Lackawanna County · Pop. 77,291
Scranton is the anchor of the Wyoming Valley and the largest city in northeastern Pennsylvania's anthracite coal region. Once a major industrial powerhouse — built on iron, steel, and coal — Scranton has reinvented itself as a healthcare and education hub, anchored by the University of Scranton, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, and a growing logistics sector. The city of Scranton and its immediate suburban boroughs are largely served by municipal sewer. The septic system landscape extends into Lackawanna County's rural townships and into the broader northeastern Pennsylvania region: the southern Pocono Plateau communities, the rural upper Lackawanna Valley, and the agricultural townships along the New York state border. The defining challenge for OSSF in the Scranton area is the dual legacy of coal mining and difficult Appalachian shale and sandstone soils. Mine subsidence, abandoned mine drainage, and disturbed mine spoil affect significant portions of the urban fringe, creating unpredictable drainage patterns and potential direct conduits to groundwater. The Alvira series fragipan soils on valley footslopes — extremely common in rural Lackawanna County — create perched water tables that challenge conventional drainfield design and require elevated or pressurized systems on many properties.
Restore or replace failed leach fields and drain lines to prevent sewage surfacing and groundwater contamination.
$2,000 – $15,000
Commercial grease trap cleaning and pumping to prevent sewer blockages and maintain health code compliance.
$200 – $800
Comprehensive evaluation of your septic system's condition, required for real estate transactions in most states.
$300 – $600
Complete new septic system design and installation, from perc testing to final inspection.
$3,500 – $20,000
Regular pumping removes accumulated solids from your septic tank, preventing backups and extending system life.
$275 – $600
Diagnose and fix septic system problems including leaks, clogs, baffle failures, and component replacements.
$500 – $5,000
Professional water well drilling for residential and commercial properties without access to municipal water.
$6,000 – $25,000
Diagnose and repair well pump failures, pressure tank issues, and water flow problems.
$300 – $3,000
Pittsburgh, PA 00000
A Podobnik Sanitation: Septic Service for Pittsburgh, PA provides professional septic services in Pittsburgh, PA and surrounding areas.
Scranton, PA 00000
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Pittsburgh, PA 00000
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Allentown, PA 00000
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Scranton, PA 00000
Scranton & Wilkes-Barre Septic Pumping provides professional septic services in Scranton, PA and surrounding areas.
Pittsburgh, PA 00000
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Allentown, PA 00000
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Pittsburgh, PA 00000
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| Service | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Septic Tank Pumping | $250 - $475 |
| Septic System Installation | $6,500 - $22,000 |
Scranton-area soils reflect its position in the Wyoming Valley anthracite coal region and the Pocono Plateau transition zone. Dominant series include Leck Kill channery silt loam, Alvira silt loam, and Hazleton channery sandy loam — Inceptisols and Spodosols formed in colluvium and residuum derived from gray and red Devonian-Mississippian shales, sandstones, and conglomerates. The Leck Kill series is a moderately deep Typic Dystrudept over fractured shale with moderate permeability in surface horizons and rapid lateral flow along shale fractures in the subsoil. The Alvira series — found on footslopes and toeslopes — has a fragipan horizon (Bx) at 22-34 inches with very slow permeability and a seasonal high water table above the fragipan. Mine spoil and disturbed land soils from the anthracite coal mining legacy are common across the urban landscape.
The Alvira silt loam series — a Typic Fragiudept — is one of the most common problematic OSSF soils in northeastern Pennsylvania. Its fragipan (Bx horizon) at 22-34 inches is identified by its characteristic brittle failure when pressed — unlike a clay-rich restrictive layer, the fragipan fractures rather than smears. Despite being brittle, the fragipan has very low hydraulic conductivity (0.01-0.06 in/hr) due to its dense packing and pore-filling illuvial clay. Percolation tests conducted only in the surface horizon will dramatically overestimate drainage capacity because the fragipan horizon is not tested. PA DEP Chapter 73 requires soil profile evaluation to minimum 60-inch depth — evaluators use this profile to identify fragipan depth and assign appropriate long-term acceptance rates.
Pennsylvania Act 537 and PA DEP Chapter 73 govern OSSF throughout Lackawanna County. The coal mining legacy creates a unique regulatory overlay: PA DEP's Bureau of Mine Safety has jurisdiction over subsidence risk areas, and OSSF in active or former mine subsidence zones require additional geologic review. Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) from the region's extensive underground and surface mines has impaired numerous Lackawanna County streams — the Lackawanna River itself was on the PA DEP impaired waters list for decades before remediation efforts. OSSF discharges that reach AMD-impaired streams face enhanced DEP scrutiny. The SEO permitting system means that standards can vary between Lackawanna County municipalities; homeowners should contact their specific township SEO early in the planning process.
Lackawanna County OSSF permits are issued by Sewage Enforcement Officers (SEOs) at the municipal level under Pennsylvania Act 537. Each Lackawanna County municipality (township, borough) employs or contracts with a PA DEP-certified SEO. The City of Scranton and the boroughs of Dunmore, Taylor, Dickson City, and Blakely are largely served by Pennsylvania American Water and Scranton Sewer Authority. Septic systems are concentrated in the rural townships: Jefferson, Madison, Covington, Clifton, and Scott township areas. The coal mining legacy means some properties have subsided, disturbed, or mine-affected soils requiring special engineering evaluation. Permit fees vary by municipality, typically $150-300.