Water where it shouldn't be
Pipes that might be old
A freeze is coming (AI picture)
After a flood
A smell you can't place
Who to call and what they need
Whose water, town by town
Every picture on the walkStop 4 of 5 on the walk
Back yard: septic, soggy ground and the well
The back yard is where a Midlands house may keep its septic system and well, and most of what you need is a walk and a good look. Find the lids, read the soil and the wet spots, and leave the opening and pumping to licensed contractors1.
Updated , Midlands House Walk
Not every house here has either one. Many are on city water and sewer, and some have private wells or septic. Read the name on your bill to see who supplies you, and whose water is it goes further. If nothing on the bill mentions sewer, ask, then go find the septic tank.
Once you know where things are, septic care covers what stays out of the drain and off the field, and Midlands sand and clay shows what your soil does with the water. A wet patch gets its own page: septic, pipe or rain. Clemson says owners shouldn’t inspect a tank themselves or lean over one, so leave the lid closed2.
On a well, the testing is yours to arrange, through the SC DES Private Well Program or a lab3. Start with testing a private well, then orange stains and grit if that’s what sent you here. If water has been over the well, go straight to a well that went under floodwater and leave the pump off4.
What to look at here
Finding the septic tank in your yard
Septic in Midlands sand and clay
AI pictureSeptic care: what goes in, what stays off
AI pictureA soggy patch in the yard: septic, pipe or rain?
A well that went under floodwater
AI pictureTesting a private well in South Carolina
AI pictureOrange stains and grit from a well