(a)
Purpose.
The purpose of this section is to protect the water supply of all public wells in the city by means of sanitary control easements and regulation.
(b)
Regulations.
(1)
Groundwater sources shall be located so that there will be no danger of pollution from flooding or from sanitary surroundings, such as privies, sewage, sewage treatment plants, livestock and animal pens, solid waste disposal sites or underground petroleum and chemical storage tanks and liquid transmission pipelines, or abandoned and improperly sealed wells.
(2)
The construction, existence, and/or operation of the following within a 150-foot radius of any water well in the city is prohibited: septic tank or sewage treatment perforated drainfields; areas irrigated by low dosage, low angle spray on-site sewage facilities; absorption beds; evapotranspiration beds; abandoned, inoperative or improperly constructed water wells of any depth; underground petroleum and chemical storage tanks or liquid transmission pipelines; sewage treatment plants; sewage wet wells; sewage pumping stations; drainage ditches which contain industrial waste discharges or wastes from sewage treatment systems; animal feed lots; solid waste disposal sites; landfill and dump sites; lands on which sewage plant or septic tank sludge is applied; lands irrigated by sewage plant effluent; military facilities; industrial facilities; wood-treatment facilities; liquid petroleum and petrochemical production, storage, and transmission facilities; class 1, 2, 3 and 4 injection wells; pesticide storage and missing [mixing] facilities; and all other constructions or operations that could pollute the groundwater sources of a water well. For the purpose of this section, improperly constructed water wells are those wells which do not meet the surface and subsurface construction standards for a public water well. The city shall have the right to enter all properties within a 150-foot radius of any public water supply well for the purpose of inspection and to verify that no potential sources of pollution exist as prohibited by this section.
(3)
No well site shall be located within 500 feet of a sewage treatment plant or within 300 feet of a sewage wet well, sewage pumping station, or a drainage ditch which contains industrial waste discharges or the wastes from sewage treatment systems.
(4)
No water wells shall be located within 500 feet of animal feed lots, solid waste disposal sites, lands on which sewage plant or septic tank sludge is applied, or lands irrigated by sewage plant effluent.
(5)
All known abandoned or inoperative wells (unused wells that have not been plugged) within 1/4 mile of a proposed well site shall be reported to the TCEQ along with existing or potential pollution hazards. These reports are required for community and nontransient, noncommunity groundwater sources. This information must be submitted prior to construction or as required by the executive director of the TCEQ.
(c)
Prohibited uses within 50 feet.
The construction, existence and/or operation of tile or concrete sanitary sewers, sewer appurtenances, septic tanks, storm sewers, cemeteries, and/or the existence of livestock in pastures is specifically prohibited within a 50-foot radius of any public water well located within the city.
(e)
Penalty.
Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be guilty of a class C misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof by a court of competent jurisdiction shall be punished by a fine in an amount in accordance with the general penalty provided in section 1.01.009 of this code. Each and every day such violation continues or is allowed to exist shall constitute a separate offense.
(Ordinance 21-896 adopted 3/25/21; Ordinance adopting 2022 Code)