Lawn and sprinkler wells around Wichita

Plenty of Wichita yards are watered from a well that has nothing to do with the house. Wichita sits on shallow sand and gravel, and in the Equus Beds north and west of town the Kansas Geological Survey describes that sand and gravel as thickest and most permeable right around the city's own well field. That is why a lawn well is a realistic option here in a way it isn't in much of the country. If you have one that has quit, or you're weighing whether to put one in, these are the local rules and the parts that usually fail.

Why people put sprinklers on a well

• The watering schedule doesn't cover well water. Wichita's permanent outdoor watering schedule limits sprinkler systems to three days a week (odd addresses Wednesday, Friday and Sunday; even addresses Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; never Monday) and bans watering from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The city's own FAQ lists "well water usage" among the uses the three-day schedule does not affect. The city still recommends watering early, between 4 and 8 a.m., which is good advice whatever the source.
• No backflow testing for a well-only system. The city requires a working backflow device on every irrigation system connected to city water, and KWCH reported in 2023 that accounts that missed the annual test were scheduled for water disconnection. In Derby, the city says plainly that a sprinkler system on a private well that isn't connected to the drinking water supply doesn't need a device. That "not connected" part is the key: see the cross-connection note below.
• No city water bill for the lawn. The well isn't free, since the pump runs on your electric meter and wears out, but there is no per-gallon charge.

Permits for a new lawn well

Drilling, rebuilding or plugging a well takes a Kansas-licensed water well contractor; pump work does not need a permit in the county. Outside the city, Sedgwick County's code keeps wells 50 feet from sewer lines (10 feet from a sewer line built watertight) and 25 feet from the property line, with a narrow exception for lawn wells on fully sewered lots; on a narrow lot that exception decides whether a well fits at all. Inside Wichita the city's Code 7.30 applies instead, so let the driller confirm the spot with the permit office before anything is drilled. A lawn watering more than two acres may also need a Kansas Department of Agriculture water right, the city notes. The new well page has the full permit and setback details.

Keep it separate from the house water

The thing that gets lawn well owners in trouble is a pipe that ties the well to the house plumbing, for example a well that feeds the sprinklers and also a hose bib on the house. Once the well can touch the drinking water side, the "not connected" exemption above is gone and you have a cross connection the backflow rules exist to stop. Ask the installer to keep the lawn system physically separate. If you want to use the well water for anything you'd drink, it needs the same bacteria and nitrate testing as a household well; see the Wichita well water guide, and the test results reader once you have a lab report.

Salt and water levels

KDHE publishes a saltwater advisory for parts of Sedgwick and Harvey counties where old oilfield brine and naturally salty bedrock water push chloride very high, and the USGS has tracked a chloride plume near Burrton moving toward Wichita's well field. Salty water is not something you want on a lawn either, so if you're in or near those areas, have the driller test for chloride before you commit. Water levels also move: the USGS reports that by 1993 parts of the Equus Beds were as much as 50 feet below 1940 levels, before recharge projects began. A shallow lawn well that pumped fine in a wet decade can start sucking air in a drought.

The pump side

Most lawn wells run one of three setups:

• A shallow-well jet pump next to the well or in the garage. Nebraska Extension's guide puts the practical lift for these at under about 25 feet to water. They need to stay primed, so a leaking foot valve or a loose suction fitting shows up as a pump that runs but won't build pressure.
• A deep-well jet pump for water from roughly 25 to 250 feet, with two pipes or a packer down the well.
• A submersible pump in a 4-inch or larger casing, which has to be pulled for repair.

Sprinkler systems are hard on pumps because they run long cycles at high flow. A pump sized for a few zones can struggle if more zones are added, and a system that turns zones on and off can short-cycle the pump if there is no pressure tank or a waterlogged one. If the pump is cycling, see pressure tank and switch problems; if it is running but moving little water, see well pump repair; if it's done, the replacement page and the cost guide cover what's next.

Questions people ask

Does Wichita's 3-day watering schedule apply to well water?

No. The city's FAQ for the permanent outdoor watering schedule lists well water usage among the uses the three-day sprinkler schedule does not affect. Watering early in the morning is still the efficient choice.

Does a sprinkler system on a well need a backflow device in Wichita?

Wichita's requirement is written for irrigation systems connected to the city water system. A well-only system kept fully separate from the house plumbing is a different situation; Derby states outright that such a system needs no device. If the well ties into any plumbing that city water also feeds, treat it as connected.

How much does a lawn well permit cost?

Inside Wichita, $150 including inspection from the city's Environmental Health office. In unincorporated Sedgwick County, $50 from MABCD. The driller usually pulls it.

Can I drink water from my lawn well?

Only after it is tested like a household well, at minimum for bacteria and nitrate, and only if it is built and permitted for that use. Many lawn wells are shallow and close to the surface, which is exactly where contamination gets in.