Does anyone have any experience with septic lagoons?

A property we are looking at in Idaho is on ten acres and has a septic lagoon rather than a septic tank. The property looks great, all pretty much level or slightly rolling ground. Apparently a fair amount of clay, hence the lagoon rather than tank. From what I've seen of the paperwork so far, the lagoon has always passed inspections and is the required distance from the home and the well.

I realize the vegetation must be controlled around and in the lagoon for it to work properly and by regulation must be fenced. Any big drawbacks to a septic lagoon? Any that would dissuade you from an otherwise desirable property?

Thanks for any input.

Is there a creek you can just pipe it to?

You are joking right?

I have never heard of a home based lagoon treatment. Small towns and cities in rural areas have lagoons for treatment. These lagoons have a pond liner installed. A question I have is how old is this lagoon? Where does the water flow out of the lagoon or does it seep down through the clay? I would definitely check with Idaho DEQ on its acceptance and what all is involved. If the ammonia is converted to nitrate in this lagoon, I also would check my well water nitrate level. Nitrate level I believe should be below 10ppm. I would think there has to be water seepage through the clay and possibly into the water table. Another factor to consider is solids build up in the lagoon. At some point solids will need to be removed. How big is this lagoon? Lagoons are usually aerated for treatment also. This is a septic lagoon like you noted. I'm sorry but this does not sound like a good treatment system to me and somewhat surprised it is legally allowed to exist. I'd be calling Idaho DEQ for all the information at this site.

Those are really nice when your dogs go for a swim...

That is not what a septic lagoon is. You have a septic tank but instead of a leach field the effluent is piped to a small pond because the soil does not percolate. In the pond the effluent evaporates. Mine is 21 years old, stays dry , very little goes in there. All you do to maintain the system is have your septic tank pumped out every so often.

There is a septic tank there. Just ask someone. Never worry about the vegetation. I've shoved many weeping willow cuttings around it. Talk about a fast growing tree.

Thanks for clarifying, so there is a tank? Original poster states there is no tank?

+1 on calling DEQ on this. I have never heard of one either and I live in a rural area. Might have been built that way before above-grade septic fields were developed.

There is a community septic lagoon, more commonly or locally anyways called "the trout pond" near my place in Alaska...It's 100% ground and pumped raw sewage..

Don't try to catch trout there, the fishing sucks....


this is it....
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Naknek,+AK,+USA/@58.7247054,-157.0513358,343m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x56e7c5403196c26f:0xc2213cc1032e0af1!8m2!3d58.7283333!4d-157.013889

Just for the warshun machine.

Not in Idaho but I have built a few and as Some have said there should be a septic tank and the Lagoon part just takes place the lateral or leach field when properly done in my opinion there is no real drawbacks because if everything's working properly you don't even really have a smell that scares some people. Now I would fence it off and I wouldn't want my dogs to swim in it for sure. I have been a licensed septic installer in many counties in Missouri for many years I have repaired some tanks and replaced many lateral Fields I have never worked on a lagoon only built them.

Our's is just a two pond system, one acts as the "septic tank" the larger one would be the facsimile of a drain field. There is absolutely no liner involved, that would defeat the purpose.

It sounds like a great spot to grow some rice for your local China Palace.

Post a No Fishing sign near it pointed at your neighbor's property.

Years ago, many houses had cesspools. It was often just a pit 6' deep with cinderblocks stacked around the sides and covered with boards and dirt. The only outlet was the holes between and through the cinder blocks. When the sludge built up to the top, you dug a new one.

Thanks guys for all the replies. I'll check with the realtor to find out if it has a tank. That would make sense. It has been permitted and inspected by Idaho and passed applicable inspections judging by the paperwork I've received.

Maybe I can start a side business raising tilapia.

Tasty!

Had some older properties with a lagoon.

Pumps, aerators, stirrers, had been there for 50 years.

Regularly inspected by MO DNR, checked out fine.

Then one day, they tell me the new water regs say ya can't have a lagoon anymore.

Grandfathered? Nope.

OBTW, get it done ASAP or its up to $10k month fine.

Had to find a way to hook up to the city.

$150k later, got the thing done, and disproved the theory that ya can't make shat flow uphill.

Talk to your state's DNR or equivalent, ta make sure there aren't going to be any water reg changes coming up.

Where is the source for drinking water?

We had a lagoon at a rural home in OK. I had a septic tank installed and we had no issues. The effluent does evaporate so there should be no issues.

That is good advice to ask the local Andy and our health authorities about the situation. Your case unless that's been in the last one very recent it was not DNR that's going to be a local Authority that cause you your headache am I blinded on DNR does that is simply not true to my last classes unless something on it failed you were unaware of
150k I hope they used lubes course you got f...

Don't know about a lagoon but out here we have cesspools.

The larger the better.

When we moved here we had a company drill 3 40 ft.holes and hook them in series.

We lived there for 22 years and had to have them pumped once.

Some soaps are not your friend.

After the last time the washing machine was plumed out to the north of the house.
made things better.

The hole sides soak water and the solids sink to the bottom.
When that hole is full the water goes to the next and so on.

I would think that a lagoon would work if the solids are trapped before they drain in.

Be careful about what cleaners you use when cleaning the house.

Slightly off topic, but many years ago one of my dads neighbors installed a septic tank for a person who had just moved to the area. Later that summer the sewage started backing up in his back yard and he asked him to make it good.
He refused for some reason and he had another guy look it over and if I remember correctly he used the wrong kind of pipe and it deteriated quickly. He took it to court and sued him for the price of repair and won.

The neighbors around me all have lagoons. New buildings require it. I'm grandfathered, so I can just run poop pipe out the back and let it flow out onto the hillside. I hope building an addition won't screw that up.

First big problem is smell. The big hillbilly bar over on the next ridge had one on the other side of the parking lot. You could tell what the whole county had been eating when the wind was right.

The other thing is neighbor kids. The cretinous neighbors let their kids play in their lagoons. The kids thought it was a great place to hunt frogs. Yikes.

DEQ are the last people I'd want snooping around.

You need more information to clarify exactly what is there.

The term "septic lagoon" doesn't make sense and is likely some kind of bastardization of correct terms. Lagoons are not septic.

It is probably either a septic tank that drains into a lagoon/evaporation pond OR a sewage lagoon without a septic tank.

And yes, sewage lagoons without septic tanks can work if legal in your area and built properly. But until you find out what is actually there all this speculation is worthless.

You can schitt in the yard without going outside.

That's worth something.

A cesspool is nothing more than a puddle with a cover. Your puddle is open air.



Family's been in the business since 1946... never heard of such a thing for a home. (we don't have leaching fields either)
Of course we're thousands of miles away from Idaho.

Plainsman has it right. Bigger the better. Keep it fenced.

Had a lagoon when I lived Missouri..... very little odor.... almost none.....big enough and clean enough that the frogs liked it and kept the bugs in check.

Never had a problem with the lagoon.

I'm sure if you made plenty of calls and tried hard enough you could find some dill weed at some government agency that would object to what you had in your backyard.

The replies in this thread reveal that many don't have a clue that everyone doesn't do everything exactly as they do.

Septic tank/leach field, septic tank/septic pond, holding pond/septic pond, all three systems do exactly the same thing, one just as well as the other they are just different in appearance.

terms pond, lagoon, cesspool all = same thing.

It's just harder to fish in a septic tank and you can't go ice skating in the winter on your leach field.....

Someone else spared me any further concern over the matter. The owners accepted an offer from someone so the property is off the market. Funny thing. My wife and I decided last night to pass on the property. Then this morning we got word it was off the market.

A pond full of turd in your yard. Someone did you a favor by buying the place in my opinion.

....and kitchen sink. We had the same setup where I grew up.