Just for clarity for others who may or will be following along...

Dry wells are great IF:
- You have low water tables lower than the bottom of the dry well,
- Have soil that drains easily and quickly,
- Have more than enough water storage capacity under ground for worst-case scenarios e.g., bad storms, runoff, snow melt.

And ideally the dry well should be free of infill (stone, gravel, broken concrete) for maximum storage. If infill is used, keep in mind that by filling the dry well DECREASES the capacity to just a fraction of the original volume---all the capacity you have left is the air spaces between the infill.

The so-called dry wells I've done at the insistence of the client had a perforated 6" dia. drop tube to the bottom of the hole and capped like a water well. That way the water level can be monitored and pumped out if necessary.

Also the dry well should be lined with a geotextile before infilling to keep the air spaces free of surrounding dirt--otherwise over time as everything settles you'll have just a sunken depression in the ground with no capacity underground.

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