EPURTEX — Nonwoven Textile Used
in Drainfields

A septic system serves to treat wastewater from a domestic or commercial source. Consisting first of a septic tank — a holding tank for solid waste — it is followed by a treatment system that completes the purification process before returning the wastewater into the environment. Generally speaking, any system involving infiltration into the ground consists of a bed of grade media (crushed rock or gravel) in which a pipe system has been installed (drainfield or leachfield).

Situation

Before backfill is added, the surface of the graded media must be covered by a separation membrane such as the Epurtex geotextile, in order to facilitate evapotranspiration and the transfer of oxygen to the trench-type disposal field. It is important to allow oxygen to penetrate into the soil as the microorganisms that digest the waste need oxygen in order to live and function.

	Before backfilling, the graded media must be topped with a separation membrane such as the Epurtex geotextile.

Description and function

Made of synthetic fibers, the Epurtex geotextile will not rot, and will withstand acids in the soil while admitting the oxygen essential to the proper operation of the disposal field.

Because of its construction, this calendered geotextile is a welcome alternative to overly fragile blotting cloth and other materials unsuited to the effective transfer of oxygen.