Septic Failures

In the Riverside area, we have a case with over 200 homes where the seepage pits are collapsing. The first picture below is of a septic seepage pit that has collapsed due to defective design and improper construction.

Failed Septic Pit

Expert with Client

Defect Problems With Leach Fields and Seepage Pits

A septic system is often used in rural areas where there are no sewers or community service districts to provide sanitation treatment.

A basic septic system involves waste water going from the house to a septic tank which is buried in the ground outside the house. As the tank fills up, it overflows through gravity to a distribution box which then spreads the waste water into one of two disposal systems.

Septic Pit Failure

Septic System Damages

Leach Fields and Seepage Pits

The first and most widely used disposal system is called a leach field, where pipes with holes are buried 18 inches or more below the ground. The waste water from the distribution box flows into the pipes and then flows out into the surrounding soil and/or gravel which surrounds the pipes. The old saying about the grass being greener over the septic tank actually applies to the ground over a properly functioning leach field. Leach fields can stretch on a single home for hundreds of feet. Each home has to have a one hundred percent extra area where a new leach field could be put in if the old one is failing.

The second major type of septic system involves seepage pits. With a seepage pit system, the waste water also flows from a distribution box, but it goes into a pit that is as deep as 50 feet and filled with various materials including rocks, wood chips, or other materials. There are often several seepage pits for each house. Seepage pits are used when the soil, to a depth of 5 to 10 feet, is unsuitable for a leach field because the waste water will not be absorbed by the soil. Seepage pits, because of their depth, get the waste water below the bad soil, but can endanger the water quality of any ground water system.