It is equally important for homeowners to know the location of their leach field as much as the location of the septic tank. Similar to a septic tank, leach fields should not be driven on by anything heavier than a ride on lawn mower. In addition hoofed animals should also be kept off the leach field or any other activities that would promote soil compaction. If the leach field soil is allowed to compact it will greatly reduce the life of the field. So in order to maintain the integrity and life of a homeowners leach field, it is imperative the location be known. Here are a few different ways a homeowner can attempt to locate their leach field. 

The first action a homeowner should take is contacting their county health department to see if they have a record drawing on file for their septic system. . A record drawing is a map drawn out by the septic installer that shows the layout of the septic system and includes measurements to each component. Depending on the age of a system the health department may not have any records on file and even if they do the drawing may not be one hundred percent accurate. It is important for anyone using a record drawing to locate septic components to keep that in mind.

An indicator a homeowner can use to locate the leach field is to look for any random pvc pipes sticking out of the ground. These may be inspection ports for the septic system and can be used to determine the location of the field. Not all systems have inspection ports, depending on the age of the system and whether or not the pipes were cut down and buried below the soil surface. 

Another helpful tool homeowners can use is looking at the ariel view of their property on Google Maps. The vegetation over a leach field should show up as being greener due to the wastewater being processed. This option doesn’t always work depending on the time of year the ariel view was taken, however, usually a homeowner can get an inclination of where their field may be located. 

If all fails and none of these tools are helpful in locating your leach field, it is recommended to have a septic professional come on-site. Several different radar detectors can be used to trace out the field and give a definitive answer to its location.