City to require water well permits

At the suggestion of Mayor Paul Brooks, the Sundance City Council is moving forward with a new ordinance that will require residents to obtain a city permit before digging a new water well on their property.

“We’re trying to pay for a water system and I think exempting people from it is bad business,” he said.

The mayor said his suggestion was in response to land currently changing hands within the city for which the potential new owners have discussed subdividing. His concern, he said, is the possibility of a high number of new wells in town.

City Attorney Mark Hughes presented a draft ordinance to regulate the drilling and maintenance of water wells, which requires any new well meets the minimum standards set by the American National Standards Institutes. Existing wells will also need to meet these standards if they are modified or deepened.

“All property owners desiring to drill or deepen a new or existing water well shall submit a building permit application to the city with an application to drill a water well,” continues the draft. No drilled wells will be connected to the city’s water system and drilled wells may only be used for domestic and irrigation uses.

The ordinance was passed on its first reading.