A soil evaluation is required by the Ohio Department of Health Sewage Treatment Rules which are administered by your Local County Health Department. The rules have specific requirements for how the evaluation is to be conducted. We have tailored our process to be consistent with these requirements. When the process is complete you will receive at least 1 map showing delineated soil areas on the property, test locations, and other features that may affect the placement of a system. You will also receive descriptions of the soil profiles that we observed. This information will not mean much to most people (don’t panic). The health department, system designers, and septic installers can interpret the data. When conducting a soil evaluation we first like to gather information about where the property is and what will be happening. Is this for new construction, replacement for an existing home, or a property split? Sometimes the answer can be more than one or all of the above. What county is the property located in? Is there an address? If no address what is the parcel number and/or nearest address?

Most of our evaluations are conducted using a hand auger which extracts a 3″ diameter core sample. We place the extracted soil on the ground in the order it was removed to observe and describe the different soil layers (horizons). The rules require that we describe the color, structure, and texture for each horizon. There are certain limiting conditions that need to be identified to protect groundwater resources. These limiting conditions are the perched seasonal water table, apparent water table, highly permeable material, bedrock, and restrictive layers.

Please be aware that certain counties (Carroll, Stark, Tuscarawas in my usual service area) require excavated pits for me to describe the soil. This is not a service I currently provide and is not included to my fee. If you access to equipment you can dig the pits yourself. I require a pit at least 2 feet wide and 5 feet deep. Please be aware that State Law requires calling 811 at least 2 days in advance of digging to have utilities located. Once we determine the amount of testing that will be needed, I will provide a quote for my services. Upon agreement of terms, we will schedule a day and time for the soil evaluation.