Septic in Grays Harbor County: What Coastal & Timber-Town Homeowners Should Know

Grays Harbor is our home county — Bolan Septic started here — and after 25 years we can tell you that a septic system in Ocean Shores lives a very different life than one up in McCleary. The county's mix of coast, river valley, and timber country means the right advice really does depend on which town you're in.

Coastal properties: high water tables and sandy soil

Near the coast — Ocean Shores, Westport, the beaches around Aberdeen and Hoquiam — the water table sits high and the soil is often sandy. A high water table leaves the drain field less dry soil to work with, especially in winter, so coastal systems are more sensitive to overloading and to skipped pumpings. Sandy soil drains fast but filters less, which is exactly why coastal drain fields have to be designed and maintained carefully.

• Stay on top of pumping — coastal fields have less margin when the ground is already saturated
• Keep an eye out for soggy spots over the field after a big storm or king tide
• Don't add avoidable water — fix leaks and spread out laundry, especially in the wet months

Inland and timber towns: Montesano, Elma, McCleary

Head inland and the picture changes — more clay and forest soils, larger lots, and often older systems on long-held family properties. Here the common issues are tree-root intrusion into drain lines and systems that simply haven't been inspected in a long time. If you're on acreage with mature trees, root intrusion is the thing to watch.

One thing every Grays Harbor property shares: rain

Wherever you are in the county, you get a lot of rain, and rain is the single biggest seasonal stressor on a septic system here. Directing roof and surface runoff away from the drain field, and going into winter with a freshly pumped tank, does more good in Grays Harbor than almost anywhere else in the state.

We cover the whole county — Aberdeen, Hoquiam, Ocean Shores, Montesano, Elma, and McCleary. If you're not sure how your location affects your system, call us; we know these soils because we've been working in them for decades.