Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Water chemistry More Septic Discharge (Help!)

About 2 weeks ago I noticed some seepage about 4 feet(up the bank)from the shore. The seepage appeared to have an oily film on top of it. There was no smell associated with this liquid and it was a small spot about 4 inches wide and 10 inches long. This was noticed during a wet period when we seemed to be getting an inch or more of rain a week. I have a few areas where the ground stays muddy for 4 or 5 days after a rain. No rain for over a week and no more seepage. Yesterday while walking around the .75 acre pond I noticed a sewage type smell on the opposite side from where I originally noticed the seepage. It also seemed that there was a bluish-grayish tint to the water. This smell and coloration was pretty much confined to a 30' section of shoreline. Not sure how far out from shore it extended as it was dusk last night when I saw/smelled this. The leach field is at least 200 feet away from the pond and the ground slopes away from the pond.
I am already concerned, bordering on panic. What can I do? What should I do?

The leach field is higher then the pond by about 10 feet and as stated earlier is at least 200 feet away from the pond.

Randy,

I have a situation at my place much the same as you described in your post. After a good rain, I will see a spot about 5 feet from the pond bank that discharges a liquid with an oily film. There is no smell to it and my leach field is a little over 100 feet from the pond. I have not noticed the blue-gray coloration you described though. My pond has all the typical algae problems you see a number of posters talk about but there has been no detrimental effects on the fish in my pond.

I do not have an answer to your question but if you look down the posts on this topic, you will see another heading about septic systems. If you read this, you'll see a post by FOZZYBEAR, who may be able to address your question. His profile lists an e-mail address so perhaps you could shoot him a note and ask him to give his opinion.

Russ

Russ,

Thanks for the reply. I bought a water test kit, tested for nitrite and came up with 0 ppm MG/L. While that may have been a waste of 24 dollars, it does make me feel a little better. Funny thing, I went down to the same spot on the pond at 7:30 and it looked the same but there was no smell. Walked by the same spot at 8:45 and the smell was there again. There is also a lot more film (almost oily looking without the colors) on that end of the pond. Sign me perplexed. All I know about ponds is what I have learned here so I am on a sharp learning curve.

It would be difficult to comment on whether or not you have a septic problem without knowing more about the hydrogeology of your site(s). There are nutrient and bacterial issues. Pathogenic bacteria are removed relatively quickly in groundwater. If we knew how many days it took water to get from the tank to the pond we would know if there is a potential bacterial problem. The travel time between your drain field and pond is dependent on the the groundwater flow velocity as determined by soil permeability, porosity and hydraulic gradient. We don't know what these variables are and it would take some effort to figure it out. If its all gravel between the drain field and pond, you may indeed have a problem.

An easier way would be to pound a drive point to the correct depth about 25-feet from the pond and collect water samples for laboratory anlyses of fecal coliform and nutrients, which would cost a few dollars but maybe give you peace of mind. Nitrate alone is not adequate for wastewater. You would need to full nitrogen series nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, and TKD.

You may just be looking at iron bacteria, which creates an orange slime on the surface where groundwater seeps into the pond. It may also have an oily sheen. Remember groundwater typically does not contain oxygen. When it becomes aerated, iron is oxidized (ferric) creating a slimy mess that screws up our treatment systems, drains, etc. I can't comment on the water color or odor.

Hi Randy you might want to try what I did when I was trying to locate what drains fed into a pipe that discharged directly into the woods behind my house. I went into the kitchen and relocated my wife's food coloring into my possession! Then I dumped the bottle of red down the toilet and the other colers in different drains. I found that the pipe was hooked up to the kitchen and the washing machine. Just a thought but it worked for me.

Bob

Steve,

Thank you for your comments. What you described about the iron bacteria fits my situation. I do notice a rust colored residue around the area where I get the seepage.

Russ

russ, steve...enjoyed this post. the rust colored water/slime caught my attention. here's what i got: my pond is 2 years old, 25 feet deep. i have many little springs on the hill side around the dam and past the dam. no significant water loss, so i really don't think it is leaking from the pond, plus these little springs were present even before we started digging. but, the water and soil around that site behind the dam where the springs runoff to is rust, orange colored, and occasionally looks like an oily film on it. one other thing.... the grass (that tall type that looks great for fish lining the edges of ponds) ...the grass grows great in it! any comments...? mark

Mark:

Sounds like what we're talking about. This stuff can smell like petroleum or sewage and produce a sheen on the water. It really occurs just about everywhere groundwater becomes aerated. We can chlorinate or treat it in wells or piping. I'm not sure about ponds. The good news is that there are not any significant health effects. Here is a link with more information.

Iron Bacteria

thanks for the info. it is just weird how it occurs. i started wondering if it was leaking from the "depths" of my pond, but really think it is just from a wet weather spring. oh well. nothing i can really do about it, and not too concerned since it doesn't drain into my pond. however, i was thinking about putting a capture pond in down below and pump that water back into my main big pond. i wonder what affects that water would have on my big pond. thanks

I would like to thank everyone who responded to my initial post. With all the info posted here I think I have the iron bacteria. As it seems there isn't anything I can do about it, I think I will pray for rain!