All's well now that a well is not all

DINGMAN - “Well drilling permits will only be issued in conjunction with a building permit,” reads the new language in the revised Dingman Township well ordinance. At the June meeting of the township planning commission, sewage enforcement officer Chris Woods took issue with the then existing ordinance. “A property owner in one of the developments received a well permit and drilled a well as close to his neighbor’s property line as possible. This prevented the neighbor from using the only area on his property where a septic system could be installed. “That in turn, prevented the neighbor from being able to build a new home because a septic cannot be within 100 feet of a well. I’m not sure if this was done intentionally or not,” Woods concluded. Meeting last week, the township supervisors approved an amended ordinance to prevent future incidents of this kind. In addition they decided that a well casing must rise a minimum of 12 inches above the ground and be sealed with a sanitary cap to prevent surface containments from entering the well. They also included language requiring a well to be used as intended within two years or be considered abandoned and then permanently sealed at the property owner’s expense. In other business regarding the proposed re-zoning of property along U.S. Route 6, the supervisors set a September 19 deadline for posting notices of the September 26 public hearing on the rezoning.