Septic Soil Packages

ST Soil Texture

$43.00

AOWMA Discounted Member Rate $34

STS Sieve Analysis

$48.00

AOWMA Discounted Member Rate $38

Prismatic Soils

STCOLE

$19.00

Soil Texture COLE

STDP

$16.00

Soil Texture dispersion

STEC

$18.00

Soil Texture EC

STSAR

$50.00

Soil texture SAR (includes EC)

Turn Around

Regular Texture:

2 Business Days

Regular Sieve:

3 Business Days

50% Rush (additional 50% surcharge):

2 Business Days

100% Rush:

N/A

Terms & Definitions

Texture:

Soil texture is a measure of the percent of sand, silt, and clay in the soil. It is combined with grade and structure to determine the water loading rate.

Sieve:

Extra test required to determine whether Sand, Loamy Sand, or Sandy Loam should be classified as Very Fine, Fine, Medium, Coarse, or Very Coarse.

Prismatic:

Prismatic soil is similar to columnar but younger and does not have rounded tops. It can cause potential failures in a septic system. In order to build with prismatic soils, the Standard of Practice from 2015 in Alberta requires four additional tests: SAR, COLE, Dispersion and EC.

Online Submission Forms

Submit your sample online using one of the forms below.

Septic Soil Submission Form:

Online Septic Soil Submission Form

Files

Download DTE_Septic_Soil_Sample_Submission_Form.pdf

Sampling Instructions:

Follow the protocols outlined by the AOWMA to identify the different horizons in the soil. Sample each soil horizon for which you want the texture identified and send them to the lab to determine what the most limiting layers are. This information is to be used with the information collected on site to determine the loading rate.

Sample Submission Instructions:

Only about 1-2 cups of soil are required, please limit the sample sizes to that. Please ensure you have filled out the sample submission form (available on the Files & Online Submissions tab) and included that with your sample submission. Samples missing information (such as test package and signature) will be placed on hold until all appropriate information has been provided.

Prismatic Testing:

The 2015 SOP now mentions new testing for Prismatic soils. Prismatic soils used to be classified the same as blocky and granular in the SOP but are now treated differently. Make sure you know how to identify them.