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Septic System Design Flow Rate Specifications - Sewage flow rates for septic designers
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• What wastewater design sewage flow rate should be used by septic system designers
• Septic flow rates for homes using either traditional (pre 1979) and more recent (water saving) plumbing fixtures

Section 3 of the septic design regulations discusses sewage flow rates to be used in designing onsite wastewater treatment facilities for individual households. This document uses the New York State wastewater treatment standard for individual household septic systems (Appendix 75-A) to provide an example of state regulated design and installation of both conventional tank and leach field septic systems and alternative septic system designs, including raised septic systems, septic mound systems, intermittent sand filter septic systems, and evaportion-transpiration septic systems.

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Title: New York State Septic Regulation Appendix 75-A.3 - Sewage flows - Effective Date: 12/01/90

Section 75-A.3 Sewage Design Flow Rates

The following table gives septic system design flow rates that shall be assumed by septic system designers, giving flows in gallons of wastewater per day per bedroom in the home served by a private onsite wastewater disposal system, that is, a private septic system. Different septic design flow rates are assumed depending on the modernity and efficiency or water usage rate of the plumbing fixtures in the home. --DF

(a) Roof, footing, garage, cellar and surface water drainage must be excluded from the system. Water softener, water recharge and backwash wastes normally are not to be discharged to the system unless a separate subsurface discharge to an area 250 feet from wells or water courses is unavailable.

(b) Minimum design flows for various configurations of plumbing fixtures shall be as shown in Table 1.

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SEPTIC SYSTEMS HOME
SEPTIC INFO ARTICLES
HOME BUYERS GUIDE to SEPTIC SYSTEMS
SEPTIC SYSTEMS ONLINE BOOK
SEPTIC PUMPING REPAIR
SEPTIC TREATMENTS
SEPTIC CONSULTANTS
SEPTIC AUTHORITIES
  75-A.0 New York State Regulation of Private Septic Systems
  75-A.1 Introduction to Septic Systems, Definitions of Septic System Terms
  75-A.2 Regulation of Sewage Treatment Systems by other agencies
  75-A.3 Sewage flows and design flow estimates
  75-A.4 Soil and site appraisal for Septic Systems
  75-A.5 House or building sewer line specifications
  75-A.6 Septic tank capacity requirements, installation, and placement
  75-A.7 Distribution lines, distribution boxes, gravity flow, pressure distribution, dosing, siphons
  75-A.8 Subsurface treatment of effluent, absorption field requirements, leach field design criteria
  75-A.9 Alternative Septic System Designs
  75-A.10 Other systems
  75-A.11 New product/system design interim approval
SEPTIC SYSTEM BOOKS REFS CODES
SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN MANUAL - Online
SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN BASICS
SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN ALTERNATIVES
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More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

• The Septic System Information Website home page for this topic
• Septic Systems Inspection, Testing, & Maintenance- online textbook. Detailed how to inspect, maintain, repair information
• The Home Buyer's Guide to Septic Systems
• Septic Tank Pumping Guide: When, Why, How to pump the septic tank
• Home & Outdoor Living Water Requirements
• Septic Tank Capacity vs Usage in Daily Gallons of Wastewater Flow, calculating required septic tank size, calculating septic tank volume from size measurements
• How Big Should the Leach Field Be? - table of soil percolation rate vs. field size
• Septic System Drainfield Absorption System Biomat Formation - what leads to drain field clogging and expensive drainfield repairs
• Table of Required Septic & Well Clearances: Distances Between Septic System & Wells, Streams, Trees, etc.

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