The gravel in your system is perfectly normal and most likely required by your permitting agency but I have to admit I've never heard of adding hay to a leach bed nor can I figure out why is was put there or what it is supposed to do. I also cannot understand why the leach bed was not back filled with dirt. Is it your understanding that the outfit that installed the system is finished and intend to leave it the way you describe? If so, something doesn't add up in my opinion. I would either get the people who installed the system to come back and do some explaining or I would contact the permitting agency to see if the current condition of your system is as it should be and meets building codes. I'm basing what I've said on being a life-long resident of Virginia and it's possible the system you describe is perfectly normal for Maine but something like that would never get approved in Virginia.

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I guess I can describe the condition as the excavation contractor did what they said. The excavated for the foundation and back filled it. They installed the septic system. I'm sure there was no talk of trucking in topsoil to prep the excavation site for grass. I'm also sure they're waiting for the phone to ring and have me ask them to do that. My feeling is the existing topsoil was mismanaged, They just bulldozed it down the hill. Even If I wanted to use what was there I'd have to go looking for it. My question is if I do have somebody truck soil in can I put it over the gravel? I think the hay is to prevent silt from filtering down into the gravel and clogging it up before roots take hold and bind the silty stuff together.

Funny, we are dealing with the same issue but the septic doesn't go in until next month.

When our land was cleared-before we purchased it- the entire topsoil layer was removed. We were NOT pleased, to say the least.

Topsoil is a fortune so we are going the old fashioned route and planting alfalfa and/or buckwheat for the next 2 years or so. Hopefully that will regenerate the topsoil a bit so we can have a lawn & garden.

The topsoil might be worth the trouble if you feel like "looking" for it.

Good luck!

I'm still not clear on the concept of the hay. I understand what you're saying about it being used as a filter but a couple of questions come to mind. First, even if the hay is standard operating procedure for your area the leach bed must be back filled. In that case, the hay will eventually rot and you'll be left with a sunken place all along your leach bed which will require more fill dirt to take care of the settling. I'm guessing your permitting agency has a minimum requirement for the distance from the top of the gravel to the surface. In other words, if it's 3 feet, for example, it's my opinion the 3 feet should be nothing but back fill. And that brings up another point....using the hay seems totally useless to me since the only purpose it could possibly be providing is acting as a filter and had your bed been back filled to begin with you wouldn't need the hay. The dirt on top of the gravel shouldn't cause a problem even if it did eventually seep to some degree into the gravel. Think of it this way: your entire leach bed is surrounded by dirt (so adding dirt to the top doesn't do harm with seepage of dirt into the gravel) and if the depth of gravel meets code requirements and if the distance between the top of the gravel and the top of the back fill meets code then you should be good to go.

It sounds to me as if the contractor who installed the leach bed used the hay as nothing more than a quick and cheap way to cover the gravel to buy time until either you or the permitting agency figured out something wasn't right. I still think you need to get in touch with the permitting agency and have them check the system to see if it is up to standards. As it is now, with no back fill, your leach bed with surface water draining into it will quickly become nothing more than a huge ditch with both ends closed and that's not what you want for you septic system.

We too cleared standing trees to create a build site. I'd guess about 20,000 sf of them. Then the excavator came in and plucked out all the stumps. Some kind of ground cover offered itself naturally to save it from washing away. We built on a hill with at least an 8% grade. Truck load after truck load of gravel had to be used to backfill the foundation. The leaching field was trucked in and placed in a hole they dug that looked to be about 30" deep. The hay on top of the gravel is not thick. Maybe an inch, But it's pretty much level with the ground around it. I would think if I wanted to cover it over I would need about 1 1/2 " of soil and some sod. I'd really like to see it cover over with those weeds that filled in the clearing. I've got the local inspectors name and number and I'll be talking to him before we hook anything up. If it needs cover I'll cover it up soon as mud seasons over. I had the system designed by the local soil scientist. She made a plan and staked it out for them. I feel the installation was done to the specs provided. I just wanted to make sure it's ok to cover this thing up with dirt. I'd hate to ruin it.

That clears a lot of things up in my mind. I was thinking that maybe the contractor had put down a foot or two of hay and that it was still 3-4' down to the hay from the surface level. I feel certain that once you get a final inspection you will be allowed to back fill. Assuming it's in an area that could be part of your lawn I'd just sow grass on it and keep it mowed. That aside, I wouldn't plant or allow to grow on on near the leach bed (within about 40') any trees or vegetation that has long roots.

I asked DH about this, he's been installing septics in ME, MA and NH for 30 years. He said hay was the old way of doing it. It was used instead of fabric. Last time he heard of this being done was over 10 years ago. He said, personally, he would remove the hay and use fabric and then loam. But check with the regs in your town and check your septic design. Either way, it needs loam and then seed. He said 4" of loam usually, but check your plan.

I'd like to scrap the hay and put the cloth over it. Where can I get some of that material? I'm in MA, but ME and NH are ok too. Rural Maine is a few years behind schedule in the adaptation of new ideas. It's just the way things are up there. Thanks so Much, Howie

The fabric is available anywhere that sells septic tanks and supplies. It comes in big rolls.

I just got home. I was in work and I asked the excavators where I could get this product and they said I was wasting my money. The theory here was if the sand was able to filter the waste then surely it was enough to filter out the fines from the dirt above. Sounds like good Midwestern common sense to me.

Having dealt with septic systems all my life in Florida, I'd suspect anything over the gravel would be ok. The main cause of septic system failures is not pumping the tank on a regular basis. If the level of solids is allowed to rise up to the outlet, the drainfield will be ruined. Of course the question is what is a 'regular basis'? Would depend on how many people use the system. Most contractors I know say (here in cent Fl) 6 to 10 years depending on number of residents. Gary