the tile bed - if your tank is
  older than 3 years it may not have an effluent filter.
• Never drive, operate vehicles or heavy equipment on tile bed area
• Educate your family about the proper use of septic systems

To learn more about cottage country septic systems, septic system maintenance and system health read this overview by FOCA (Federation of Ontario Cottage Associations).