Section 812.10. Well and heat exchange driller and well constructor requirements.

 

(1)   License. Well and heat exchange drillers shall hold a valid W isconsin well or heat exchange drilling license. The name of the driller and the drilling license number shall be displayed on all well drilling rigs used in the construction of wells. The letters and numbers shall be at least 2 inches in height with at least 1/4 inch wide brush stroke. The identification shall have a sharp color contrast with the back-ground on which it is applied. The identification shall remain legible.

(2)   Location. Well and heat exchange drillers and well constructors shall be responsible for proper location of a well or heat exchange drillhole. Wells shall be located in sanitary locations and meet the minimum separation requirements specified in s. NR 812.08 . Separation distance requirements to possible sources of contamination will not be waived because of property lines. Water wells may not be constructed within 1,200 feet of a landfill site without a variance. Variances from minimum separation distance requirements require approval. If the property is located within the area served by a municipally owned water system, the water well driller or well constructor shall notify the well owner of the need to obtain a private well operational permit from the municipality.

(3)   Equipment and materials. Well and heat exchange drillers and well constructors shall be adequately equipped to comply with the well construction requirements of ss. NR 812.11 to 812.16 and Tables I-IV. All materials installed in a well or heat exchange drillhole shall be new, unused and approved for use, except as specified in s. NR 812.26 (5) . The department may prohibit the use of any material or equipment that poses a significant hazard to public health, safe drinking water or groundwater.

(4)   Construction methods. Well and heat exchange drillers and well constructors shall comply with this chapter in the construction and reconstruction of all wells or heat exchange drillholes. Adequate protection shall be provided for the top of the drillhole and the top of the well casing pipe to prevent surface contamination from entering the well or heat exchange drillhole during the drilling operation and when the driller is not at the drilling site. W ell construction methods are depicted in figures 51 to 75.

(5)   Special casing areas. Well drillers and well constructors shall comply with the well casing pipe depth requirements in special well casing pipe depth areas established by the department where aquifers have been contaminated or in other special areas. Heat exchange drillers shall contact the department to discuss any special construction or installation requirements. A list of the special well casing pipe depth areas and the special casing pipe depth requirements may be obtained from the department.

(6)   Grouting and sealing. Well and heat exchange drillers and well constructors shall be responsible for completing all grouting and sealing requirements using the mixtures and methods of s. NR 812.20 . Grouting methods are depicted in figures 1 1 to 18. Heat exchange drillholes shall not remain open and ungrouted for more than 24 hours after completion.

(7)   Development and test pump. Well drillers and well constructors shall, upon completion of the well, develop and test pump the well according to s. NR 812.22 . The well shall be pumped and developed until the water is practicably clear and free of sand, and until a stable pumping water level is established.

(8)   Noncomplying wells. When a water well or heat exchange driller or well constructor has constructed a water well or heat exchange drillhole not initially located or constructed in compliance with this chapter, the water well or heat exchange driller or well constructor shall pay all costs for bringing the well or heat exchange drillhole into compliance with this chapter, including the costs of filling and sealing the well, if necessary, other than those costs that would have been charged for an initial complying well construction.

(9)   Problem wells. The well driller or well constructor shall return to the well site to attempt to correct problems when a potable well produces bacteriologically unsafe water; when a well produces sandy or turbid water; or when failure of the well occurs due to a caving or sloughing formation. The well driller or well constructor shall return within 90 days after the well is completed or 30 days after the well is placed in service, whichever is longer. If noncomplying construction was not the cause of the problem, a fee may be charged by the well driller or well constructor for corrective work.

(10)   Notification of contaminated wells. Well drillers and well constructors shall notify the well owner if the well driller or well constructor becomes aware that the water from the well contains contaminates in excess for the primary drinking water standards in ch. NR 809 .

(11)   Completion of the well. In accordance with all requirements of s. NR 812.22 (6) , the water well driller or his or her agent or the well constructor shall collect a water sample or samples, using his or her test pump, the well owner's pump, air-lift equipment or bailer, from any new or newly reconstructed, rehabilitated, redeveloped or reconditioned potable well, including driven point wells, no later than 30 days following completion of the well or work on the well. Each water sample shall be analyzed for coliform bacteria, nitrate and any water tests required when performing well construction or reconstruction in a special well casing depth area. Each water sample shall be analyzed for coliform bacteria by a laboratory certified by DATCP for bacteriological analysis of drinking water and having an agreement with the department for electronic submission of laboratory test reports to the department no later than 30 days after completion of the analysis, or to the Wisconsin state laboratory of hygiene. Each water sample shall also be analyzed for nitrate by a laboratory certified by the department for nitrate analysis of drinking water and having an agreement with the department for electronic submission of laboratory test reports to the department no later than 30 days after completion of the analysis. The water well driller or well constructor shall disinfect, flush and seal the well. The water well driller shall provide a copy of the laboratory test report(s) to the well owner no later than 10 days after receipt of the report(s) by the well driller. The water well driller or well constructor shall submit a well construction report to the well owner and to the department within 30 days following the date of completion of the well construction or reconstruction.

(11m)   Pressure testing of heat exchange loops. Vertical heat exchange loop piping shall be pressure tested with potable water or an approved fluid in the loop, according to manufacturer's specifications.

(12)   Well notification report verification. A water well driller or well constructor shall either obtain a Well Notification or verify that the well owner has obtained a department Well Notification including the Notification Number, by obtaining a copy of the notification report, before the well construction operation is started.

(13)   permit verification. A water well driller, well constructor, pump installer or contractor shall obtain required permits from counties authorized to administer this chapter under ch. NR 845 .

History: Cr. Register, January, 1991, No. 421 , eff. 2-1-91; am. (5), (9) and (11), Register, September, 1994, No. 465 , eff. 10-1-94; corrections made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register, September, 1994, No. 465 ; CR 00-111 : am. (2), Register October 2001 No. 550 , eff. 11-1-01; CR 13-096 : am. (title), (1) to (8), cr. (11m), CR 13-099 : am. (2), (8), r. and recr. (11), cr. (12), (13) Register September 2014 No. 705 , eff. 10-1-14; correction in numbering in (11m) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 1., Stats., Register September 2014 No. 705 ; 2015 Wis. Act 197 s. 45 Register April 2016 No. 724 .

Note

In some of these special casing areas, wells are approved by the department on a case by case basis. There are other areas where special well construction requirements are necessary. These areas include sites on the department's geographic information system registry of closed remediation sites, as identified in s. NR 812.12 (15) . Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 The well driller or agent is required to have the water sample analyzed for bacteria. However, in some areas of Wisconsin the useable aquifer is contaminated throughout its entire vertical extent, so it may not be possible to obtain a bacteriologically safe water sample. Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1