Septic System Installation in Matamoras, PA

Why Matamoras Still Runs on Septic

Matamoras adopted its first sewage facilities plan in 1977. A 1987 update recommended staying on on-lot systems, since soils were favorable and little growth was expected. The borough later elected not to connect to the Westfall Township authority's sewer.

The 2021 plan found the borough still served entirely by on-lot systems. It named the Matamoras study area a needs area, citing those malfunctions and commercial demand, and studied sewer alternatives. In July 2026, federal funding was announced for the Eastern Pike County Sewer Extension. The project will extend wastewater service to Matamoras and Milford Borough. Until a line is built and a home is connected, its septic system still does the work. Records for 2014 to 2019 show 36 permits issued in the borough for septic repairs and installations. The plan expected some commercial growth along Pennsylvania Avenue, but notes that without central sewer, business growth stays limited.

Matamoras was originally part of Westfall Township, and the township is only partly sewered. Its authority runs one sewer system that mainly serves commercial properties along the Route 6 and 209 corridor. Properties off those lines use on-lot systems or package treatment plants.

A 2002 Westfall ordinance makes improved property next to the sewer connect within 60 days, at the property owner's cost. Those laterals, new or broken, are sewer line repair work we dig by open trench.

River Flat Sand and Upland Bedrock Around Matamoras

A U.S. Geological Survey report puts Pike County's thickest glacial deposits in a narrow band along the Delaware River. The 2021 plan says that outwash sand, gravel and alluvium reaches 401 feet thick at Matamoras. The Matamoras Municipal Authority supplies the whole borough, and some of its wells in town draw from that outwash aquifer.

The plan's geology notes rate outwash generally unsuitable for septic systems because it can let contamination reach groundwater. Yet the same plan rates most soils in the developed parts of its study area as suitable for in-ground systems. It says only site-specific testing shows what a given lot can take. So a new system starts with test pits, dug for the sewage enforcement officer.

Westfall Township's landscape runs from the river to the bluff line overlooking the valley and thousands of acres of forest. The Geological Survey says glacial deposits are thinnest in upland areas, and bedrock is exposed in many areas. The 2021 plan rates till under 6 feet thick over bedrock as too thin for septic systems.

The plan's soil screen rates ground with groundwater or bedrock less than 60 inches down as unsuitable for in-ground systems. Between 20 and 60 inches, a lot typically needs an elevated sand mound septic system. A 1998 Westfall ordinance requires a zoning permit to clear over one acre of timber as a separate activity. We handle the land clearing for septic areas and house sites.

Small Borough Lots and Pennsylvania Setbacks

Matamoras covers about 0.8 square miles and counted 2,362 residents in the 2020 census. The 2021 plan notes the borough has no required lot sizes in its zoning or subdivision rules. It also found nearly all borough lots already filled, so a new system here usually replaces an old one.

Under Pennsylvania setback rules, tanks and absorption areas stay 10 feet from a property line, easement or right-of-way. Absorption areas stay 50 feet from streams and other surface water. They stay 100 feet from a private well or water supply suction line. Borough homes draw public water, so on a small lot the 10-foot line setbacks often shape the layout.

In the borough, the sewage enforcement officer judges the site and its soils. The design and permit go through that office, with a soil scientist or engineer where one is required. We dig the test pits and install the tank, distribution box and absorption area to the approved design. We call PA One Call (811) before digging and finish with backfill and grading.

Westfall Township lists its own sewage enforcement officer, available by appointment. A 1976 township ordinance requires a permit before anyone installs a sewage system. Digging in a township street needs a permit too, under a 2010 ordinance. It applies when excavation for a sewer lateral or water line reaches into a township street.

Flood History on the Matamoras Flats

National Weather Service flood notes for the Delaware River gauge at Matamoras name the trouble spots. Parts of Delaware Drive upstream of the borough flood early. Then water backs up into the southwest side of Matamoras, near Airport Park, 10th Street and Avenue S. Higher up, properties along Rose Lane flood, and backwater reaches basements on Avenue R.

At the June 2006 crest, flooding was extensive in Westfall Township and portions of Matamoras. The record crest at the gauge came from the 1981 ice jam flood. FEMA maps the 100-year floodplain along the Delaware, and some properties in the plan area sit inside it. Absorption areas cannot go in a 100-year floodway, so low lots need careful siting.

On the lot itself, the water to manage is rain and runoff. Yard drainage moves it away from the house and off the septic area. We build French drains, curtain drains, catch basins and swales, and run downspout lines to daylight.