A subsurface sewage disposal system includes leaching members oriented substantially vertically and positioned in a non-linear arrangement. A first volume is defined within the leaching members by a permeable enclosure configured to provide temporary storage of an effluent introduced by a distribution pipe. A plurality of balancing pipes is configured in a non-linear arrangement to redistribute the effluent from one leaching member to another leaching member. As the effluent rises within one leaching member, the effluent is redistributed by the balancing pipes to another leaching member. In the event of a failure of the distribution pipe, the plurality of balancing pipes is configured to bypass the distribution pipe and redistribute the effluent to the leaching members downstream of such failure.