Septic soil in Passaic County, NJ, by the numbers

Very limited

In Passaic County, NJ, 82.2% of the surveyed land carries a "Very limited" rating for a standard septic drain field. Practically, that rules out a simple gravity system for most of the county - 82.2% of it sits in USDA's most-constrained bucket. Passaic County, NJ is 186.132 square miles with a population of 526,597.

What Passaic County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Passaic County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide rating. A local percolation test, typically $750-$1,850 (around $1,300 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in Passaic County will actually do.

What a system would cost here

With 82.2% of Passaic County rating "Very limited", a standard gravity system is not a safe assumption here. The engineered-system range, $10,000-$40,000 (mound or aerobic treatment), is the more realistic number to plan around, against $3,000-$8,000 for a conventional system on the rare lot that passes.

Where this sits nationally

Nationally, Passaic County, NJ is the 1,913-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within New Jersey alone it ranks 11 of 21.

Before you act on this

How this rating is built, and its real limits · Conventional vs. engineered septic systems