Water conservation practices can help reduce the amount of wastewater generated in the home. Periodically check your plumbing for leaky faucets and toilets. Uncorrected leaks can more than double the amount of water you use. Many soils that can absorb the 200 to 250 gallons of sewage usually produced each day by a family of four would become waterlogged if an extra 250 gallons were added. HE-213, Water Management Checklist for the Home .
Careful landscaping can help direct excess surface waters away from the system.
Other types of septic systems are sometimes used on sites where the soil is not suited to a conventional system. Where soils are too wet or too shallow for the conventional system, the drainfield might be placed very close to the ground surface in the upper layers of the soil. In some wet soils, artificial drainage around the septic system lowers the level of the shallow water table. A wrapped pipe 8 to 10 inches in diameter is sometimes used in gravelless, hand-dug trenches on very steep slopes. The septic system is an efficient, inexpensive, and convenient method for treating and disposing of household wastewater.