Soil and Septic Services

Daniel Fenstermacher Consulting specializes in soil mapping and evaluations for Pennsylvania on-lot septic systems, alternate on-lot septic systems, sewage facilities planning, and stormwater management.

Services

Soils Mapping

Soils play a critical role in the capabilities of your land, particularly when it comes to developing your property...

Soils play a critical role in the capabilities of your land, particularly when it comes to developing your property. Daniel Fenstermacher Consulting provides soil inventory services to map soils on your property and develop interpretations to show the suitability of the soils and landscapes for your project. These services can be conducted on property you already own or as a due diligence for a property you are interested in acquiring. Purchasing land is a major investment and knowing the capabilities of the land can inform your decision and help to prevent future surprises that may interfere with your project. USDA NRCS has published soil maps available for Pennsylvania, however their product was conducted at a scale intended for county level planning purposes and is not intended for use at a project scale. Due to the coarseness of mapping, their map units have inclusions of contrasting soil types and do not accurately represent on-the-ground conditions. Therefore, it is important to validate the mapping of your property with a soil inventory to know if it is suitable for the intended use.

Preliminary On-Lot Septic Evaluations

Pennsylvania regulations require evaluations and permits for on-lot sewage disposal systems...

Pennsylvania regulations require evaluations and permits for on-lot sewage disposal systems. Soils and site characteristics direct the suitability for a system, the type of system, and the size of the system. Municipalities have delegated Sewage Enforcement Officers (SEO) that conduct evaluations and issue permits for systems, but they don't always find the best solutions for the property owners. Daniel Fenstermacher Consulting provides a preliminary evaluation to determine site suitability, possible system locations, and system type options. After discussion the options with the client, we will work with the delegated SEO to permit the system that includes the best interest of the client.

Alternate On-Lot Septic Evaluations

Pennsylvania allows the use of alternate on-lot septic systems where the site is determined to be unsuitable...

Pennsylvania allows the use of alternate on-lot septic systems where the site is determined to be unsuitable for a conventional system due to a limiting zone less than 20 inches below the soil surface (shallow limiting zone). Pennsylvania requires a "Qualified Soil Scientist" to conduct the evaluation for shallow limiting zone alternate systems to determine the suitability and design of the system. As a Qualified Soil Scientist, Daniel Fenstermacher Consulting provides the services needed to evaluate suitability and design for the permitting of shallow limiting zone alternate systems.

Sewage Facilities Planning

When subdividing a property in areas that require on-lot sewage disposal systems, Pennsylvania requires...

When subdividing a property in areas that require on-lot sewage disposal systems, Pennsylvania requires the subdivision to do Sewage Facilities Planning. Most of the time, Sewage Facilities Planning requires an evaluation (soil probes and perc tests) to prove that each lot will have a permittable primary and replacement absorption area or spray field. Daniel Fenstermacher Consulting provides services to conduct the evaluations and prepare a sewage facilities submission for the subdivision.

Stormwater Evaluations

Pennsylvania requires post-construction stormwater management be addressed under several regulatory programs...

Pennsylvania requires post-construction stormwater management be addressed under several regulatory programs administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, including National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. The Pennsylvania Best Management Practice Manual recognizes that soil characteristics and permeability are essential for properly designing stormwater management structures to ensure that they function properly as-built. Daniel Fenstermacher Consulting provides test pit descriptions and double ring infiltrometer testing for the engineering designs and NPDES permit submittal.

Who We Are

Daniel Fenstermacher

Soil Scientist

Certifications & Memberships:

Certified Professional Soil Scientist (CPSS)
Certified Sewage Enforcement Officer (SEO)
Professional Member of Pennsylvania Association of Professional Soil Scientists (PAPSS)

Daniel is the principal investigator at Daniel Fenstermacher Consulting, LLC and has been practicing soil science professionally since 2012. He has examined soils across Pennsylvania, as well as throughout Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware.

One notable project is that Daniel led a team of soil scientists and laborers to conduct an Order 1 Soil Survey (detailed soil mapping) for approximately 16 miles of a proposed pipeline corridor.

Daniel is a Pennsylvania "Qualified Soil Scientist". He is a Certified Professional Soil Scientist (CPSS) through the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), certified as a Sewage Enforcement Officer (SEO) in Pennsylvania, and is a professional member of the Pennsylvania Association of Professional Soil Scientists (PAPSS).

Daniel has a Master of Science (M.S.) from University of Maryland in Soil and Watershed Science and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) from Delaware Valley University in Environmental Biology. In addition to being principal investigator, Daniel participates on the Mid-Atlantic Hydric Soils Committee.

Contact Us

Get in Touch

Daniel Fenstermacher Consulting, LLC

Bradford, Pennsylvania 16701

Email: DEF.SoilTesting@gmail.com

Phone: 814-366-5444

If you have a need for Daniel Fenstermacher Consulting's services, please use the Request Services Form to share some details about your request to start our conversation about your project.

Upon receiving and discussing your request, we will provide a proposal outlining the scope of services and compensation for those services for your approval before beginning on your project.

Thank you for considering Daniel Fenstermacher Consulting, LLC where we can help to turn your land challenges into workable solutions.