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On-Site Sewage Disposal Systems: Technical Guidelines

A number of state governments and related organizations have produced a set of technical guidelines governing onsite sewage disposal systems. The purpose of these documents is to promote public health and safety.

  1. Safe Distances

    • All onsite sewage disposal systems must be located a safe distance away from bodies of water, wells, and dwellings. In particular, they must not be placed within 20 feet of a dwelling, within 25 feet of a property line, within 100 feet of an individual drilled well or a wetland, within 150 feet of a dug well or within 200 feet of a community drilled well or a lake.

    Soil

    • Onsite sewage disposal systems employ Seasonal High Groundwater Tables, which mark the underground boundary at which the groundwater pressure is the same as the atmospheric pressure. According to the Adirondack Park Agency, in New York, the distance from the top of the undisturbed natural soil to the top of the Seasonal High Groundwater Table must be 24 inches or greater.

    Floods

    • Onsite sewage disposal systems should not be placed in areas within a 10-year flood plain, which has a 10 percent chance of flooding each year.

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