"David Martel" wrote in message
nk.net...
Steve,

Are you sure you have a septic system? You may have a line dropping raw
sewage into a nearby river. What you describe sounds like a leach field
but a leach field must have a tank.
I'm afraid that you have a weekend's worth of digging. Start at the
house and dig from there along the sewage pipe until you locate other
structures.

Dave M.

Nah, Dave. I'm pretty sure. The cabin is on a mountain side, and the only
flat area is where the leach field is. The nearest "river" is miles and
miles and miles away, probably forty. There is a creek about two miles
downhill from the end of my leach field, and at least 750' vertical. Would
that count?

I do see some digging, though. I'm going to call the septic guy and have
him come and assess the situation, and maybe run a camera down the tube.

The whole purpose of this is to make sure the septic system is in good shape
before I bring in a bunch of sand and gravel to level the driveway and
parking areas.

Steve