Septic Engineer in Marcy, NY

Septic in Marcy: first, are you even off the sewer?

Marcy is not a typical rural town. The town reports about 100 miles of sewer mains, 14 lift stations and 41 individual grinder pump stations, with construction going back to 1973. Sanitary sewers cover about 80 percent of the town's area, and the town has said its goal is 100 percent, with several areas in design. All of it is pumped to the Oneida County treatment plant, since Marcy is a member of the Oneida County Sewer District.

That changes the first question. Under the Marcy Unified Development Code, new construction with plumbing must connect to public sewer when the nearest sewer is no more than 100 feet from the property and the connection can lawfully be made. So before anyone digs a test pit, we check how far the closest main is. If it is inside 100 feet, you are designing a lateral, not a septic system.

For the lots outside the sewer area, Marcy has some of the most specific septic rules in the county. Designs are prepared and stamped by a New York licensed Professional Engineer (PE), and Backwell coordinates the testing, the plans, the approvals and the installation.

What the Marcy code requires on a septic lot

Marcy writes its septic standards directly into the Unified Development Code. The key points:

• A licensed PE designs it. The code requires any individual sewage disposal system to be designed by a licensed professional engineer.
• A PE investigates the site first. Before installation, a licensed PE must investigate the soil and subsurface conditions.
• Two feet of separation. That investigation must show at least 2 feet of separation above seasonal high groundwater, rock or impermeable layers.
• Perc under 60 minutes. Stabilized percolation rates must be under 60 minutes per inch.
• Ten feet of soil over rock with a well. Where both a private well and a sewage system are proposed, the code requires at least 10 feet of soil above solid rock.
• Well distances. Private wells at least 100 feet from any tile field or seepage pit and 50 feet from any septic tank.
• Alternate systems go to the county. Where those conditions cannot be met, the system must be an alternate design under NYS DOH Appendix 75-A, approved by the Oneida County Department of Health.

Systems of 1,000 gallons per day or less follow Appendix 75-A, which the code adopts by reference.

Marcy soils: Kendaia, Conesus and Lyons

USDA soil data for the north part of Marcy shows Kendaia silt loam as the most extensive soil, then Conesus silt loam, with Lyons, Fredon, Alton and Greene soils also mapped.

• Kendaia is very deep, somewhat poorly drained calcareous till. Bedrock is more than 60 inches down, but the survey gives a minimum annual water table of about 8 inches. That is the soil where a conventional trench cannot meet the 2 foot separation and the design moves to a raised system or a mound.
• Conesus is very deep and moderately well drained. Survey data for Conesus silt loam on 3 to 8 percent slopes puts the water table at about 22 inches. Shallow trenches can work here when the deep hole agrees.
• Lyons is poorly and very poorly drained, in depressions, with slow or very slow permeability in the substratum. A field does not go in a Lyons pocket. The design finds the higher ground.
• Alton, mapped in places on the terraces, is gravelly outwash that drains fast.

Rock is rarely the issue on these deep tills, but the 10 foot rule still has to be documented when a well is part of the plan.

How a Marcy septic design runs

1. Send the address. We check sewer distance first. Estimate in 1 hour.
2. PE site investigation. Deep hole test, at least 6 feet deep in or beside the field area per Appendix 75-A, and at least two perc tests.
3. Separation and perc check. Results are compared to Marcy's 2 foot and 60 minute rules and to Appendix 75-A.
4. Design. Conventional if the soil allows. If not, an alternate design under Appendix 75-A, such as a raised system or mound.
5. Approvals. Town building and code enforcement at the Municipal Building, 8801 Paul Becker Road. Alternate designs also go to the Oneida County Department of Health at 800 Park Ave., Utica.
6. Install. Backwell builds it to the stamped plan and the work is inspected before cover.

Costs and county fees

The Oneida County Health Department plan review fee schedule (revised March 2022) lists $500 for an individual sewage system review and $150 for an individual sewage site survey. Those apply when a design goes to the county, which in Marcy is the case for alternate systems. The construction cost depends on the soil. A conventional field on Conesus ground and a mound on Kendaia are different jobs. Send the address for a written price in 1 hour.

For a failing system, check the county septic replacement grant: 50 percent of eligible costs up to $10,000, for properties within 250 feet of a listed waterbody. The Upper Mohawk River and its tributaries are on the list, and the Mohawk forms Marcy's southern town line. The program ends March 31, 2027, or when the $200,000 runs out.

Problems we see in Marcy

Building lot near a new sewer area

Marcy is still extending sewer. If a main is within 100 feet, the code says connect. If one is in design but not built, ask the town before paying for a septic design you may not use.

Kendaia lot with a wet spring

An 8 inch water table means fill. Appendix 75-A allows a raised system with 1 to 2 feet of original soil percing faster than 60 minutes per inch, high groundwater at least 1 foot below grade, and at least 2 feet of fill percing at 5 to 30 minutes per inch. See high water table septic design.

Well and septic on the same lot

Marcy's 10 foot soil over rock rule is stricter than most towns. The deep hole has to show it, and the well has to sit 100 feet from the field and 50 feet from the tank.

Timeline

The site investigation is one day of testing. Plans follow. Raised systems built with fill must settle at least six months, including one freeze and thaw, unless the fill is granular sand or sandy loam compacted in lifts, so a Kendaia lot needs that in the schedule. Installation is days of equipment time.

Sources

• Town of Marcy, Building, Sewer and Code Enforcement
• Town of Marcy Unified Development Code (PDF)
• Oneida County Sewer District, facilities
• NYS DOH, 10 NYCRR Appendix 75-A
• Oneida County Health Department, plan review fee schedule
• Oneida County Health Department, permit fee schedule rev. 12/25 (address)
• Oneida County, septic system replacement funding
• USDA NRCS, Kendaia series
• USDA NRCS, Conesus series
• USDA NRCS, Lyons series
• USDA NRCS Web Soil Survey (Oneida County, NY065)