Source: http://ecode360.com/9053295
Timestamp: 2017-04-27 16:41:09
Document Index: 636906029

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 285', '§ 285', '§ 285', '§ 285', '§ 285', '§ 285', '§ 285', '§ 285', '§ 285', '§ 285', '§ 285', '§ 285', '§ 285', '§ 31', '§ 285', '§ 285', '§ 285', '§ 285', '§ 285']

Junk Dealers and Collectors
Authority; effect on prior regulations.
§ 285-5
Water supply certificate.
§ 285-6
§ 285-7
§ 285-8
§ 285-9
§ 285-10
Abandoned wells, test holes and borings.
§ 285-11
Investigations; enforcement.
§ 285-13
§ 285-14
§ 285-15
§ 285-16
§ 285-18
When effective; copies on file; amendments.
§ 285-19
of the Town of Belchertown 2-7-1994. Amendments noted where applicable.]
Chapter 285: Wells, Private
These regulations are intended to protect the
public health and general welfare by ensuring that private wells are
constructed in a manner which will protect the quality and quantity
of the groundwater derived from private wells.
A. These regulations are adopted by the Belchertown Board
of Health as authorized by MGL c. 111, §§ 31, 122 and
B. These regulations supersede all previous regulations
adopted by the Board of Health pursuant to the construction of private
A. Construction was terminated prior to completion
B. The well owner has notified the local Board
of Health that use of the well has been permanently discontinued;
C. The well is a potential hazard to public health
or safety and the situation cannot be corrected;
D. The well is in such a state of disrepair that
its continued use is impractical; or
E. The well has the potential for transmitting
contaminants into an aquifer and the situation cannot be corrected.
Any person designated and authorized by the Board to execute
these regulations. The agent shall have all the authority of the appointing
Board and shall be directly responsible to the Board and under its
The space between two cylindrical objects, one of which surrounds
the other; for example, the space between the wall of a drill hole
and a casing pipe or between an inner and outer well casing.
A water-bearing geologic formation, group of formations or
part of a formation that contains sufficient saturated permeable material
to yield significant quantities of water to wells and springs.
The Board of Health of Belchertown, Massachusetts, or its
A person who charges a fee for digging or drilling a well
or a person who advertises for hire the availability to dig or drill
wells within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Impervious durable pipe placed in a boring to prevent the
walls from caving and to serve as a vertical conduit for water in
Any laboratory which has full certification by the Department
of Environmental Protection as provided in the most recent edition
of Certification Status of Commercial Environmental Laboratories.
A process whereby water is pumped under high pressure into
a well to fracture the surrounding rock, thereby increasing the well
An individual, corporation, company, association, trust or
Any dug, driven or drilled hole with a depth greater than
its largest surface diameter developed to supply water intended and/or
used for human consumption and not subject to regulation by 310 CMR
A procedure used to determine the characteristics of a well
and adjacent aquifer by installing and operating a pump.
Any person registered with the Department of Environmental
Management, Division of Water Resources, to dig or drill wells in
Gallons of water needed to support the household's daily
needs, based on the following equation: the number of bedrooms plus
one, times 110 gallons, times a safety factor of two.
A combination of materials assembled at a fixed location
to give support or shelter, such as a building, framework, retaining
wall, fence or the like.
Wood waste disposal sites, either buried or above ground,
with a volume of 50 cubic yards or greater of stumps, brush or trees.
Temporary storage of wood products with an intended value, such as
firewood and lumber, is excluded.
Any naturally occurring, uncemented, unlithofied material,
such as sand, gravel, clay or soil.
Any corridor of land over which facilities such as railroads,
power lines, communication lines or pipelines are located.
The quantity of water per unit of time which may flow or
be pumped from a well under specified conditions.
The property owner or his designated representative
shall obtain a permit from the Board of Health prior to the commencement
of construction of a private well. Each permit shall have two parts,
the application and the permit to construct.[1]
A. The application, plus three copies, signed by the
property owner or his representative, shall include the following:
(1) The property owner's name and address.
(2) An attached locus map identifying the property and
giving the tax map and lot numbers, plus street address, if available.
(3) A plan with a specific scale, signed by a professional engineer, registered sanitarian, or professional land surveyor, showing the location of the proposed well in relation to the items listed in Subsection A(5) and (6).[Amended 1-8-2007]
(4) An estimate of the required volume of water necessary for the anticipated uses of the property. (See § 285-3, Definitions.)
(5) A description and location of prior and current land
uses within 200 feet of the proposed well location which represent
a potential source of contamination, including but not limited to
the following: (Note: A statement is required for any of the following
which do not exist.)
(a) Existing and proposed structures.
(b) Subsurface sewage disposal systems.
(c) Wetlands and floodplains.
(d) Subsurface fuel storage tanks.
(e) Public ways.
(f) Utility rights-of-way.
(g) Any other potential sources of pollution.
(6) A description and location of waste sites, including
but not limited to landfills, stump dumps, transfer stations and hazardous
waste disposal sites, and other underground storage tanks and agricultural
land uses that are within 500 feet of the well site.
(7) A permit fee of $25.
B. Within 21 days of request of the application, the
Board may grant the petitioner's application for a permit when, in
the Board's opinion, the construction will not result in harm to the
public health or the environment. But when it appears to the Board
that such harm may result, the Board may deny the permit application.
The Board may request additional information from the petitioner before
C. The permit to construct shall be on the site at all
times that work is taking place. Each permit shall expire two years
from the date of issuance unless revoked for cause. Permits may be
extended, provided that a written request is received by the Board
prior to the expiration date. No additional fee shall be charged for
a permit extension, provided that there is no change in the plans
for the proposed well.
Editor's Note: Application forms for well
construction permits are on file in the Board of Health office.
The issuance of a water supply certificate by
the Board shall certify that the private well may be used as a drinking
water supply in accordance with 105 CMR 410.180. The property owner
must obtain a certificate prior to the issuance of an occupancy permit
for new construction and before use of the well water for domestic
purposes for existing structures.[1]
A. The following shall be submitted to the Board of Health
to obtain a water supply certificate:
(1) A copy of the approved well construction permit or
an as-built plan if the actual location of the well or other structure
(2) A copy of the water well completion report as required
by the Massachusetts Water Resources Commission (CMR 313, Section
(3) A copy of the pumping test report required pursuant to § 285-7 of these regulations.
(4) A copy of the water quality report required pursuant to § 285-8 of these regulations.
(5) A statement from the well driller that the well construction complies with the requirements in § 285-7 of these regulations and with all other local, state and federal laws, statutes and regulations.
B. Upon receipt and review of the above documents, the
Board or its agent shall make a final decision on the application
for a water supply certificate within five business days. This decision
shall be in writing and shall comprise one of the following actions.
(1) Issue a water supply certificate.
(2) Deny the applicant a water supply certificate and
specify the reasons for the denial.
(3) Issue a conditional water supply certificate with
those conditions which the Board deems necessary to ensure fitness,
purity and quantity of the water derived from that private well. Said
conditions may include, but not be limited to, requiring treatment
or additional testing of the water.
Editor's Note: Application forms for water
supply certificates are on file in the Board of Health office.
A. Minimum setback requirements.
(1) Whenever possible, private wells shall be located
in areas above the one-hundred-year floodplain.
(2) Whenever water supply lines must cross sewer lines,
both water supply lines shall be constructed of Class 150 pressure
pipe and shall be pressure tested to assure watertightness.
B. Additional location requirements. The Board reserves
the right to impose lateral distance requirements from potential sources
of contamination not listed above. The Board also reserves the right
to increase setback distances and to impose more stringent conditions
for activities and structures listed above. All such special well
location requirements shall be listed, in writing, as a condition
of the well construction permit.
(1) The well shall be located as far upgradient of all
potential sources of contamination as possible, given the layout of
(2) Each private well shall be accessible for repair,
maintenance, testing and inspection. The well shall be completed in
a water-bearing formation that will produce the required quantity
of water under normal operating conditions.
A. Pursuant to 313 CMR 3.00, no person in the business
of digging or drilling shall construct a well unless registered with
the Department of Environmental Management, Division of Water Resources.
(1) Any work involving the connection of the private well
to the distribution system of the residence must conform to the local
plumbing code. All electrical connections between the well and the
pump controls must be made by a qualified person. All piping between
the well and the storage and/or pressure tank in the house, including
the installation of the pump and appurtenance in the well or house,
must be made by a pump installer, registered well driller or licensed
(2) No private well, or its associated distribution system,
shall be connected to either the distribution of a public water supply
system or any type of waste distribution system without the use of
any backflow prevention device to prevent cross contamination.
(3) A physical connection is not permitted between a water
supply which satisfies the requirements of these regulations and another
water supply that does not meet the requirements of these regulations
B. General well design and construction.
(1) All private water supply wells shall be designed such
(a) The materials used for the permanent construction
are durable in the specific hydrogeologic environment that occurs
at the well site.
(b) No unsealed openings will be left around the
well that could conduct surface water or contaminated groundwater
vertically to the intake portion of the well or transfer water from
one formation to another.
(2) Permanent construction materials shall not impart
toxic substances, taste, odors or bacterial contamination to the water
(3) The driller shall operate all equipment according
to generally accepted standards in the industry and shall take appropriate
precautions to prevent damage, injury or other loss to persons and
property at the drilling site.
(4) Construction site waste and materials shall be disposed
of in such a way as to avoid contamination of the well and the aquifer.
During any time that the well is unattended, the contractor shall
make every reasonable effort to secure the well in such a way as to
prevent either tampering with the well or the introduction of foreign
material into the well.
(5) All water used for drilling, well development or to
mix a drilling fluid shall be obtained from a source which will not
result in contamination of the well or the water-bearing zones penetrated
(6) Water shall be conveyed in clean, sanitary containers
or waterlines and shall be chlorinated. Water from wetlands, swamps,
small lakes and other similar surface features shall not be used.
(7) All drilling fluids shall be nontoxic. Drilling fluid
additives shall be stored in clean containers and shall be free of
material that may adversely affect the well, the aquifer or the quality
of the water to be pumped from the well.
(8) All wells, including those that have been hydrofractured,
shall be developed in order to remove fine materials introduced into
the pore spaces or crevices during construction. One or more of the
following methods shall be used for development: overpumping, backwashing,
surging, jetting and air-lift pumping.
(9) The completed well shall be sufficiently straight
so that there will be no interference with installation, alignment,
operation or future removal of the permanent well pump.
C. Well casing.
(1) Private water supply wells shall be constructed using
either steel or thermoplastic well casing. The casing shall be of
adequate strength and durability to withstand anticipated formation
and hydrostatic pressures, the forces imposed on it during installation
and the corrosive effects of the local hydrogeologic environment.
(2) All casing used in the construction of private water
supply wells shall be free of pits, breaks, gouges, deep scratches
and other defects. Upon completion of the installation procedure,
the entire length of the casing above the intake shall be watertight.
D. Well screen. A well screen is necessary for all drilled
wells that are completed in unconsolidated formations. Wells completed
in bedrock do not require a screen unless the bedrock is brittle in
nature or has a potential for collapse. The well screen aperture openings,
screen length and diameter shall not limit the aquifer's water-yielding
characteristics while preventing access of soil particles.
E. Grouting and sealing.
(1) Private wells drilled in bedrock shall be grouted
from the top of the weathered rock face to a minimum of 10 feet into
competent bedrock.
(2) All wells completed with the casing extending above
grade shall have a surface seal designed to eliminate the possibility
of surface water flowing down the annular space between the well casing
and the surrounding backfilled materials. The grouting seal should
remain intact and undisturbed from the elevation of the waterline
connection down.
F. Wellhead completion.
(1) Well casing terminating above grade shall extend at
least 12 inches above the predetermined ground surface at the wellhead,
except that when the well is located in a floodplain, the well casing
shall extend at least two feet above the level of the highest recorded
(2) Well construction design shall ensure that surface
water does not enter the well through the opening or by seepage through
the ground surface. The applicant shall ensure that the grade surrounding
the wellhead for a distance of five feet from center shall slope at
least 2% to prevent the accumulation of surface water.
The applicant shall submit to the Board for
review and approval a pumping test report. This report shall include
the name and address of the well owner; location of well, giving tax
map and lot number and street address, if available; well depth; depth
to bedrock, when applicable; casing type, size and, when applicable,
length into bedrock; static water level immediately before pumping
commenced; date the pump test was performed; and a demonstration that
the well can yield the required volume of water within a twenty-four-hour
A. Calculation of the required volume of water.
(1) Determine the volume of water necessary to support
the household's daily needs using the following equation: Multiply
the number of bedrooms plus one times 110 gallons times two (the safety
factor) to equal total gallons needed. Example: 3 (bedrooms) + 1 x
110 (gallons) x 2 = 880 gallons.
(2) To determine the volume of water necessary to support
the daily needs of non-dwelling buildings, use the following equation:
From the chart below determine water usage estimates for the type
of building. Multiply by a safety factor of two, which will equal
total gallons needed. Example: A three-chair barbershop at 100 gallons
per day per chair is 300 x 2 = 600 gallons of water needed daily.
B. Pumping test. The pumping test may be conducted at
whatever rate is desired, as long as the volume required for a twenty-four-hour
period is removed from the well. At one hour and again at 24 hours
following the pumping of the well, the water level must be measured
and recorded. If the water levels between the one- and twenty-four-hour
levels are not within one foot of each other, then a third water level
measurement will be taken after a second twenty-four-hour period.
If the well fails to yield the required volume within a twenty-four-hour
period or if the water in the well fails to recover, then the well
should be redeveloped, hydrofractured and/or deepened. After completing
these procedures, another pumping test must be conducted.
A. A water quality test shall be conducted prior to the
utilization of the well for drinking water. The test, utilizing Environmental
Protection Agency approved methods for drinking water testing and
not methods used for analyzing wastewater, shall be conducted by a
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection certified laboratory
and shall include analysis for the following parameters:
1The Board of Health
has adopted Department of Environmental Protection water quality standards.
If testing reveals that maximum acceptable limits are exceeded, then
the Board of Health will order remedial action (i.e., filtration or
other) in order to maintain limits and to secure a water quality certificate
B. Following receipt of the water quality test results,
the applicant shall submit a water quality report to the Board which
(1) A copy of the certified laboratory's test results.
(2) The name of the individual who collected the samples
and the date of the sampling.
(3) Where in the system the water sample was obtained.
C. The Board reserves the right to require retesting
of the above parameters or testing for additional parameters when,
in the opinion of the Board, it is necessary due to local conditions
or for the protection of the public health, safety and welfare. All
costs and laboratory arrangements for the water testing are the responsibility
D. The Board may choose to collect the water sample or
may require that the water sample be collected by the Board's agent
or by an employee of the certified laboratory performing the analyses.
E. The Board reserves the right to require a water quality
test immediately following the test for quantity.
F. After the pump is connected and the system is operating,
the well shall be disinfected with chlorine prior to using it as a
drinking water supply. The initial chlorine concentration shall be
100 milligrams per liter throughout the entire water column. The disinfectant
solution shall remain, undisturbed, in the well for a minimum of 12
hours prior to flushing it from the system.
G. The pump contractor shall also disinfect the entire
water supply system after any maintenance or repair work is done on
A. Abandoned wells, test holes and borings shall be decommissioned
so as to prevent the well, including the annular space outside the
casing, from channeling water vertically or otherwise.
B. The property owner shall be responsible for ensuring
that all abandoned wells and test holes or borings are properly plugged
by a registered well driller. They shall be completely filled with
a grout so as to prevent contamination of a lower aquifer and as protection
against personal injury. Notification must be sent to the Board of
C. In the case of new construction, all test holes and
borings shall be plugged before the well contractor completes work
The Board shall investigate violations of these
regulations and/or violations of any water supply certificate conditions
and may take such actions as the Board deems necessary for the protection
of the public health and the enforcement of these regulations.
A. If an investigation reveals a violation of these regulations
or the water supply certificate conditions, the Board shall order
the private well owner to comply with the violated provision(s).
B. These orders shall be in writing and served in the
(1) Personally, by any person authorized to serve civil
(2) By any person authorized to serve civil process by
leaving a copy of the order at the well owner's last and usual place
of abode;
(3) By sending the well owner a copy of the order by registered
or certified mail, return receipt requested, if the well owner is
within the commonwealth; or
(4) If the well owner's last and usual place of abode
is unknown or outside the commonwealth, by posting a copy of the order
in a conspicuous place on or about the premises and by advertising
it for at least three out of five days in one or more newspapers of
general circulation within the municipality wherein the private well
A. The private well owner to whom any order has been
served may request a hearing before the Board by filing with the Board,
within seven days after the day the order was served, a written petition
requesting a hearing on the matter.
(1) Upon receipt of such petition, the Board shall set
a time and place for such hearing and shall inform the well owner
thereof in writing. The hearing shall commence not later than 30 days
after the day on which the order was served. The Board, upon application
of the well owner, may postpone the hearing for a reasonable time
beyond such thirty-day period if, in the judgment of the Board, the
well owner has submitted a good and sufficient reason for such postponement.
(2) At the hearing, the well owner shall be given an opportunity
to be heard and to show why the order should be modified or withdrawn.
After the hearing, the Board shall sustain, modify or withdraw the
order and shall inform the well owner, in writing, of its decision.
If the Board sustains or modifies the order, it shall be carried out
within the time period allotted in the original order or in the modification.
B. Every notice, order or other record prepared by the
Board in connection with the hearing shall be entered as a matter
of public record in the office of the Board of Health.
C. If a written petition for a hearing is not filed with
the Board within seven days after the day an order has been served
or if, after a hearing, the order has been sustained in any part,
each day's failure to comply with the order as issued or modified
shall constitute an additional offense.
Any person aggrieved by the final decision of
the Board may seek relief therefrom in any court of competent jurisdiction,
as provided by the laws of this commonwealth.
Any person who violates any provision of these
regulations or who fails to comply with any order by the Board, for
which a penalty is not otherwise provided in any of the General Laws,
shall, upon conviction, be fined not less than $10 nor more than $500.
Each day's failure to comply with an order shall constitute a separate
violation.[1]
The Board may, after a public hearing, grant
a variance to the provisions of these regulations when, in its opinion,
A. Every request for a variance shall be made in writing
and shall state the specific variance sought and the reasons therefor.
B. When the applicant is seeking a variance from distance
requirements and the Board of Health deems that a potentially impacted
abutter may be affected by said variance, he/she shall also submit
proof that all abutters have been notified of his intention and the
C. Any granting or denial of a variance shall be in writing
and shall contain a brief statement of the reasons for approving or
denying the variance. A copy of each variance shall be conspicuously
posted for 30 days following its issuance and shall be available to
the public at all reasonable hours in the office of the Board of Health.
D. Any variance may be subject to such qualification, revocation, suspension, condition or expiration as is provided in these regulations or as the Board expresses in its grant of the variance. A variance may otherwise be revoked, modified or suspended, in whole or in part, only after the holder thereof has been notified, in writing, and has been given an opportunity to be heard, pursuant to § 285-12 of these regulations.
If any specific portion of these regulations
shall be declared invalid for any reason whatsoever, that decision
shall not affect any other portion of these regulations, which shall
remain in full force and effect, and to this end the provisions of
these regulations are hereby declared severable.
No provision of these regulations shall be construed
as a limitation on the emergency powers of the Belchertown Board of
Health or its officers as provided for by law.
A. These regulations were adopted by vote of the Belchertown,
Massachusetts, Board of Health at its regularly scheduled meeting
held on February 7, 1994, and are to be in full force and effect upon
publication of a summary in one or more newspapers of general circulation
within Belchertown.
B. Copies of these regulations shall be on file in the
Board of Health office.
C. These regulations or any portions thereof may be amended,
supplemented or repealed from time to time by the Board, with notice
as provided by law, on its own motion or by petition.
The issuance of a well permit shall not be construed
as a guarantee by the Board or its agents that the water system will
function satisfactorily or that the water supply will be of sufficient
quality or quantity for its intended use.