Iowa Admin. Code r. 567-49.6

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 6, September 18, 2024

Rule 567-49.6 - Location of wells

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.

Iowa Admin. Code r. 567-49.6

Amended by IAB February 9, 2022/Volume XLIV, Number 16, effective 3/16/2022