Slurry spreading distances

uck51js9zml2yt

My new best friend has offered to spread slurry on my field next year.

What's the minimum distance it's allowed from septic tanks and wells?


Thanks

patsy_mccabe

http://www.epa.ie/water/dw/hhinfo/protprivwell/

Spreading slurry won't effect your septic tank, but no harm keep it off the perculation area, as the tractor might compact the ground.

25M from the well, as in the above link.

Muckit

I'd be very cautious with slurry spreading near a well especially this time of year. What are your neighbours intentions? I'd make it clear to him that you are on a well rather than a mains water connection and that you don't want to see your well contaminated. It's you and your family that 'll suffer the consequences. I've been through it. Drinking water, showers, washing machine.... all will be affected if there is a breach. It's not nice and takes some time to come right. Have you a water treatment system, filters or UV tube?

It's closed period now until at least 15Jan. Also how heavy is he going to spread it? Even in springtime spreading at any kind of rate could very easily lead to run off and possible well contamination as the grass won't be taking it up.

The chance of anything happening with sumner spreading in good weather would be minimal. Just strange that you talking about it now if that is his intention.

patsy_mccabe

Muckit, how did you detect it first? Was there a smell off the water? Did anyone get sick from it.
I was surprised at 25m. Sure a deep well could take in runoff from a huge area.

uck51js9zml2yt

It's the field at the back of my house. He has some calves on it at the moment and offered to spread some slurry on it next year

Part of the perlocation area goes into the field.

I agree, wet weather wouldnt be conducive to spreading slurry so hadn't planned on any time soon after the opening date. I'm on a hill and it would just run off into the neighbours land.

Muckit

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Muckit, how did you detect it first? Was there a smell off the water? Did anyone get sick from it.
I was surprised at 25m. Sure a deep well could take in runoff from a huge area.

Not being smart but the water was brown and smelt like cow ****e.... so twas easy enough come to a conclusion!!!!! I got the sample tested though in lab in NUIG just to verify.
Nobody got sick because lve a bells and whistles filter and UVlamp on drinking tap.

This was 2 days after a major downpour in winter. You wouldn't put a dog out in it. But a neighbour decides to put out slurry out. And it was a greater distance than 25m. 3 or 4times it in fact.

patsy_mccabe

Well, as they say - If it looks, smells and tastes like sh1te, it must be.

uck51js9zml2yt

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Well, as they say - If it looks, smells and tastes like sh1te, it must be.

Indeed. I tip toed over enough of it on Sunday to see the "waterfall" at the end of the field. My kids insisted on bringing me down.

T'was just a ditch doing what it was meant to do.....it's a far cry from their previous lives in the middle of Dublin:)

Next thing you know they'll be talking without using consonants at the start of their words;)

148multi

Muckit wrote: »

Not being smart but the water was brown and smelt like cow ****e.... so twas easy enough come to a conclusion!!!!! I got the sample tested though in lab in NUIG just to verify.
Nobody got sick because lve a bells and whistles filter and UVlamp on drinking tap.

This was 2 days after a major downpour in winter. You wouldn't put a dog out in it. But a neighbour decides to put out slurry out. And it was a greater distance than 25m. 3 or 4times it in fact.

Have a dry field that my dad used to build a clamp of silage on the soil, it was about 50m from a neighbour's well, cattle fed all winter long by the clamp, a fair bit of slurry would build up but never any problems, when we built cattle shed, we spread slurry same distance back, low and behold if it didn't get into the well, I keep back about 150m now.