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Waste water issues for a Farm Distillery


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I am looking at a property which I am pretty serious about getting for putting up my distillery and I am curious how those of you on Farms away from municipal water and sewer are dealing with your waste water. Are you neutralizing it and merely draining outside, into a septic, or into the ground? This property is serviced by a well and what should my concerns be with that type of disposal? This property is on a lake, on 6 acres (~1 wide and 6 long) with the house and building for distillery at the end farthest from the water. This lake is set aside as a waterfowl sanctuary. It is my understanding right now that it only prohibits hunting waterfowl in the area. What kinds of things should I take into account before committing to this property?

I appreciate any advice you have,

Rick

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Get a real estate professional/lawyer to make sure you can use the property for a distillery & all your waste water questions are answered without a questions remaining. It's better to spend a little money now on due diligence than to have something spring up later & bite you in the ass.

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In NY State, in order to dispose of waste on the land, it must be proven to be relatively benign and there must be a demonstrated "agronomic need" the waste will address in the soil. If you are near protected areas, sanctuaries, waterways, lake; any of it under DEC control and regulation, there will be regulations must be met. I can't speak for Alabama but in NY a "farm operation" is exempt from many of the various codes restricting uses in controlled areas, also a Farm in NY is often outside of typical local zoning requirements as well. But I agree with Double G, find an attorney with land use experience to look at the law in your State BEFORE you invest any large amounts in your undertaking. Perhaps the local chapter of THE FARM BUREAU may have some perspective on this or an attorney with qualified experience in such matters. And READ THE LAW that covers both distillery operations and agriculture in Alabama to familiarize yourself with the texts. Be careful, waste disposal is one of the most critical issues with rural distilleries and breweries and wineries not on municipal waste and water systems.

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Thanks Ralph, that was kind of what I was thinking. Also, I recently moved to Minnesota so I no longer have to worry about what Alabama thinks. There is a reason there are no distilleries there currently. I'll contact the farm bureau today.

Rick

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We use a cistern to reclaim almost everything which helps feed the agriculture on the property.

Can you give me more details of your "cistern" I suspect that word has a different meaning in Australia

I am interested because my current waste water system is a bit marginal.

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