Iowa Administrative Code › Agency 567 - Environmental Protection Commission › Title II - Air Quality › Division B › Chapter 49 - Nonpublic Water Supply Wells › Rule 567-49.6 - Location of Wells

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 3, July 24, 2024
Wells shall be located with consideration given to the lot
					 size, contour, porosity and absorbency of the soil, local groundwater
					 conditions, flooding, and other factors necessary to implement the rules. The
					 lack of specific distances to other possible sources of contamination, such as
					 refuse disposal sites and high-pressure gas lines, does not minimize their
					 potential hazard. These must be evaluated in each particular situation and a
					 distance arrived at that is based on pertinent facts. The well contractor shall
					 consult the administrative authority for assistance in determining a proper
					 distance in such cases.
(1)
Minimum distances.
The following minimum lateral distances
				  from all private wells shall apply for the common structures or sources of
				  contamination listed in the following table.
Table 49.6(1) Minimum Lateral Distances, Private
					 Wells
Structure or Source of Contamination
Minimum
Lateral Distance (feet)
Shallow
								Well1
Deep
								Well1
Public water supply well
400
200
Formed manure storage structure, confinement
								building, feedlot solids settling facility, open feedlot
200
100
Transmission pipelines (including, but not limited
								to, fertilizer, liquid petroleum, or anhydrous ammonia) if a more restrictive
								setback is not set by the pipeline owner
200
100
All Private Wells
Earthen manure storage basin, runoff control basins
								and anaerobic lagoons
(see subrule 49.6(2) below)
1000
Drainage wells
1000
Solid waste landfills and disposal
								sites2
1000
Domestic wastewater lagoon
400
Preparation or storage area for spray materials,
								commercial fertilizers or chemicals that may result in groundwater
								contamination
150
Existing wells that do not conform to this
								chapter
100
Liquid hydrocarbon storage tanks, except for liquid
								propane gas (LPG)
100
Private sewage disposal systems - open portion of
								treatment system3
100
Private sewage disposal systems - closed portion of
								treatment system3
50
Flowing streams or other surface water
								bodies
25
LPG storage tanks
15
Roadside ditch and road rights-of-way
15
Existing wells that conform to this chapter
10
Sewer of cast iron with leaded or mechanical
								joints, sewer of plastic pipe with glued or compression joints, independent
								clear water drains, cisterns, well pits, or pump house floor drains
10
Yard hydrants
10
Frost pit
10
Property lines (unless a mutual easement is signed
								and recorded by both parties)
4
1"Deep well" and "shallow well"
					 are defined in 567-49.2 (455B).
2Solid waste means garbage,
					 refuse, rubbish, and other similar discarded solid or semisolid materials,
					 including but not limited to such materials resulting from industrial,
					 commercial, agricultural, and domestic activities.
3Private sewage disposal system
					 is defined in 567-subrule 69.1(2). Open portions of treatment systems include
					 subsurface absorption systems, mound systems, intermittent sand filters,
					 constructed wetlands, open bottom media filters, and waste stabilization ponds.
					 Closed portions of treatment systems include septic tanks, aerobic treatment
					 units, fully contained media filters, and impervious vault toilets. These
					 separation distances also apply to septic systems that are not considered
					 privately owned.
(2)
Exception to minimum lateral distances.
The minimum separation
				  distance between a well and an anaerobic lagoon, earthen manure slurry storage
				  basin, earthen manure storage basin, or runoff control basin shall be 400 feet
				  if the lagoon or basin was permitted by the department after January 1, 1989,
				  or if the applicant demonstrates through percolation testing that the seepage
				  loss through the lagoon or basin does not exceed 1/16 inch per day (0.0625
				  inch/day). The percolation test shall meet the requirements of ASTM-1587 and
				  567-subrule 65.15(11).
(3)
Frost pits.
Wells are not permitted to be located within frost
				  pits. Frost pits that do not contain wells are permitted for the purpose of
				  housing pressure tanks and valves, for example, provided the frost pits are not
				  located closer than ten feet from any well.
(4)
Relation to buildings.
The well shall be located so that no building interferes with reasonable access
				  for cleaning, treatment, repair, testing, inspection and other maintenance.
				  Wells shall not be located in basements.
(5)
Easements.
No well shall
				  be located on a property not owned by the well owner unless an easement
				  allowing such placement is reviewed and approved by the administrative
				  authority and the easement is legally recorded.