Septic System Repair in Concord, NC

Septic system repair beyond the Concord sewer lines

The Water and Sewer Authority of Cabarrus County, known as WSACC, treats wastewater for five local governments. They are the county, Concord, Kannapolis, Harrisburg and Mount Pleasant. WSACC runs about 148 miles of interceptor sewer. Its Rocky River Regional plant in Concord was expanded to 30 million gallons a day in October 2024.

Our service area around Concord takes in Odell School, a community in northwestern Cabarrus County between Huntersville and Concord. It also takes in Rimertown, or Rimer, in northeastern Cabarrus County near Mount Pleasant and Kannapolis. On any lot past the sewer lines, the septic tank holds back solids. The liquid, called effluent, flows out to the drain field, where the soil does the final treatment.

Biomat is the black, slimy layer of organic build-up that clogs the soil around the drain lines. Our septic aeration system goes inside your existing tank and feeds oxygen to natural bacteria. With oxygen, the bacteria digest solids in the tank, then ride the effluent out to digest the biomat. As the biomat breaks down, the soil takes in water again and the field can return to service.

Septic tank risers and filters for older Concord homes

Settlers first came to the Concord area about 1750, and the town was incorporated in 1806. The Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey estimates 43,142 homes in the city. Nearly half were built in 2000 or later. More than a quarter were built before 1980, including 2,763 from 1939 or earlier.

Past the sewer lines, a house from those older decades may still run on its first tank and field. Many older tanks have no riser, so each service visit starts with digging to find the lids. We install septic tank risers, the round green risers with lids that bring the tank access up to ground level. After that, the tank opens at ground level on every visit.

Most older tanks also never had an effluent filter, since there was no riser access to service one. The filter sits on the tank outlet and keeps undigested solids out of the drain field. We clean it on every service visit.

Lake Howell, Lake Concord and failing drain fields

Lake Howell, the 1,300-acre Coddle Creek Reservoir, was built by Cabarrus County in 1992 and 1993. It supplies raw water to the Coddle Creek and Kannapolis water treatment plants. Its drainage basin covers about 47 square miles in parts of Cabarrus, Rowan and Iredell counties. Lake Concord, built by the city in 1929, is still an emergency water supply for Concord.

The EPA says household wastewater carries disease-causing bacteria and viruses, plus high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. A well-maintained septic system that works properly removes most of these pollutants. A failing one releases bacteria, viruses and chemicals that are toxic to local waterways. Once in the ground, the EPA notes, these pollutants eventually reach streams and lakes.

That is why a failing drain field near the streams that feed these lakes matters. The same goes for the Rocky River, the longest waterway in Cabarrus County, which rises in Iredell County and empties into the Pee Dee. Lake Fisher, a city lake with 3 miles of lakefront, is used for boating and fishing.

A restored field then goes on a septic system maintenance plan. Year one includes three visits: about 30 days, six months and one year after the install. After year one, the plan moves to two visits a year. Once the system is stable, it drops to one visit a year with a bacteria treatment.

Cabarrus Health Alliance and septic permits in Concord

In Cabarrus County, septic permits come from the Environmental Health division of Cabarrus Health Alliance, the county's public health authority. It issues permits for new septic systems and for repairs. Its Environmental Health Specialists also investigate septic complaints.

The Alliance tells homeowners who suspect septic trouble to apply for a septic repair permit. The signs it lists are wet areas in the yard, sewage backing up in the house or a collapsed tank. A repair application asks for an NC 811 ticket number, even if no utility lines are buried on the property.

Our in-tank unit is a retrofit: nothing is replaced or expanded, and the drain field is not dug up. We tell you before work starts if the county needs to be involved. The only digging is a shallow trench for the air line, and the site is located through NC 811 first. Most installs are finished in a day.

Our septic system inspection is diagnostic. It finds the cause of slow drains or wet spots and shows whether restoration fits your system. We do not do real-estate inspections for a home sale; in North Carolina, those need a state-certified inspector.