Septic service on the edges of Prescott

The City of Prescott is mostly sewered, but not entirely. The Citizens Water Advocacy Group, a local water group, says about 1,200 Prescott homes aren't connected to the sewer system and that many of those septic systems are failing. Outside city limits, homes in the forest and ranch country toward Williamson Valley and Skull Valley are typically on septic and private wells.

Older systems in older areas

Some unsewered pockets in and around Prescott were built decades ago with septic systems that may be past their expected life. Pumper magazine reported in 2010 that the city was weighing the cost of sewer hookups for older unsewered areas. If you own one of these homes, a pump-out with a careful look at the tank, and a check of the county's records, will tell you where you stand.

Monsoon season

The University of Arizona describes the area's precipitation as abundant mainly from early July through mid-September. A hard storm can saturate a disposal field or flood a tank through a loose lid. If the drains slow down after a storm and don't recover, have the system looked at.

Common jobs

• Transfer inspections on older in-town and forest homes
• Repairs on aging tanks and fields
• Pumping for cabins and second homes
• Septic records research before buying

Services in Prescott

• Septic tank pumpingRoutine pump-outs that keep solids out of your disposal field.
• Transfer of ownership inspectionsThe ADEQ-required inspection before a home on septic changes hands.
• Septic repairFind and fix backups, broken baffles, cracked tanks and failed parts.
• Disposal field repairRepair or replace a failing leach field, including on shallow or rocky lots.
• New septic systemsSite investigations, permits and installs for new homes and additions.

Nearby areas

• Chino Valley
• Dewey-Humboldt
• Rural Prescott Valley