Septic Systems

Typical Septic System

Credit: Éric Brunet, Ontario Rural Wastewater Centre, University of Guelph

Septic systems treat the household wastewater/sewage and returns the treated effluent back to the ground water system within the yard. They are typically made up of 2 components:

1) Septic tank - separates the liquids from the solids in the wastewater. The solids settle to the bottom of the tank and need to be pumped out periodically.

2) Soil Filter, Raised Mound or Leaching Bed - after being separated from the solids in the tank, the partially treated liquid wastewater flows out to the leaching bed where it is further treated naturally by soil filtration. The type of filter system can vary.

In Strathcona County, you can find a WIDE variety of septic systems, make sure you check out what system is used on any acreage that you are considering purchasing, have it inspected and make sure that you understand what maintenance is required.  Most commonly in Strathcona County you will find:

1)  Tank and Straight Outflow - Some older properties may have this set up and it may be grandfathered in.  Straight outflow is no longer allowed in new construction.  
2)  Tank and Field:  the leaching bed is flat.
3)  Tank and Mound:  the leaching bed is raised up.
4)  Newer systems are required by the county which are more sophisticated, such as an individual, multi-stage sewage treatment system.

No matter which system you have, it is important to make sure you have an alarm system set up to help prevent backups.

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