The very word, "cesspool," drudges up disgusting images of waste and sheer filth. It turns people's stomachs just thinking about the word itself, and imagining what a cesspool looks like. That is why, when you discover a cesspool that has been hidden on your property for a while, you get really green around the gills. You have no idea why it is still there, and why someone would not have removed it years ago. If you bought the property and this was not a disclosed "feature" of the property, it is easy to see how you missed it all this time. Here is what you can do about this nasty feature now that you have discovered it. 

Step One: Determine If It Needs a Septic Pumping

Some cesspools were just filled in with dirt and left that way for decades. Others were covered with a heavy steel lid, and left alone that way. If yours was filled in with dirt, and there is no apparent sinking or squishing of the mud in this area, you can leave it alone. However, if you have an old cesspool that was just covered with a steel lid, you may need to have it pumped out by a septic pumping and cleaning company. Arrange for contractors to come take a look at your disgusting discovery, and then provide quotes for the cost to clear it out. 

Step Two: Clearing Out and Cleaning Out the Cesspool

Have the contractor come out to pump out any remaining mess in the cesspool. Then request a thorough cleaning of the concrete walls that make up the cesspool tank. Once everything is clean and has been cleared, you can have a concrete contractor assess the walls for leaks, which would have affected the groundwater in the area. 

Step Three: Check for Cracks in the Concrete Walls of the Cesspool

The septic contractor or a concrete contractor can do this part of the job. Cracks in a cesspool hidden for years could have resulted in leakage into the groundwater, which is definitely dangerous. If cracks are present, you do have duty to alert the local municipality and water departments of this problem. Then you can ask the concrete contractor to remove the concrete walls and floor of the cesspool before filling the hole in with dirt. The concrete contractor can also fill the hole in with dirt so that you do not have to hire a different sort of contractor for that job. 

For more information, contact companies like Powell's Sanitation & Construction.