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Landscaping Your System
The best cover for your drainfield is grass or other shallowly rooted plants such
as ferns, wildflowers, heather, kinnikinnick, etc. Keep trees and bigger shrubs
(such as rhododendrons) 10 feet away from your system.
It is best not to garden over your drainfield. Root crops could be exposed to
harmful bacteria and viruses, and digging in your drainfield area could damage
pipes and disturb system functions.
It is best not to plant anything over the drainfield that needs a lot of water.
Excessive watering – even during dry months – can hydraulically overload the
drainfield and cause loss of treatment and even system breakout. If you have to
water over your drainfield, do it VERY sparingly. Also, keep irrigation systems at
least 10 feet away from the drainfield.
Forget About It?
What you don't want to do with your drainfield landscape is to forget about it.
Scotch Broom, Himalayan Blackberry and Red Alder will spring up very quickly in
disturbed soil. The roots of these plants will get big
enough to disrupt your drainfield in a few short
years. Also, they will prevent access to your
drainfield area for monitoring
purposes, which means you may
not find out there is a system
problem until it's too late. Keep
the area clear and monitoring
ports located and accessible.
Maintaining Adequate Reserve Area
Your 'reserve' or 'repair' area is a very important part of your septic system. If
and when your system should ever fail, this area will be needed to site a new
system. If you use your reserve area for a parking lot, new shed, garage, or level
it out for a nicer landscape, you will probably end up paying thousands of dollars
extra if you have to replace your system. Your repair area should be treated with
the same care and regard you treat your primary system, because one day, it will
be your new primary system.
• Familiarize yourself with your septic design and as-built drawings
• Identify the areas indicated for reserve. Sometimes this is an area separate
from your primary drainfield, but usually they are connected or interwoven.
• Follow do's and don'ts the same for your drainfield as for your reserve area.
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