A New Septic Drain Field! Who Knew It Could Be So Exciting?

The site is ready, waiting for the final tests and King County inspection. I feel a real sense of relief to have this task done after talking about it for over a year!

It doesn't seem real yet but our torn up side yard reminds me every morning that our new drain field is complete! This was one of the major items on our To-Do List for subdividing our property. We had our septic design approved last year but decided to move our drain field in order to make a better boundary between the two eventual properties. Our old drain field lay in the middle of where we wanted to subdivide the property in half. So, we had to re-apply with a new septic design to King County. This process has taken almost two years and it feels great to have this nearing completion. Now, we will be able to complete our application to the city for the actual subdivision, enabling us to sell the second piece of property to my parents.

Finley was captivated by the reality of having a huge excavator and backhoe and dump trucks in his own backyard!

Finley and Grandpa Chapman both enjoyed watching the whole process.

Finley loved watching all the heavy equipment!

Filling in the sand for the new drain field.

The extra dirt was trucked up to the upper lot where it will help in leveling out the site for Mom and Dad's house.

Wednesday morning the excavator makes short work of clearing the site. Fortunately, it was mostly grass. A few wild vine maples and salal had to be torn out too.


Besides just being excited to have the job basically done (we still have to have it approved by the county and tested, but we forsee no problems with that since we had an experienced, professional do the work and it was designed by an approved septic designer.)All the hoops we've had to jump through! The entire experience was educational and eye-opening to the red-tape and bureacracy that exists. I'm all for protecting the environment and having laws to maintain health standards, don't get me wrong. However, seeing how laws are blanketed over all circumstances, no matter how different and unique the situations may be, is infuriating and insults common sense. Don't get me started!

Personally, I was really intimidated by the whole process. I get kind of shy when I work with a bunch of manly men who drive excavators and spit tobacco. I feel ignorant and don't want to appear stupid about septic fields and how it all goes together. I don't want to be in the way and yet I want to be there to make sure I know what's going on. Fortunately, they were pretty nice people and I tried to be informed and pay attention. Dad and Mom were a huge help in coming over while the work was being done. Mom helped me with the kids so I could answer questions and go out to the worksite when needed. Dad was great with his experience and taking notes, measuring where all the pipes and risers were and staying out there to be able to pass on information from the crew to me and Todd later.

The other curious reaction I had, was a sense of unsettledness, almost an impression of violence watching our yard being torn up. I've always been sensitive to nature and living things. Since I've had children it's even more intense. I mean, it was mostly just our pathetic, mossy lawn that was torn up, for crying out loud! But I found myself thinking of the tree roots that might have been disturbed, the worms, the insects, the cat trails through the brush and across the lawn, the way the rocks lay in the dirt, undisturbed for years. There was a brush pile and old lumber that was in the way. Something I've been meaning to rent a chipper and dispose of or take to the dump. Nick, the man driving the excavator and the contact for our job, asked me if he could move it to make more room for the dumptrucks. With two impressive chomps this huge pile of stuff was tossed back up into the undergrowth. The old basketball hoop shuddered when the bucket hit it accidentally and I wondered if I should just ask Nick to take it out too. I'm sure it wouldn't have been difficult. Seeing what color the earth is under our feet, eight feet down and what it looks like, exposed to daylight just wierded me out. Almost like the feeling I had when I had to disect a fetal pig in biology class in high school. I guess it just hit me hard to see how impermanent and fragile our physical world can be. There is so much development going on around us in our community, so many new buildings, so many treed lots being cleared in an afternoon. It hits me then too, but to have it happen in my own backyard left me feeling as vulnerable and exposed as the glacial till, suddenly naked in the sunlight.