Aerobic septic vs Mound system

[mousebg]

I have gotten so much help from this forum on my questions with different sidings. So, I decided to ask this:

We are building a waterfront home on the Texas Gulfcoast. Our lot is narrow, but long - 60' wide by 220' long. We also want a pool in the back yard, so that will chew up some of the length. Right now we do not have city sewer, but think it will happen in the next 5 years or so, because we have city water.

Our architect is advocating a mound system for waste. My husband was thinking aerobic septic. My husband was thinking about cost, since we will probably have to tie in to the city sewer sometime and bear that expense. Does anyone have any opinions on this or know the pros and cons of each?

[csintexas]

Different areas are going to have there own typical systems. The cost of these systems will vary and you will need to get bids to determine which cost less. In either case you need to make sure that the main waste line is in a good position to be tied into the city sewer if it becomes available. On such a small lot it will be difficult to install any system by the time you get a house and a pool on it. Both of those systems rely on pumps to move the water from the tank to the leach field. It could be the amount of yard left is a limiting factor.

[jsommers]

A mound system will leave an unsightly MOUND in your yard! Yes, people will try to convince you that it can be landscaped... but, aerobic technology is more advanced (think "residentially-sized municipal wastewater treatment plant") and, with proper service & maintenance, will last for many decades (it may take that long for City sewer to get to you!). Plus, the use of true wastewater TREATMENT before the water enters the soil can sometimes result in a smaller "leachfield" footprint, resulting in the ability to size a bigger house on a smaller lot
For hydro-disposal once the wastewater is treated by the aerobic unit, most aerobic system manufacturers recommend shallow-depth drip irrigation tubing or above-ground spray (sprinklers); especially for those areas with high groundwater.
And lastly, the installation costs for an aerobic system are typically less than a mound because there is no need to import expensive sand/soil for the mound system. Good luck!