Soil testing - Ask Extension
Hello, I was wondering if you did soil testing for drain field installation?
Knowledgebase
Soil testing #892184
Asked February 01, 2025, 1:51 AM EST
Hello, I was wondering if you did soil testing for drain field installation?
Yamhill County Oregon
Expert Response
Hi Pedro,
The Master Gardeners at the Yamhill County OSU Extension office test soil pH, but do not perform percolation tests.
The University of Nebraska Extension has a publication, "Residential Onsite Wastewater Treatment: Conducting a Soil Percolation Test", which discusses how to perform a percolation test and what the information you gain from such a test means.
If this is for a home septic system in Yamhill County, the link is included.
If you are interested in draining a field, University of Wisconsin Extension has a publication, "The Basics of Agricultural Tile Drainage", which walks you through the process. If this is the case, then you can dig your own percolation test holes. The publication from University of Nebraska, tells you how to do that.
Let us know if you need more information.
The Master Gardeners at the Yamhill County OSU Extension office test soil pH, but do not perform percolation tests.
The University of Nebraska Extension has a publication, "Residential Onsite Wastewater Treatment: Conducting a Soil Percolation Test", which discusses how to perform a percolation test and what the information you gain from such a test means.
If this is for a home septic system in Yamhill County, the link is included.
If you are interested in draining a field, University of Wisconsin Extension has a publication, "The Basics of Agricultural Tile Drainage", which walks you through the process. If this is the case, then you can dig your own percolation test holes. The publication from University of Nebraska, tells you how to do that.
Let us know if you need more information.
