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Reasons Your Septic System May be Failing

• Untreated sewage discharging to streams and ditches
• A soft, smelly spot in the yard with lush grass growth
• Contaminated Wells

If you have a Septic tank System in Northern Virginia (NOVA) and notice any of the above mentioned, your septic tank system may have failed or be in the process of failing. There are numerous reasons for septic tank failure but these are three of the most common.

Other Reasons that may have caused or lead to a failed septic tank system might not be as obvious as the three listed above. Not every sign of a malfunctioning system is always obvious. Another reason why your system has failed or is failing and could be hard to identify is:

• A bad or improperly designed septic tank system- Sewage can move hundreds of feet from the actual system and even onto a neighbors property making it sometimes difficult to distinguish whose system is leaking

The primary purpose of a septic tank system is to remove wastewater and pollutants as well as protecting the environment and local inhabitants. In order to help protect the residents of our state, the state of Virginia has discharge limits set and these limits are used to evaluate systems to make sure they stay in compliance with the standards the state has set.

One sample of a standard not being in compliance is the, discharge standard for ammonia which for example may be set at 1 mg/l to protect aquatic life. What this means: should a septic system contributes more than 1 mg/l of ammonia to a stream or pond or discharges to a ditch, drain tile, or storm sewer that flows into a stream or pond, then the system would be out of compliance. For a complete listing of the limits set by the state and counties located in the state of Virginia including Warren County, Clark, County, Prince William, Loudon, Fairfax click here.

Systems can be out of compliance because they are malfunctioning or are failing. These two reasons differ in the actions that must be taken to bring the system back into compliance.

To learn more about System Malfunctions and Septic Tank System Failures click here