Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Septic Tank and Pond Construction

[Stuart Joseph (stuart]

We are going through the process of determining the location of the 
leach field, making sure it did not affect our well placement,  testing 
and figuring out how to set up our septic systems for Caer Coburn. We 
needed to do this so the engineers can come up with the house lots design.

It has involved 2 folks from our engineering office, 2 hydrologists from 
the state, a state waste water compliance person, a backhoe and 
excavator, and many test pits all over the property. They have 
determined a possible site for the leach field, but it might require 
additional test pits and involvement of the Agency of Natural Resources.

After all this, my advice is to hire the expert from the beginning, you 
will have to do it anyhow to apply for the permits. They know what all 
of the requirements are for your area and because they do this all the 
time, they have developed a relationship with the people that will be 
overseeing your permitting process. This means that they can talk to 
them and solve any problems before you apply for the permits- which will 
save you money and angst later on. That is something our engineer has 
done superbly and it will make a difference to us when we start the 
permitting process shortly. <Huzzah!>

I think collecting information is valuable and even more so when it 
comes to alternative systems since not all engineers are familiar with 
them. I send links to our engineer all the time.

Another piece of advice: when you decide to buy a particular piece of 
property,  make sure you put into your purchase offer a contingency 
clause that makes sure it will support your project, especially when it 
comes to waste water management and wells, if you are not going to be 
hooking up to a municipal sewer system. I know someone that purchased 
land and did not have it tested for septic, so he can't do what he 
planned because the soil did not support the waste water regulations.

Good Luck!

balaji [at] ouraynet.com wrote:
> Dear All,
>
> Have any of you in already established cohousing and/or ecovillage
> settlements dealt with septic tanks?  Our community will use a cluster
> housing approach, probably in duplexes and triplexes.  There could be as
> many as ten clusters.  Will one tank for each cluster be sufficient, and
> if so, what size?  What about the aborption field -- how should it be
> oriented with respect to the clusters?  Do any of you have site plans (for
> your own communities) which lay out the plumbing/septic systems?  (Love to
> see them, if so.)
>
> On the matter of pond construction, any advice would be most welcome,
> especially concerning site selection.
>
> Thanks very much,
>
>
> Charles
> Tuscaloosa Cooperative Association
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tuscaloosa_community/
>
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--
Stuart Joseph, 802-463-1954
Project Director
Caer Coburn, a traditional village based upon  and intentional communities
Rockingham, Vermont, USA
http://www.caercoburn.org