What about distances to the shoreline, wells, or other water features?
- Distance from wells, “Waters of the Territory”, and other things: Both the Guam Toilet Facilities and Sewage Disposal System Act (10 GCA Chapter 48) and Guam’s Individual Wastewater Disposal System Regulations (22 GAR Chapter 12), do not allow the construction of any component of a septic system within the distances shown in Table I below.
- The most important distances from this table to consider when planning construction of a new home are the distances to wells, and the distances to “Waters of the Territory”, which by definition include all shore waters surrounding Guam, plus streams, lakes, springs, and wetlands. No new septic system will be permitted by GEPA within the 300 foot setback distance from these water features. This should be one of the first things checked when purchasing a property or making the decision to build a home.
- Distances from property lines and buildings should be accounted for during the design of your home by the engineer or architect in responsible charge of the design work. As long as minimum lot sizes are met, meeting these requirements should not be a problem.
| Table I: Minimum Safe Horizontal Distances in Feet | |||
| From: | To: | ||
| Septic Tank | Absorption Bed (Leaching Field) | Absorption Trench | |
| Any Water of the Territory | 300 ft | 300 ft | 300 ft |
| Wells | 300 ft | 300 ft | 300 ft |
| Any building (including your home) | 10 ft | 20 ft | 20 ft |
| Property boundary lines | 5 ft | 5 ft | 5 ft |
| Water lines | 10 ft | 25 ft | 25 ft |
The following illustration is from the original print edition of the Individual Wastewater Disposal Regulations and provides a helpful illustration of the application of these setback distances:
