Carcasses may be buried on-site once concurrence has been obtained from this department [Department of Public Health and Environment] and the appropriate local agencies. If you bury your carcasses on your own property, you should follow these best management practices:
Layers of lime or quicklime should be applied below and above the carcass to help accelerate decomposition of the waste. Care should be used in applying lime as it is caustic and can cause severe burns to the skin and eyes.
Burial pits must be covered with a minimum of two feet of soil.
Carcasses cannot be placed in any body of water, seasonal creek or pond, or in areas that may carry or hold water such as gullies, ditches, blowouts or natural depressions.
To minimize potential impacts to groundwater, large numbers of bigger carcasses (e.g., more than ten cows) should not be limed and buried together.
Surface water must be diverted from the burial site through the use of berms or other structures.
All carcasses must be buried at least 150 feet away from any water supply source.
All carcasses must be buried downgradient from any groundwater supply sources.
The bottom of the burial pit must be at least five feet above the high point of the uppermost groundwater table to ensure that carcasses do not come into contact with groundwater.
Burial sites must be located at least one mile away from any residence of any person.
Burial sites should not be located in areas with fractured or cavernous rock, high seasonal water tables or highly permeable soils.
