Septic systems in South Portland, Maine.
Most of South Portland is on public sewer. The city runs its own wastewater treatment plant and 31 pumping stations, and treated effluent is discharged to the Fore River and on to Casco Bay. Parts of the older system are combined sewers that carry stormwater too, and the city has cut combined sewer overflows from about 200 million gallons in 1994 to about 8.7 million in 2019.
Septic systems are not gone, though. The city's 2040 comprehensive plan has a section on them, noting that septic tank waste is pumped by licensed haulers to the treatment plant or other licensed facilities, that any system must be designed and permitted by a licensed site evaluator, and that there are no known problems with septic in South Portland. The city does not publish which parcels are still on septic, so the first step on any lot is confirming whether public sewer is available.
Soil, ledge and water on a South Portland lot
The comprehensive plan says the systems that matter most for water quality are the ones directly next to water, and that the filtering of bacteria and nutrients depends heavily on soil type, with shallow-to-bedrock soils giving the least treatment. Those are the conditions a site evaluator is looking for here. Excessively drained Windsor and Hinckley sands pass water quickly, the silt loams and Presumpscot clay pass it slowly, and bedrock is close to the surface in many parts of the city.
Any lot within 250 feet of a coastal wetland or tidal water, or 75 feet of one of the protected streams, also falls inside the Shoreland Area Overlay. On a small lot, fitting a field that meets the evaluator's design can take careful layout around the house, the well-traveled parts of the yard and the property lines.
How a replacement or new system gets built
Maine's Subsurface Wastewater Disposal Rules govern every system, and the Maine CDC licenses the site evaluators who design them. Our part is the installation: site work and excavation, the tank, the distribution box and the leach field, built to the evaluator's design. We coordinate with the site evaluator throughout and leave the yard graded, seeded and clean.
Plumbing permits in South Portland go through the city's Code Enforcement office. On a small city lot, the final grading and loam over the field are also where the Landcare Management Ordinance's rules on organic fertilizer apply to the new lawn.
Septic Installs · Excavation
How we handle septic systems
We install new and replacement septic systems for homes and camps across the Cumberland area. From site work and excavation through tank, distribution and leach field install, we coordinate with your site evaluator and leave the yard graded, seeded and clean.
See the full septic systems service page or everything we do in South Portland, Maine.
Septic Systems in nearby towns
- Septic Systems in Portland
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- Septic Systems in Scarborough
- Septic Systems in Falmouth
- Septic Systems in Westbrook
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Septic Systems in South Portland? Let's talk.
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Mon–Sat 7:00am – 5:00pm · Based in Cumberland, Maine