Septic System Installation in Jenks, OK

Where the septic tanks sit in Jenks

Most of the septic tanks on the city's map sit south of 111th Street. On the west side, several sit along Union and Elwood Avenues. On the south side, they gather around Ark Ridge Estates and Oak Hill of Jenks, out toward 131st Street. More than two dozen sit on older blocks north of Main Street, close to the river.

The lots under those tanks look different from most of Jenks. The typical one runs a little over 2 acres. Nearly two in three of the homes on them were built before 1990. Across the whole city, the Census puts the typical home's build year at 2006.

Every one of those tanks needs pumping now and then. The DEQ's homeowner guide puts it at every 3 to 5 years under average use. We handle septic tank pumping in Jenks and check the tank and baffles while it is open.

Jenks soil and your septic field

Under about four in five of those tanks, the USDA soil survey rates the ground very limited for septic fields. Its top reasons are slow water movement and a wet layer close to the surface. By NOAA's normals, the Tulsa area gets about 41 inches of rain a year, and May is the wettest month.

Out toward 131st Street, most of those tanks sit in Dennis and Eram soils. Both have clay below the topsoil. In winter and spring, both can hold water 1 to 2.5 feet down. State rules set lateral line trenches 18 to 30 inches deep, right in that wet zone.

Closer to the river, the survey maps Choska and Severn, two river-bottom soils that drain fast. It flags them for rare flooding and for seepage, where wastewater can soak through too fast. Polecat Creek also crosses Jenks on its way to the river, and FEMA maps flood zones along both.

Lateral lines are the Oklahoma name for a drain field. Wet ground or a sewage smell over them after heavy spring rain can mean the field has quit taking water. We find the cause on site and handle the lateral line repair. Where the soil rules out lateral lines, an aerobic system with spray heads may still fit the lot.

Who approves a new septic system in Jenks?

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) permits septic systems statewide, and its Tulsa office covers Jenks. The first step is usually a soil test, with at least three holes or pits in the planned field. The results go on the DEQ's Report for On-Site Sewage, known as the 581. That report sets which systems the lot may use and the minimum field size.

Next, the DEQ issues an Authorization to Construct, reviewed by the local DEQ environmental specialist. The system is inspected and approved before it goes into use. Keep the final inspection form, since it shows where each part sits on the lot.

Inside the city limits, Jenks adds rules of its own. When a lot split leaves a new lot without public sewer, the city calls for tests. They show whether that lot can take a private system. Ask the city about your lot before work starts, and we point you to the right office.

Septic system installation on acreage around Jenks

Jenks grew from 16,924 people in 2010 to 25,949 in 2020, by the Census count. About two in three homes in town were built in 2000 or later. Only about one in six of the septic homes on the city's map is that new.

Past the city limits, toward Glenpool and Sapulpa, a home with no sewer main nearby needs its own system. Get the soil test done early, before the house plans are final. Fill over 6 inches deep on the tested spot means asking the local DEQ office about a new test.

On a new build, we lay out the tank and lateral lines to fit the lot and the soil report. On an older lot, we look at the tank and the field before we quote a replacement.