abandoned septic tank

[5.4MarkVIII]

doing some work in the back yard and in one spot there is always a circle of grass that dosnt grow as well as the rest. figured it was an old well or cistern. discovered today its an old septic tank. AND ITS FULL!


my dad is currently doin an addition and has a sewage guy coming Monday to empty his old septic tank and remove it for to make room for a new one. was originally going to ask if he could drain the one we found and then just fill it with rocks after some reading. it looks like it might have to be filled with sand or gravel? also seems like a permit and inspections are required. no surprise there the government needs their cut.


any one delt with this before?
should I call the municipality and open a can of works or just get it pumped and fill with rock and stone to be safe and call it a day?

[Old Fart]

I used to do septic tank inspections with the Health Unit. Are you planning to remove the tank? Is it concrete or plastic? Probably be easier to fill it with sand or gravel if it is concrete. Depending on how strict the governing agency is, I'd say just fill it with sand/gravel and bury it.

[5.4MarkVIII]

its cement. our town was switched to a sewer system sometime in the late 70's looks like they just capped the pipe from the house and left the tank. I was hoping to not have to remove it just fill it and cover it back up .

[Old Fart]

We never had to force people to remove old septic tanks, unless they were in the way of a new system or building. You should be safe to use a pumper to empty it and fill with sand/gravel.

[55 HD]

I had a client in the past turn the old tank into a water garden. It made a great pool of water and with larger rocks added she made a nice waterfall. The fish liked the deep water too. But if your going this route, make sure it holds water first.

[5.4MarkVIII]

awesome. thanks