BUYER BEWARE

If you are about to purchase a lot to construct a home in an area which is not served by a public sewerage system, contact the county health department to find out if that lot has been approved for development using a septic tank system. They may already have information on this property, but if not, an evaluation can be made, and the owner may have to arrange for soil tests to be made by an engineer or surveyor before a decision can be made on its suitability.

Plant trees as far away as possible from the drain field.

If you want to be absolutely certain that tree roots will not intrude into your drain field, trees should be planted at least as far away as their estimated root spread at maturity. One way to estimate this is by the ultimate height of the mature tree. For example, a weeping cherry may be expected to grow about 25 feet tall, and should be planted a minimum of 25 feet away from the drain field. An oak might need to be planted 60 or 70 feet away. On the other hand, if you are willing to risk some root intrusion, you may plant these non-aggressive species quite a bit closer to the drain field (although closer than 10 feet is not recommended). Although the root spread of these trees may eventually encompass part of the drain field, the roots are not likely to cause serious damage.