ESSPOOLS Application One definition of a cesspool is an excavation receiving untreated sewage. Such excavations tend to clog up in a relatively short time, from a few months to a few years, depending on how the pit was sized and constructed, and depending on the nature of the incom- ing sewage. For this reason, cesspools are disallowed in many areas and are allowed only on a temporary basis in others. Many cesspools in rural areas are simply holes in the ground with plywood covers. These cesspools present public health officials with visions of drowning children, disease-ridden rodents, flies, and odors (yes, many public health officials can visualize odors). This type of sewage disposal system is not recommended even for very brief use in remote areas. Design, Materials, and Construction Proper cesspools are designed and constructed exactly like seep- age pits. The only difference is that cesspools receive untreated sewage and seepage pits receive effluent from a septic tank. Operation and Maintenance There is little to be done to prolong the useful life of a cesspool. All abandoned cesspools should be filled with dirt or rock. ONSITE WASTEWATER DISPOSAL ABSORPTION BEDS Application As mentioned earlier, absorption beds are just very wide shallow trenches. Because the sidewall area is small compared to the bottom area, beds depend almost entirely on seepage through the bottom surface. Beds are used most often where space is limiting and there is no room to dig long trenches. But sites where beds are located must be fairly flat. Evapotranspiration from beds can be significant. Design There is debate over whether the bottom area of beds should be larger than that required for trenches because of the loss of sidewall absorption area. The Uniform Plumbing Code says the area should be half again as large for beds. The Manual of Septic Tank Practice calls for equal bottom area. The latter conclusion was based on work done in very permeable soils. The reality of the situation is that beds sized at what is called for by 