Dry Well Basics

Tips from Real-Estate-Agents.com

reprinted courtesy of ServiceMagic.com

In densely populated areas where town ordinances often forbid draining rain water into the street or sewer, another method for dispersing runoff is to build a dry well. A dry well is a pit that collects water and lets it slowly percolate into the soil.

The major problem with a dry well is that over time lint, solids, soap, and detergent scum in the waste water clog the openings of the walls of the well, or clog the pores of the surrounding soil that normally allows the water to filter through. As the buildup of scum on the walls of the dry well continue, water does not drain out of the well at an adequate rate.

Check with your municipal and state environmental departments to see if dry well construction or repair work needs to be registered. In some areas where dry wells receive storm water mixed with reclaimed wastewater or groundwater, or drainage from manmade bodies of water associated with residential areas, golf courses and parks, they must be registered.

Sediment samples from drywell settling chambers sometimes must be tested for hazardous substances and pollutants.

-- Tips courtesy of ServiceMagic.com