Septic System

The septic system is the gate to everything else. Until it’s installed and inspected, the tower can’t be permitted for overnight use. Finishing it is the next thing.

Where we are right now (June 5, 2026)

The tank was set on July 13, 2022 — a crane truck lifting it into the excavated pit. Work paused before the lines and drainfield were finished.

Status: PERMIT ISSUED. Polk County issued Construction-Installation Permit 687-26-000161-PRMT on June 1, 2026. The county’s notice lists the record status as “Permit Issued,” the work as a new installation of a standard septic system, and names Christina Tisdell (503-623-9237) as the contact. The earlier 2026 timeline — application filed May 26, $1,232 fee paid May 27, routed for review the same day — is now closed out: the permit is in hand and the install can begin. The issued permit is posted here: Septic Permit 687-26-000161 (PDF) (issued 6/1/2026, expires 6/1/2027, signed by Christina Tisdell).

The 1,000-gallon DEQ-approved concrete tank — set July 13, 2022 with riser, lid, and watertight test — stays put. No design changes from the original 2022 approval: same standard subsurface system, same 150-foot serial drainfield, same flows (105 gpd proposed / 150 gpd max), same setbacks. What’s left to install is exactly what was left in 2022: drainfield, lines, and effluent transport piping.

The application carried forward the 2022 use description — ag-exempt commercial structure with bathroom for up to three employees, no showers, no food preparation. The septic system has design headroom to serve both the fire lookout tower (sleeping area + bathroom + no kitchen, built first) and the planned ground-level ag-exempt employee facility (bathroom + no kitchen + no bedroom). Neither structure has a kitchen; together they sit well inside the 150 gpd peak design envelope.

Next action: The install. With the permit issued, the Schedule page is now on real dates. Eli’s first inventory pass is done (below); next is Cody’s site walk to confirm what’s missing, then trenching and the drainfield go in.

Who does the work

Oregon DEQ rules (OAR 340-071-0600) allow homeowner self-installation. A septic system may be constructed by either the property owner or a DEQ-licensed installer using DEQ-approved materials. The owner’s regular employee (Eli, on payroll) is also covered.

This means Dave and Eli do the work, with Cody and Russell Robertson advising as friends and neighbors. The licensed-installer rule applies to businesses, not owners.

What’s already on the ground

Eli did the first inventory pass on May 30, 2026 and sent photos of the materials staged on site — “everything I’ve uncovered so far.” This is what Cody will look over to tell us what’s still needed.

Lengths of white PVC laid out in the grass — including perforated drainfield distribution pipe (the rows of holes) and solid transport pipe.

A concrete distribution box (the “D-box” that splits flow to the drainfield laterals) with knockout ports, alongside PVC fittings — what looks like a tee or wye and an effluent filter.

Inventory so far:

• Tank: 1,000-gallon concrete tank, set July 13, 2022, with riser, lid, and watertight test. In the ground.
• Distribution box: Concrete D-box on hand (photo above).
• Drainfield pipe: Perforated PVC distribution pipe on hand, plus solid transport pipe.
• Fittings: Assorted PVC fittings on hand (tee/wye, possible effluent filter).
• Drainfield excavation: Not yet dug. The 150-foot serial drainfield still needs trenching.

What’s left to do

The full punch list gets settled at Cody’s site walk, but the shape of it is clear:

• Cody’s walk-through to confirm what’s on hand against the permitted design and call out what’s missing (gravel/drain rock, couplings, anything else).
• Trench the drainfield — the 150-foot serial field. Cody has offered to bring his excavator (with 24-inch and 30-inch buckets), which makes the trenching far easier than doing it by hand or with smaller equipment.
• Lay the lines and drainfield — distribution box, laterals, perforated pipe, effluent transport piping from the tank.
• Mid-work review with Cody to catch mistakes before backfill.
• Backfill and restore, then request the Polk County inspection.

The drawing — what we’re building

The septic design hasn’t changed since 2022. The approved layout — the 150-foot serial drain field, the backup field, both test plots, and the tank-to-distribution-box runs — is on the site plot plan and materials list:

Septic Site Plot Plan + materials list (PDF) — Dave’s 7/1/2022 drawing, resubmitted with the 2026 permit application. This is the sheet to walk the site against.

What the permit requires

The issued permit spells out the build. These are the numbers and rules to construct to (all from the issued permit):

The drainfield (standard, serial distribution):

• 150 linear feet of trench, rock-and-pipe media. Maximum length of any single trench is 150 feet.
• Trench depth: 24 in minimum, 26 in maximum — do not exceed 26 inches.
• Rock: 12 in total — 6 in below the pipe, 2 in above it; 12 in media depth. Filter fabric over the drain media (required).
• 8 feet of undisturbed soil between trenches. Each trench level within ± 1 inch.
• Header pipe from the distribution/drop box: minimum 4 ft, level, and bedded.

The tank: DEQ-approved 1,000-gallon concrete with riser and lid, watertight test (already set, 2022).

Setbacks: 100 ft from any well or year-round surface water; 10 ft from building foundations and property lines (tank: 5 ft from foundations/property lines, 50 ft from wells/surface water). Keep vehicles and livestock off the system area, direct all roof drains away, and maintain a protected replacement area.

One detail to mark: a green-jacketed 18-gauge tracer wire (or green metallic tape) must run above the effluent sewer pipe.

Inspections — don’t bury the field too soon:

• A pre-cover inspection of the drainfield (before backfill) is required. Call it in and don’t cover the trenches until Polk County approves (or the 7-day waiver runs).
• A Final Inspection Request & Notice (FIRN) / as-built form — with an accurate as-built drawing and full materials list — must be submitted before the final inspection. (We have Polk County’s blank as-built form on hand.)

The drainfield runs gravity-serial — no pump.

Reference

The full Polk County septic rules summary lives at Rules & Permits. The broader context — how the septic serves the lookout-and-ag-building scope, and how the lookout fits the property’s forest management plan — is on those pages. ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

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