A faulty septic system at Windham Middle School forced soccer players to do their running and kicking off school property this month.

A portion of the school’s athletic field is over leach fields. Since problems with the septic system began, tanks have been emptied and one of the two leach fields has been abandoned.

Brian Gallagher, business adminstrator for the Windham School District, said that officials have hired engineers to develop a plan to create a leach field in a new location, probably behind the school.

“They’re at a point where they need to be replaced,” said Principal Steve Plocharczyk of the current fields. “They’re 20 years old.”

Arrangements were made for soccer players to use Griffin Park, a town facility. Physical education classes have continued outside, away from where the problem is.

Gallagher said money to create the new leach field, which he estimated would cost between $75,000 and $100,000, will have to come out of the school district’s operating budget.

Voters could be asked in March to replace the money with unused funds that had been earmarked for septic system repairs at Golden Brook School.