My septic drainfield: what we do instead of a lawn. This year's very wet summer made everything especially happy, but the extra moisture from the drainfield is welcome, too.
Texas gov types tend to call this an OSST, for on-site sewage treatment. No one wants to say the words "septic" or "sewer" out loud. Our on-site treatment sure beats the sketchy treatment that sewage gets in properly licensed municipal plants, which generally do a good job keeping the E. coli and such out of the rivers and bays, but leave tons of nitrates and phosphates. Although the nitrates and phosphates aren't toxic or pathogenic, they're food for algae blooms.
Our system virtually guarantees that nothing untoward will get into either the surface water or the groundwater. The sludge stays in the bottom of the underground tank and has to be pumped out only every dozen years or so. The water that overflows into the underground leach-pipes is mildly dirty, nothing a lot of grass can't easily take care of. The place for nutrients is in the water that feeds gardens, not in rivers and bays.
Why plant St. Augustine when you can avoid mowing and have something nice to look at? We avoid anything with serious roots, which could clog up the perforations in the leach-pipes, but grass is no problem.
No septic tanks in Plano, so no drainage fields either. With the demise of our particular HOA, though, the only thing keeping me from filling our yard with mixed grass prairie and bagging the mower is my wife. [sigh]
A family in Lubbock, TX has to go before the city every year and defend their prairie lawn. Someone always complains to the Weed Board, and the Weed Board issues a citation, and the folks then take the species list (and low water usage data) to the city and get things dismissed.
I want Big Bluestem and grama grasses. I was vetoed. Just because the bluestem gets 8' tall and dries out in winter, I mean really, what's the problem? ;)
We are forced by the county to use an aerobic system, which requires 3 tanks, a water pump, and certified inspections 3 times a year. It's highly aggravating having machinery handling something that should be, essentially, passive - such as your system. The pump cycles about 2-3 times a day to empty the third tank, watering the on an unused corner of our acreage. I've also plumbed the water to bubblers at various trees which are correspondingly growing extra fast. But I really, object to the idea of being regulated into paying someone to manage my 'byproducts' though.
We installed this system 16 years ago, when we built here, and are grandfathered. Our neighbor built a little later and had to put in an aerobic system.
I might have picked a different name for my garden than "septic drainfield," but it certainly looks pleasant. :)
ReplyDeleteTexas gov types tend to call this an OSST, for on-site sewage treatment. No one wants to say the words "septic" or "sewer" out loud. Our on-site treatment sure beats the sketchy treatment that sewage gets in properly licensed municipal plants, which generally do a good job keeping the E. coli and such out of the rivers and bays, but leave tons of nitrates and phosphates. Although the nitrates and phosphates aren't toxic or pathogenic, they're food for algae blooms.
ReplyDeleteOur system virtually guarantees that nothing untoward will get into either the surface water or the groundwater. The sludge stays in the bottom of the underground tank and has to be pumped out only every dozen years or so. The water that overflows into the underground leach-pipes is mildly dirty, nothing a lot of grass can't easily take care of. The place for nutrients is in the water that feeds gardens, not in rivers and bays.
Why plant St. Augustine when you can avoid mowing and have something nice to look at? We avoid anything with serious roots, which could clog up the perforations in the leach-pipes, but grass is no problem.
Like a really big self watering garden bin.
DeleteNo septic tanks in Plano, so no drainage fields either. With the demise of our particular HOA, though, the only thing keeping me from filling our yard with mixed grass prairie and bagging the mower is my wife. [sigh]
ReplyDeleteEric Hines
A family in Lubbock, TX has to go before the city every year and defend their prairie lawn. Someone always complains to the Weed Board, and the Weed Board issues a citation, and the folks then take the species list (and low water usage data) to the city and get things dismissed.
ReplyDeleteI want Big Bluestem and grama grasses. I was vetoed. Just because the bluestem gets 8' tall and dries out in winter, I mean really, what's the problem? ;)
LittleRed1
We are forced by the county to use an aerobic system, which requires 3 tanks, a water pump, and certified inspections 3 times a year. It's highly aggravating having machinery handling something that should be, essentially, passive - such as your system. The pump cycles about 2-3 times a day to empty the third tank, watering the on an unused corner of our acreage. I've also plumbed the water to bubblers at various trees which are correspondingly growing extra fast. But I really, object to the idea of being regulated into paying someone to manage my 'byproducts' though.
ReplyDeleteWe installed this system 16 years ago, when we built here, and are grandfathered. Our neighbor built a little later and had to put in an aerobic system.
ReplyDelete