Estimating Absorption Width & Mounding with Your Soil Information.

The design of septic system soil treatment areas (STA) includes the evaluation of two important factors, absorption width and groundwater mounding. The introduction of additional risks such as reduced vertical separation, increased loading rates, or poor soil conditions warrants a more complete evaluation of these two factors that could impact a site’s ability to perform effective wastewater treatment. This paper introduces a straight forward method in which a system designer can use familiar concepts to produce conservative estimates of absorption width and groundwater mounding that will inform the design process and help mitigate the lateral impact and groundwater contamination risks of placing septic systems in less than ideal site conditions.