Your local health departments’ responsibilities are very broad and cover areas most people don’t realize such as:
- Campground Inspections
- Local Restaurant Inspections
- Environmental Complaints
- Animal Bites
- Wastewater Treatment Systems
The list of responsibility goes on. Their time is valuable and staffing is limited so they turn to consultants like Dominion Soil Science, Inc. to handle some of the more time consuming tasks like site and soil evaluations. This process allows them to focus on higher priority responsibilities and public health issues.
A consultant can usually spend more time on site and perform a more thorough evaluation, where as a health department representative works on a compressed schedule. We aren’t under time constraints and we take the time to evaluate as many sites as necessary to find the most suitable and safe location.
Our Site Specific Soil Evaluation involves the following:
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| STEP 1 |

You provide us the location of where you would like your house located. With this in mind, we will identify suitable topographical landscape positions to site a drainfield. |
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| STEP 2 |

With a mini-excavator, we dig several pits to properly evaluate the soils. Many aspects of a soil can only be evaluated with pits,i.e., root penetration, soil structure, clay films, they also provide a large view of the soil horizons. Hand augers do not allow this level of evaluation. |
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| STEP 3 |

Once suitable site and soil conditions are confirmed the area will be staked on contour with labeled wooden stakes so the surveyor and drainfield installer can easily identify the area. |
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| STEP 4 |
We prepare and send you a detailed report that may be submitted to the local Health Department along with a survey plat in order to receive a certification letter or construction permit from the county.

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| STEP 5 |
When you receive the report, it is your responsibility to deliver the packet to the Health Department and pay associated county fees. |
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| STEP 6 |
An approval letter or construction permit is usually issued within a few weeks and then work can begin to complete your drainfield.
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