Do not waste money by digging and, partly constructing, afterwards seeking
information. Prepare a plan and work from it. Get in touch with your
county agricultural and home demonstration agents. Advice may be obtained
also from extension workers, State agricultural colleges, State and local
boards of health, the United States Public Health Service, and the United
States Department of Agriculture. Do not guess distances and levels.
Use a measuring tape and some type of level--engineer's, architect's,
drainage, hand, or carpenter's. Study this bulletin, and design, lay
out, and construct in accordance therewith. Remember to: (1) Isolate the
septic tank--locate it 50 to 100 or more feet from any dwelling and, if
practicable, to the leeward of prevailing summer breezes; (2) locate the
cesspool or sewage distribution field downhill from the well or spring,
and, if possible, 300 feet therefrom; (3) select dry, porous, deeply
drained ground for disposal of all sewage; (4) do not apply more sewage to
a given area of land than can be thoroughly absorbed and oxidized; (5) lay
sewers straight and below the reach of frost, ventilate them thoroughly,
and make the joints water-tight and root-proof.
Makeshift methods, materials, or devices should be avoided or used
sparingly. Do not place a vent pipe in the top of a cesspool or septic
tank if near a dwelling. Siphon chamber and siphon may be omitted in those
rare instances where it is feasible to discharge into salt water or into
a large stream already badly polluted. Disposal of sewage in a running
stream should be a last resort. Such practice endangers water supplies
downstream, and unless the volume and velocity of flow are good nuisance
may be created in the vicinity. Do not neglect inspection and operation.
Clean out settling tanks yearly or oftener. All pipe lines below ground
should be marked with iron or stone markers to facilitate examination,
repair, or extension of the system.
There is a general but erroneous belief that the cost of sewerage is
little in the city but almost prohibitive in the country. All personal and
realty properties in one eastern city represent a valuation of $10,382
per home, which pays $355 for sewers outside the cellar wall. An average
farm in a Middle West State represents a valuation of $17,259. Is not
the farmer justified in the small outlay required to dispose of the farm
sewage? Because of the issuance of bonds and the apportionment of sewer
assessments for a series of years the city dweller may have his burden
distributed over a long period. The farmer does not pay interest on these
obligations, and sewer work can be done more cheaply in the country than
in the city.
Safe disposal of farm sewage is not a passing fad but a vital necessity.
Besides being an asset a good sewerage installation greatly promotes the
wholesomeness and healthfulness of the farm. Moreover the benefits are
far-reaching, because farm products go into every home, and farm and urban
populations mingle freely.
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