Sewage Appeals Board approves Allegan mound system for Davis property after health department finds shallow water table

The Berrien County Sewage Appeals Board voted Jan. 7 to approve an Allegan mound septic system for Jeffrey and Rebecca Davis’ 13-acre parcel at 2887 Coloma Rd. Chairperson Thaddeus Hackworth moved for approval, which was seconded by board member Ray Matejczyk and carried.

The Berrien County Health Department (BCHD) reported that soil borings conducted on Nov. 3 and Nov. 19, 2025, found the seasonal water table at roughly 18 inches below grade. BCHD staff, represented in the meeting by Environmental Health Registered Sanitarian Chris Nagy and Health Officer Guy Miller, said those findings prompted additional testing and informed the board’s consideration of a mound system rather than a conventional in-ground system.

Consultant John Johnson described the proposed system as an Allegan mound sized for a four-bedroom home with a 20-by-60-foot drain bed at a 7:1 slope. The design calls for two 1,000-gallon septic tanks, a 500-gallon dosing chamber with an effluent pump and safety-netted risers, about 2.5 feet of clean sand fill above original grade to a 4.5-foot finished grade, and approximately 50 feet of pressurized lateral line. The plan excludes a garbage grinder and a basement sump pump.

Approval was conditioned on a successful pre-construction meeting, passing all customary BCHD inspections, constructing the mound during favorable/dry soil conditions, and protecting the absorption field and reserve area from compaction. The board also required that all isolation distances and setback requirements be met.

The board’s formal action was limited to granting approval with those listed conditions; no vote tally by individual members was recorded in the meeting minutes. The meeting adjourned at 10:32 a.m.