Septic System
Our original plans were to follow the original blueprints for
the septic system, Michael Reynold's black water system: a
series of exterior planters that handle only the toilet water.
All of the grey water (water from sinks, tub and washing
machine) is handled by interior gray water planters.. The
county health department shook their heads at the plans and
required an engineer's stamp. We couldn't find a septic
engineer willing to stamp the blueprints as they were. And
no one could give us any options. After tons of searching,
we found Larry Mott, a professional engineer. He was
pretty sure that the county wouldn't like the original
drawings no matter what, so he designed a system that the
county would approve, but that wasn't conventional. (Our
soil doesn't percolate, so a traditional septic wouldn't work.
We also really like the idea of containing the sewage and
not allowing any soil contact with it.)
Our system is a constructed wetlands. Systems like this are
used in many places, but not typically for residential septic
the septic system, Michael Reynold's black water system: a
series of exterior planters that handle only the toilet water.
All of the grey water (water from sinks, tub and washing
machine) is handled by interior gray water planters.. The
county health department shook their heads at the plans and
required an engineer's stamp. We couldn't find a septic
engineer willing to stamp the blueprints as they were. And
no one could give us any options. After tons of searching,
we found Larry Mott, a professional engineer. He was
pretty sure that the county wouldn't like the original
drawings no matter what, so he designed a system that the
county would approve, but that wasn't conventional. (Our
soil doesn't percolate, so a traditional septic wouldn't work.
We also really like the idea of containing the sewage and
not allowing any soil contact with it.)
Our system is a constructed wetlands. Systems like this are
used in many places, but not typically for residential septic
systems. Ours is a little more unique
because there is no outlet, only transpiration.
The excavation, above, is three big holes.
Near the house is a traditional concrete 1000
gallon septic tank. Initial treatment taks
pace inside this tank. Solids break down,
etc. From this tank the effluent flows into
the wetlands. This is essentially a 2' deep
bed of gravel. It is completely lined with
landfill-grade 45 mil plastic. None of the
effluent ever contacts surrounding soil.
Specific plants will be planted here and have
the job of using all of the waste water that
we create. The wetland is large enough to
dispose of more water than we can create.
This way, during the summer everything
that we generate will be used. Then during
winter, when the plants are dormant, the
effluent travels through the wetlands and is
stored in a second concrete tank. When the
plants wake up in the spring, we'll pump the
stored liquid back to the top of the wetlands.
Moving all that gravel was a heck of a
chore, but the result? Well, we got rid of
that darn porta-potty!
Can't wait to get those plants planted!
because there is no outlet, only transpiration.
The excavation, above, is three big holes.
Near the house is a traditional concrete 1000
gallon septic tank. Initial treatment taks
pace inside this tank. Solids break down,
etc. From this tank the effluent flows into
the wetlands. This is essentially a 2' deep
bed of gravel. It is completely lined with
landfill-grade 45 mil plastic. None of the
effluent ever contacts surrounding soil.
Specific plants will be planted here and have
the job of using all of the waste water that
we create. The wetland is large enough to
dispose of more water than we can create.
This way, during the summer everything
that we generate will be used. Then during
winter, when the plants are dormant, the
effluent travels through the wetlands and is
stored in a second concrete tank. When the
plants wake up in the spring, we'll pump the
stored liquid back to the top of the wetlands.
Moving all that gravel was a heck of a
chore, but the result? Well, we got rid of
that darn porta-potty!
Can't wait to get those plants planted!
