Septic tanks are very common in Maui because of the difficulty in constructing a sewer system in many places. The mountains and the various clay and rock formations make it inefficient to construct a sewer line that would serve all of Maui. Therefore, septic systems are very common in Maui, and their construction is very controlled by the county. A septic system design requires county and state approval before construction can begin.
Each septic system must be specifically designed and engineered for your lot. The number of bedrooms, the size and configuration of the lot, and the perk rate are all used to determine final system design. The perk rate represents how fast the water can seep through the soil, and this will help determine the size of the leach field. The septic in Maui is an engineering process.
The septic system size is designed to accommodate the use of the house. For example, how many bedrooms, how many bathrooms, will be built on a 10,000 sq. ft. lot. The limit is five bedrooms, and if the owner wants six bedrooms, then they must have a 20,000 sq. ft. lot. The state is very specific about the number of bedrooms allowed, and the rooms that could be converted to bedrooms. A septic in Maui must meet the code requirements before construction begins.
The septic tank receives all of the waste discharge from the home’s kitchen, bathrooms, and any other waste water. The heavy materials are separated from the water and they sink to the bottom. The lighter substances like grease and bath water will float to the top where it exits the tank into the leach field. Before it exits, an anaerobic bacterial decomposition occurs in the tank which reduces solids to gasses, water and more bacteria. The end product of all of this is referred to as effluent when it leaves the tank. When the effluent reaches the “distribution” box it is spread evenly over the leach field where it is filtered through 4 to 5 feet of rocks and dirt. A bacteria or “biomass” grows and consumes the nutrients left in the effluent. After this, there will be no contamination of the ground water. The clay soil requires more leach lines to disburse the water, and a longer amount of time is required for the water to seep through.
