Sewage Board approves mounded Eljen septic system for Three Oaks Road property

The Berrien County Sewage Appeals Board on May 13, 2026 approved a mounded Eljen sand-filter system to serve a proposed four-bedroom dwelling at a Three Oaks Road parcel in Chikaming Township. Chair Thaddeus Hackworth moved to approve the plan, and Alex Ott seconded; the motion passed and carried.

The approval specified system components and conditions: a 2,000-gallon septic tank with effluent filter, a 600-gallon dosing tank with visual alarm, a 1.5" force main to a 25 ft. by 100 ft. absorption field with a single distribution valve and three zones, and Eljen A42 sand-filter units with a minimum of 2.5 ft of sand between the A42 units and the seasonal high-water table. The motion included the requirement that construction occur during favorable, dry conditions and that the absorption field be protected from compaction. "This approval is contingent upon a successful pre-construction meeting and all other customary inspections of the Berrien County Health Department," the motion stated.

The board acted after hearing a Berrien County Health Department site report noting soils that had led staff to deny a sewage permit earlier in the review. The department had no objection to the engineers' proposed mound design at the meeting, and board discussion noted an increase in dwelling size from three to four bedrooms with no garbage grinder on the plan. The approval records the reserve area for a bed and mound between the proposed mound and the home and requires all isolation distances and setback requirements be met.