Leach field repair in the Phoenix area

The leach field, also called a drain field or disposal field, is where the soil finishes treating your wastewater. Problems caught early leave more repair options open.

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How a leach field works

Liquid from the septic tank flows into perforated pipes laid in gravel trenches. It seeps out into the soil, which filters and treats it. The tank's job is to hold back solids so they never reach those trenches.

What are the signs of a failing leach field?

• Soggy ground or standing water over the field, especially after heavy water use
• A strip of grass or weeds that's greener than everything around it
• Sewage odor outdoors
• Drains that slow down again soon after the tank is pumped
• A high liquid level in the tank at pump-out time, which suggests the field isn't taking water

Why leach fields fail

• Solids from a tank that went too long without pumping
• Too much water at once, such as several loads of laundry in a row
• Cars, trailers or equipment parked or driven over the field, which compacts the soil
• Roots growing into the pipes
• Grease and oils that coat the soil
• Age

Repair and replacement options

What's possible depends on what the contractor finds. A clogged pipe or distribution line can sometimes be cleared. A field that's overloaded but not ruined may recover once water use and pumping are back in line. If the soil is sealed or the trenches have failed, the answer is new trenches or a new field, which needs a county permit.

Protecting your field

• Pump the tank on schedule. See septic tank pumping.
• Spread laundry and other heavy water use across the week.
• Keep vehicles and heavy equipment off the field.
• Plant only grass or shallow-rooted plants over and near it.
• Point roof drains and other runoff away from the field.

For background on how the field works, read what is a leach field.

Reviewed by August Heckmann. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we check our information.