Septic Services in Dunlap, IN

Older homes and septic tanks around Dunlap

The 2020 Census counted 6,442 people in Dunlap, an unincorporated community in Concord Township. About 95 percent of its homes are single-family houses, and nearly all are owner-occupied. The 1970s were the biggest building decade here, with roughly 3 in 10 homes. About 1 in 5 went up in 2000 or later.

An older home may still have its original tank, with the lid buried under the lawn. A riser brings the lid up to the surface, so nobody has to dig for it at the next pump-out. Baffles and lids wear out over time, and we repair or replace both.

How do Dunlap's sandy soils affect a septic system?

The federal soil survey for Elkhart County shows Bristol loamy sand as the most common soil in Dunlap. NRCS describes the Bristol series as very deep, excessively drained soil formed in sandy outwash. The survey rates it very limited for septic drain fields, for seepage and filtering capacity. In plain terms, wastewater can pass through the sand before the soil cleans it.

Low ground along Yellow Creek and the Elkhart River has the opposite problem. Soils there, such as Gilford and Waterford, hold water close to the surface. The survey lists Waterford as frequently flooded, and FEMA maps high-risk flood zones along both streams. A drain field in wet ground has little room to take water, so drains can slow after heavy rain.

EPA says to keep roof drains and sump pumps away from the drain field. It also says to keep cars and trucks off the field. Near the creek and the river, where the ground is already wet, roof water leaves the field even less room.

Most of Dunlap also sits inside the St. Joseph sole source aquifer area, an EPA designation from 1988. EPA gives that label when an aquifer supplies at least half of an area's drinking water, with no ready backup. The county's septic program aims to keep wastewater out of drinking water supplies. If a drain field fails here, call us for drain field repair and a written quote.

Elkhart County septic permits for Dunlap properties

Septic permits in Dunlap come from the Elkhart County Health Department. Home systems have to meet Indiana's residential rule, 410 IAC 6-8.3, and the county's private sewage system ordinance. Commercial systems fall under a separate state rule, 410 IAC 6-10.1. Larger commercial designs are reviewed by the Indiana Department of Health.

A new tank or drain field needs that permit before it goes in. Applications go through the department's environmental health office in Goshen. For a new system, a registered soil scientist takes soil borings on the lot first. The county then sets the minimum design, sized to the number of bedrooms.

For a system in failure, county staff can do the soil work instead. Where the ground rules out a standard trench system, the county turns to mound or flood-dosed designs. Those designs use a pump to dose the field, and the pump chamber needs care of its own. We service the pump chambers and alarms behind them.

Indiana law calls for a locate request through Indiana 811 at least two full working days before digging. Utilities then mark their buried lines, so a new tank or field goes in clear of them.