Groundwater, Hydrology, and Cemetery Suitability

Executive summary

The strongest groundwater issue in the record is not a generalized concern; it is a specific 2023 County requirement. Environmental Health required a qualified professional study addressing whether the parcel could support a graveyard while protecting surface and groundwater. The requested work included soil depths/classifications, limiting conditions, percolation data, setbacks, monitoring wells, flood areas, wet-weather testing, and water-table depths in and around grave areas.

Current geotechnical report

The Hallenbeck/Allwest report in the current application is relevant but primarily geotechnical. It documents groundwater and seepage conditions, including groundwater encountered in exploratory work and the need for drainage/dewatering measures. In the supplied current packet, the archive did not locate the full set of cemetery-specific elements listed in the 2023 deficiency notice, such as monitoring-well work and a study expressly demonstrating grave-area suitability and groundwater protection.

Setback requirement

The signed June 22, 2023 deficiency notice states a 1,000-foot distance from grave sites to a well and 950-foot setbacks to property lines. An earlier June 15 draft used different numbers, so the signed June 22 letter is the clearest documented final 2023 requirement unless later records modified it.

Drainage evidence

Resident submissions document existing runoff/flooding concerns near the property. Those photos do not prove that the cemetery would cause flooding, but they are relevant context when combined with the project geotechnical record and deferred grading/drainage design.