Septic Engineer in Clinton, NY

Clinton is not on the county sewer

Most of the Utica area drains to the Oneida County Sewer District. Clinton does not. Neither the Town of Kirkland nor the Village of Clinton is a district member. Instead there are two local systems:

• The Village of Clinton Wastewater Treatment Plant. Described in September 2026 as a 50 year old facility that needs upgrades. The village has signed a non binding agreement to explore a regional biosolids hub there, and a state planning grant paid for an engineering report on replacing a sewer line along Route 12B.
• The Clark Mills Sewage Treatment Plant. Owned by the Town of Kirkland under SPDES permit NY0029076, on Treatment Plant Access Road off Westmoreland Road. It discharges 0.5 million gallons a day to Oriskany Creek, a Class B(T) trout water.

Outside those two systems, rural Kirkland relies on private septic. Clinton is the only village in the town, and the hamlets include Clark Mills in the northeast, Franklin Springs and Farmers Mills south of the village, Chuckery Corners to the east on Route 12, and Kirkland to the west on Route 5. Hamilton College sits in the western part of the town.

For those septic lots, Backwell coordinates the soil tests, the design, the permit and the install. Designs are prepared and stamped by a New York licensed Professional Engineer (PE).

Kirkland soils, from clay to gravel

USDA soil data for the Clinton area shows Cazenovia silt loam as by far the most extensive soil, followed by Howard gravelly loam, Phelps, Rhinebeck, floodplain soils and Pittsfield. They pull a design in opposite directions.

• Cazenovia is moderately well drained till with bedrock deeper than 40 inches. The soil survey rates Cazenovia silt loam on 3 to 8 percent slopes Very limited for absorption fields because of a water table within 120 to 180 cm and slow percolation. On a lot where the deep hole confirms that, a conventional trench can still be possible if 4 feet of usable soil exists. If not, shallow trenches or a raised bed.
• Rhinebeck is the hard one. It is very deep, somewhat poorly drained soil formed in clayey lake sediments, with slow permeability and a minimum annual water table of about 12 inches. A field in Rhinebeck clay usually means fill on top or a mound.
• Phelps is moderately well drained loam over calcareous sand and gravel at 24 to 40 inches, with a water table around 18 inches.
• Howard is gravelly outwash along the creek terraces with very high conductivity below. It percs fast, and the survey flags a fast seepage bottom layer, so the design may need pressure distribution to spread the load.

Oriskany Creek and its floodplain run through the middle of the town. Appendix 75-A keeps absorption fields 100 feet from a stream and does not accept ground below the 10 year flood level for a conventional field.

How it works in Kirkland

1. Send the address. We check whether either sewer system reaches the parcel. Estimate in 1 hour.
2. Deep hole and perc. At least one test hole at least 6 feet deep and at least two perc tests (Appendix 75-A).
3. Design. Highest groundwater at least 2 feet below the trench bottom. Sized at 110 gallons per day per bedroom for new construction.
4. Permit. Town of Kirkland Planning and Codes, Ralph S. Lumbard Memorial Town Hall, 100 North Park Row, Clinton.
5. County review. Oneida County Health Department Environmental Health, 800 Park Ave., Utica, approves alternative systems for homes.
6. Install. Backwell builds it to the stamped plan, inspected before cover.

Fees

The Oneida County plan review fee schedule (revised March 2022) lists $500 for an individual sewage system and $150 for an individual sewage site survey when a design goes to the county. Construction cost depends heavily on soil here: Howard gravel and Rhinebeck clay are not the same job. You get a written price in 1 hour after sending the address.

Oneida County also runs a septic replacement grant that reimburses 50 percent of eligible costs up to $10,000 for properties within 250 feet of a listed priority waterbody, through March 31, 2027. Check the county's list for your parcel.

Grant work has its own rules: it must be approved by the Oneida County Health Department, designed by a licensed engineer and approved by local codes, and the application needs an itemized estimate that lists engineering and design, labor and materials.

Problems we see around Clinton

Clay lake soil that will not drain

Rhinebeck ground holds water at about a foot. See clay soil septic design and mound design.

Gravel that drains too fast

Howard outwash passes a perc test easily but treats poorly. See pressure distribution design.

Older farmhouse with a failing field

Replacement still needs a design that meets current code. See septic replacement design.

Timeline

Testing takes a day. Plans follow, then the town permit. Raised systems built with fill must settle six months through one freeze and thaw unless the fill is granular sand or sandy loam compacted in lifts. Installation is days of equipment time.

Sources

• WWD, Clinton explores wastewater plant upgrade and biosolids hub
• NYSDEC Environmental Notice Bulletin, Clark Mills STP NY0029076
• NYS Regional Councils, Route 12B sewer engineering grant
• Oneida County Sewer District, members
• Town of Kirkland, Planning and Codes
• Kirkland, New York (Wikipedia)
• NYS DOH, 10 NYCRR Appendix 75-A
• Oneida County Health Department, plan review fee schedule
• Oneida County, septic system replacement funding
• USDA NRCS, Cazenovia series
• USDA NRCS, Rhinebeck series
• USDA NRCS, Phelps series
• USDA NRCS, Howard series