Septic & Well Services in Newtown & Upper Makefield, PA

Areas covered on this page: Upper Makefield Township, Newtown Township, Newtown Borough, Wrightstown Township, Washington Crossing, Dolington, Taylorsville (Bucks County).

Upper Makefield: a mostly septic township

Upper Makefield describes itself as a rural, residential community. Public wastewater treatment serves only a few residential developments, and the rest of the township relies on private on-lot systems, which the Township calls OLDS. The Township warns that a poorly maintained system can contaminate your own water supply and your neighbors' (Upper Makefield: Water, Sewer and OLDS).

• Township-wide: tanks must be emptied by a licensed hauler at least every three years, depending on location. You then submit a copy of the hauler's report to the Planning & Zoning Office.
• Dolington and Taylorsville: the 2015 Act 537 Plan Update made these villages Special Sewage Management Districts under Ordinance No. 311. Owners there file an annual Owner Inspection Report and have their systems pumped every two years.

The Township's 2015 Act 537 plan expects on-lot systems to keep serving most properties long-term, which is why it continues to run the Sewage Management Program (Upper Makefield Act 537 Plan). Upper Makefield's SepticSmart tips are practical. Keep roots away from the drain lines, and protect system parts from freezing in cold weather.

Parts of Newtown Township and Newtown Borough are on public sewer, but not every home is. If you're in Newtown Township or Wrightstown and you don't get a sewer bill, you likely have a septic system. Ask your township whether it has a pumping schedule.

Private wells in the Newtown area

When a septic system shares a lot with a well, a failing drain field can show up in your drinking water. PA DEP recommends testing private wells every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrate, total dissolved solids and pH, using a state-certified lab, and testing again after flooding or well repairs (PA DEP). The Bucks County Health Department sells coliform sampling kits (Bucks County). For a home sale, a broader panel is common.

Who issues permits

In Bucks County, the Bucks County Health Department is the sewage enforcement agency. It permits new and repaired septic systems, holding tanks and alternate systems under PA Code Title 25, Chapter 73, investigates malfunctioning systems, and licenses every sewage pumping truck that works in the county. Its Sewage Program can be reached at 215-345-3318. Since 2007 the department has also set location and construction standards for new and modified private wells through its Residential Well Inspection Program, so a new well needs a county permit before drilling.

Before you call a provider

• Find your last pumping receipt and, if you have it, your septic permit or system drawing. It shows the tank location and size.
• Ask whether the pumper's truck is licensed by the Bucks County Health Department and whether they will file or give you the receipt your township needs.
• For a home sale, ask whether the inspector is PSMA-certified and what the written report covers.
• For a well, note the pump age, the well depth if known, and what you are seeing (pressure, color, odor, no water).