Septic & Well Services in Pennsburg, Red Hill & East Greenville, PA

Areas covered on this page: Upper Hanover Township, Marlborough Township, Pennsburg Borough, Red Hill Borough, East Greenville Borough, Green Lane Borough, Palm (Montgomery County).

Who's on sewer, and who's on septic

According to Upper Hanover Township, the Upper Montgomery Joint Authority is the main sewer provider for Red Hill, Pennsburg and East Greenville, and serves a small part of the township (the "Macoby Service Area"). The Upper Hanover Authority sewers the "Perkiomen 537 Study Area", which runs roughly from the East Greenville line northwest to the Berks County line and includes Palm. Small parts of the township get water from the Red Hill Water Authority. The rest of Upper Hanover is on on-lot septic systems (Upper Hanover Township: Sewer & Water).

The Township also notes that the Montgomery County health office acts as its sewage enforcement officer. All permits and approvals for on-lot wells and septic systems go to the county for review. Permits in Marlborough Township and Green Lane also go through the county. Call your township to confirm whether your lot is in a sewer service area.

Keeping a septic system healthy

EPA recommends a professional inspection at least every three years and pumping typically every three to five years, depending on tank size and household use (EPA). Your township may set its own schedule under its Act 537 plan, so ask the township office. The county's Office of Public Health also licenses sewage haulers (OPH permitting & licensing), so it's fair to ask a pumper to show a current county license.

Signs to call someone

• Gurgling drains or toilets that flush slowly throughout the house
• Sewage odor near the tank or drain field
• Soggy, spongy or extra-green ground over the absorption area
• An alarm on a pump or dosing tank

Private wells in the Upper Perkiomen Valley

This part of Montgomery County sits on the northwestern edge of the Newark Basin. USGS began its arsenic and boron study after EPA found elevated levels in groundwater near Congo Road by Gilbertsville, on the Berks-Montgomery line, and concluded that elevated arsenic and boron can occur naturally elsewhere in the basin (USGS SIR 2006-5261). Ask your lab whether to add arsenic to a routine bacteria test.

PA DEP recommends testing every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrate, total dissolved solids and pH, using a state-certified lab (PA DEP). Pennsylvania has no statewide private-well rules (Penn State Extension), but Montgomery County does require a permit for new wells.

Who issues permits

In Montgomery County, the Office of Public Health (OPH) issues on-lot sewage permits under the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act (Act 537). The process starts with soil probes and a percolation test, then a system design, then an OPH sewage enforcement officer inspects the installed system. OPH also requires a permit for every drinking water, irrigation and geothermal well before it is drilled, followed by a grouting inspection and an approval to operate. If you need the permit for an existing septic system, OPH says its records cover permits issued after 1991; older permits may be held by your township (OPH FAQs).

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 Montgomery County Office of Public Health 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).