Imagine this: midway through your septic system installation, a backhoe operator misjudges the terrain and strikes a buried municipal water line. Water floods the excavation site, pours into your basement, and damages your foundation. The repair bill comes in at a staggering $50,000.

That strange gurgling sound from your toilet. The faint, unpleasant odour near the backyard. A drain that takes just a little too long to clear. Are these minor household quirks or the first whispers of a catastrophic septic system failure?