Septic Systems in the Fraser Valley
If your property is not on city sewer, the septic system is one of the few things on the lot that will cause real damage when it fails. Wet spots over the field, slow drains, smell in the yard, or a tank that needs pumping far more often than it used to are all worth acting on early.
Fraser Valley Contracting installs and repairs septic tanks and field systems across Chilliwack, Agassiz, Hope, Mission, Abbotsford and Langley. It is the same crew, the same excavators and the same site prep work we do for retaining walls and drainage.
What We Do
- Septic tank installation. Excavation, placement, backfill and connection.
- Field and disposal system installation. The part that actually does the work, and the part that fails first when it was put in badly.
- Repairs and replacement on systems that are failing, surcharging or no longer keeping up with the house.
- Site drainage correction around a system, so surface water is not running through the area the field needs to stay usable.
- Waterline and utility trenching on the same visit, since the machine is already on site.
Why Septic Fields Fail in This Valley
The same two things that break retaining walls here break septic fields: water and clay.
- A high water table. Large parts of the valley floor, Agassiz and the flats around Chilliwack included, sit on ground that is wet for months at a time. A field needs separation from that water to work.
- Clay soil. Clay does not percolate. A field placed in heavy clay without the right design and material never disperses properly.
- Surface water running across the field. Roof runoff, a driveway draining the wrong way or a slope feeding straight into the disposal area will saturate ground that needs to stay unsaturated.
- Compaction. Driving over a field, parking on it or building on it crushes the system underneath.
Most of these are grading and drainage problems as much as septic problems, which is why we look at how water moves across the whole property rather than only at the system itself.
Septic and Site Prep Go Together
On a new build or a major rebuild, the septic system, the excavation and grading, and any retaining walls all have to be planned together. Where the field goes affects where the driveway can go, what the yard can do and where water has to be sent.
On the Chilliwack Mountain project, the septic field was one piece of a build that also included the retaining wall, a pool and the finished yard, all sequenced by the same crew.
Permits and Design
Onsite wastewater systems in British Columbia are regulated, and a new or replacement system has to be designed and filed by an authorized person. We work with the design and handle the excavation and installation side. When you call, tell us whether you already have a design or are starting from scratch, because that changes the first step.
Common Questions
How do I know if my field is failing?
Soggy or unusually green ground over the field, slow drains inside, smell outside, or pumping the tank much more often than you used to. Any of those is worth looking at before it becomes a replacement.
Can you fix it, or does it need replacing?
It depends on what has gone wrong. Sometimes the system is sound and the problem is water arriving from somewhere it should not. Sometimes the field has reached the end of its life. We will tell you which after we have looked.
Do you work on acreages?
Yes. Most septic work out here is on acreage and rural property, and we have the machines for it, from mini excavators for tight access up to full size for bigger earthworks.
Get Someone Out to Look
Call (604) 703-8315 or send a photo of the wet area. Site visits and written prices are free, and we are usually out within the week.