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• Grazing animals over septic fields
• Advice for planting or animals over or near septic systems

This article discusses the passage of grazing animals over or near septic fields or other septic system components.

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Grazing Animals Over Septic System Fields?

Is it acceptable to permit grazing animals such as cows, horses, or sheep to occupy a field over a septic system? No, placing horses, cows, sheep, or other grazing animals over a septic field is a bad idea for several reasons. Heavy animals are likely to damage the drainfield by compressing the soil and possibly by damaging buried piping. Compressing the soil over a septic drainfield interferes with soil transpiration, cutting the oxygen level needed by soil bacteria in the biomat and reducing removal of septic effluent through evaporation. There is some chance that pathogens from septic effluent may pass to and infect the animals. More about the chemical and pathogenic risks associated with plants over septic systems is discussed at Gardens Near Septics. In sum, it's better to keep livestock off of a septic field. In the photograph just above we show deer grazing on a field along the Virginia Skyline Drive at Big Meadows. Deer or other wild animals passing occasionally over a septic drainfield are unlikely to cause serious damage to it. The page top photograph of mountain sheep resting under trees was taken over a septic field serving a park service building in Jasper, Alberta, and the lower photo was taken of a large herd of deer grazing over a field along the Skyline Drive in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia..

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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
• Tank Location - How to Find the Septic Tank, how deep will the cover be, how to document its location
• 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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