Question
Due to the heavy winter this year, our septic overflowed and  ran downhill to our garden plot about 50 yards away. The entire area was not flooded, but the garden area received some  spillage for sure...about 25% of the garden area I would say.
I tilled the area before I realized it had happened. Is this are ruined for vegetables now?

Answer
Raw sewage contaminated Soil is absolutely NOT useable for at least 1 season.  Look at it this way: Even if it COULD be used -- if I said 'sure, use it, no problem' -- you would be squirming over it every time you picked a lettuce leaf or a carrot.  You'd worry about the health of anyone you fed it to.  And that sir is the best case scenario.  The worst case scenario -- you'd be on the 7 o'clock News for several days, not to mention Yahoo! News, next it would be Larry King and Nancy Grace, for all the wrong reasons.

Sorry, but this is not going to happen in this particular real estate in the Summer of '08.

Just be very grateful you DID realize what had happened, in time.

Could be worse.  You could have vegetables ready to harvest.  That would be worse.

By the way, do you know you can have your Soil tested for fecal contamination?  There are labs that can do very realible evaluation of Soil that may or may not be contaminated.  If such a lab signs off on your Soil, there is no doubt in my mind at least that it would be safe this Summer to use for food.  Tell me your location and I'll be happy to find one or more for you.  These things happen.

L.I.G.