South Portland Septic Firm Designs Fields for Maine's Clay Soil

Septic Advisor, a septic and sewer company based in South Portland, Maine, said on its website that it designs drain field replacements to match the soil conditions found across its 17-town service area in Cumberland and northern York counties. The company, which also operates from a Gorham base, said it has served Southern Maine since 1989.

Reading The Soil Before Digging

The company's website describes wide variation in soil across its territory, from fast-draining glacial sand in Freeport, which it said sits behind the Desert of Maine, to the slow-draining clay the company identifies elsewhere on its site as the Presumpscot formation, found beneath much of the region's coastal lowland. Septic Advisor said a field built in that clay most often fails because it stops absorbing water, a problem that can surface as waterlogged or foul-smelling ground, or wastewater reaching the surface, while the sandy soil in Freeport takes effluent quickly but filters it less before it reaches groundwater.

The company said it also accounts for nearby water bodies, including Scarborough Marsh, the clam flats on Freeport's Harraseeket River and the lakes around Sebago in Windham, because shoreland zoning sets the setbacks a replacement field must meet. In Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth, the company said a replacement field often has to sit higher than normal, above the water table or an outcropping of ledge.

Septic, Sewer And Drain Field Work

Septic Advisor's listed services include septic system replacement, sewage pump replacement, sewer line replacement, distribution box replacement, drain field services and sewer jetting, according to its website. The company said a distribution box problem frequently sits behind what looks like a drain field failure, and that periodic sewer jetting can help keep buildup from reaching a drain field. Before recommending a replacement, the company said it evaluates the septic tank, distribution box and drain field together, since a box that has shifted out of level, or a line that is clogged, can mimic a dead field.

Permitting And Service Area

Before excavating, Septic Advisor said a state-licensed site evaluator signs off on the drain field design, along with the town's plumbing inspector, so the work meets Maine Department of Environmental Protection standards. The company's listed service area covers Biddeford, Buxton, Cape Elizabeth, Cumberland, Falmouth, Freeport, Gorham, Gray, Old Orchard Beach, Portland, Saco, Scarborough, South Portland, Standish, Westbrook, Windham and Yarmouth.

More about the company at septicadvisor.com.