What is an onsite septic system?
Onsite wastewater systems are just what they sound like. The wastewater generated on a site—whether it is a house, store, restaurant, institution or an industry—is treated and disposed of onsite rather than being transported to a central wastewater treatment plant. They generally, although not always, use the soils on the site to treat and/or dispose of the wastewater. Septic systems are one type of onsite wastewater system. In a septic system the wastewater is first sent to a septic tank. The septic tank serves two functions. One, it allows the solid and liquid parts of the waste to be separated. The solids, or septage, have to be pumped out of the septic tank at regular intervals (every 3-5 years) and hauled away. The liquid part is called effluent and is discussed below. Two, the septic tank provides habitat for anaerobic bacteria which provide the first level of treatment of the wastewater. From the septic tank the effluent flows into the drainfield. The drainfield is a series of p
