Well And Septic

[tatom]

I just went to see a farangs new house. The septic tank is 3 meters from the bored well. Ive seen this before in Issan and it concerns me. Where I come from, the law states they must be 25 meters apart. I didnt say anything to the farang because Im not sure how dangerous this is.

Is this ok, not ok?

[Artisi]

It would depend on the type and soundness of the septic tank, if it is a typical 3 or 4 concrete ring setup which will leak into the ground - then not Ok - and the closer the watertable for the bored well is to ground level the worse it will be as far as likely contamination. If a plastic type septic tank - then maybe and just maybe it might be ok - but I certainly wouldn't allow it on my property.

[Smithson]

Three meters is way to close. I'd heard the law was 50m, however this is rarely the case.

The other concern is the low water table in many parts of LOS means effluent is being sent straight into it.

[Artisi]

Just a note on contaminated water from leaking sewage.

Links to Health Found

It was also around this time that the first correlation between water quality and health were made, according to the AWWA’s Water Quality Treatment Handbook. In mid-19th century London, town officials noticed a decrease in cholera deaths during the 1849 and 1853 epidemics where slow sand filters had been installed.

But even more convincing evidence emerged when John Snow was able to trace multiple cholera deaths to a single pump in Soho, England, which had become contaminated by a nearby leaking sewer, wrote N.M. Blake in Water for the Cities. An interesting note to this story is that the users of this Broad Street well pump came from other parts of the town because they preferred the taste of the water. This is some of the first evidence that taste and clarity do not always indicate safe water supplies.

[sezze]

3m is way to close imho . Now , it can be ok if the well goes deep and not 3 m or 5 m but more like 30m . Anything closer would stupid . As a relative safe distance i would go to about 10m or more when possible . In his case i would recommend using a good filter unit since this takes care of any problems . As long as he doesn't use it for drinking water it would not cause huge problems , but it might smell being that close to the septic leech .

[Greenside]

Our architect had the secondary tank 8m from our borehole but luckily we have the room and I made them move it to 30m. I did a lot of research and would suggest that if you are installing a secondary tank as opposed to a leech field you should consider 25m as the absolute minimum and preferably 30m. More doesn't hurt but it's actually quite pricey laying a long length of 4 inch pipe and I don't believe that there's much to gain. BTW, don't forget you need to plan for a slope to keep the water moving.

Coincidentally, we just discovered this morning that our lazy plumber didn't put gravel or hardcore around the bottom and sides of the secondary tank or drill any holes in it. Good job we haven't paid yet.

Edited September 1, 2011 by Greenside

[Rimmer]

Recommended distance: 30m away from wells, 50m away from streams and 10m from buildings and property lines.

[Smithson]

Recommended distance: 30m away from wells, 50m away from streams and 10m from buildings and property lines.

This seems to be similar to what I've read and what others are saying. The distance from property lines is tricky, as this is up to your neighbor.

Another thing is the depth of outlets and leach fields for septics, these should not be below the water table level, which is very difficult considering the shallow water tables in many areas.

[hawthorne]

Curious about the regulations regarding the size of leech fields per number of bedrooms per house in Thailand? Also can you get a septic permit in Thailand without a proper Perk ( Percolation) Test? If the well and septic system are too close hopefully the well pipe is well sealed and a deep well. Second option is to add a home RO unit to your under house. Keep it properly tested.

OR just use the water from the well as non-potable add a secondary tank to add chorine tabs ( not not drink even after treatment only in case some gets in your mouth from the shower. Use bottled water for your potable cooking, drinking and brushing teeth. A lot cheaper than drilling a new well.