Septic tank and bored well

wpi

My neighbour has built a new house on a small site that had an old derelict concrete septic tank. The planners made him change the old tank to a more modern one. Because the site is so small, this tank required 80 metres of perculation laid in a zig zag pattern near the tank. There was a DIY job done on the new system to save money.The perculation pipes were hand drilled here and there. An engineer friend of mine told me that the position and size of these holes is critical to the performance of the perculation system. If the holes are too big and too many of them,all the effluent goes out in the first few metres and soaks deeply into the ground in that area only.
My bored well is about 30 metres from this septic tank. It is about 160 feet deep. I am worried that this effluent is seeping into my well. I mentioned it to the county council but they are not interested.
How far should a septic tank be from a bored well of this depth.
If I got the water tested what contaminents related to a septic tank, should I be looking for.
The perculation area is about 15 feet away from my boundary fence. Would it be prudent to dig a test hole near the fence also.
Last but not least , if I found contamination what can I do about it.

Jimbo

30 metres is very close.
Is your well uphill or downhill of the percolation area?

You need to check your neighbours planning application and get the exact details of the treatment system. It should have an IAB certificate which would specify the minimum seperation distance for that particular type unit - you can then check its IAB cert online. Required seperation distances to wells downhill will be significantly greater than to a well uphill.

If you think the percolation area was installed incorrectly, you wuld be wise to get your water tested. You would need to check for coliform bacteria but it's best to check with the lab for advice.
Remember thought that just because there is no contamination now, dosen't mean there wont be in the future.

There are a few Irish labs online that take samples by post, it costs €150-200.

You should really get a professional such as an Engineer or an Architectural Technician that deals with septic tanks, etc to investigate further.

who what when

It sounds like this guy didnt use the correct percolation piping!!

However as for your well, the requirement that most county councils use is 40m from percolation to well (if your well is uphill)
or 100m from percolation (if your well is located downhill).

The E.P.A.'s seperation distances are a little shorter but not much (cant remember exact figures at the moment).

Your best course of action is to test your water as has been suggested and take any necessarry action if its found to be polluted

Poor Uncle Tom

100m from a well downhill of the treatment and 30m from a well uphill of the treatment. Test your water as jimbo said and use the result as a base. When the result comes back lodge a formal letter with a copy of the result onto the neighbours planning application in the planning office. Then test your water every 6 months if there's a deteriariation then your fears are founded and you can take legal action. Unfortunately, you are not being listened to and it's likely that you will not be listened to until something goes wrong, have your base line tests in place and your complaint registered, to protect yourself if something does go wrong.