Iowa Administrative Code › Agency 567 - Environmental Protection Commission › Title II - Air Quality › Division B › Chapter 49 - Nonpublic Water Supply Wells › Rule 567-49.2 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 3, July 24, 2024
"Abandoned well"
means a well whose use
					 has been permanently discontinued. A well shall be considered abandoned when
					 its condition is such that continued use is impractical or no longer
					 desired.
"Administrative authority"
means the local
					 boards of health.
"Anaerobic lagoon "
means an impoundment,
					 the primary function of which is to store and stabilize organic wastes. The
					 impoundment is designed to receive wastes on a regular basis, and the design
					 waste loading rates are such that the predominant biological activity in the
					 impoundment will be anaerobic. An anaerobic lagoon does not include:
1. A runoff control basin which collects and
				  stores only precipitation-induced runoff from an open feedlot feeding
				  operation; or
2. A waste slurry
				  storage basin which receives waste discharges from confinement feeding
				  operations and which is designed for complete removal of accumulated wastes
				  from the basin at least semiannually; or
3. Any anaerobic treatment system which
				  includes collection and treatment facilities for all off-gases.
"Annular space "
means the open space
					 between the well hole excavation and the well casing.
"Backflow prevention device "
means any
					 device, method or type of construction to prevent backflow of water, liquids,
					 mixtures, or substances into a well or into the distribution pipes of a potable
					 supply of water from any source other than its intended source.
"Cesspool"
means a covered excavation,
					 lined or unlined, into which wastes from toilets or urinals are discharged for
					 disposal. Cesspools are not an approved method of sewage disposal.
"Class 1 well"
means a well 100 feet or
					 less in depth and 18 inches or more in diameter.
"Class 2 well"
means a well more than 100
					 feet in depth or less than 18 inches in diameter or a bedrock well. Bedrock
					 wells include:
1. Wells completed in a
				  single confined aquifer;
2. Wells
				  completed in a single unconfined aquifer; and
3. Wells completed in multiple aquifers.
"Class 3 well"
means a sandpoint well 50
					 feet or less in depth and having a casing inside diameter of 2 inches or less
					 constructed by joining a screened drive point with lengths of pipe and driving
					 the assembly into a shallow sand and gravel aquifer.
"Compensation for well interference "
means payment to the owner of a nonregulated well for damages caused by a
					 lowered water level in the well due to withdrawal of water for a permitted
					 use.
"Confinement building "
means a building
					 used in conjunction with a confinement feeding operation to house
					 animals.
"Conforming well"
means a well that
					 complies with the standards of this chapter, including wells properly plugged
					 according to 567-Chapter 39.
"Deep well"
means a well located and
					 constructed in such a manner that there is a continuous layer of low
					 permeability soil or rock at least 5 feet thick located at least 25 feet below
					 the normal ground surface and above the aquifer from which water is to be
					 drawn.
"Earthen manure storage basin "
means an
					 earthen cavity, either covered or uncovered, which, on a regular basis,
					 receives waste discharges from a confinement feeding operation if accumulated
					 wastes from the basin are completely removed at least once each year.
"Established grade "
means the permanent
					 point of contact of the ground to artificial surface with the casing or curbing
					 of the well.
"Formed manure storage structure "
means a
					 structure, either covered or uncovered, used to store manure from a confinement
					 feeding operation, which has walls and a floor constructed of concrete,
					 concrete block, wood, steel, or similar materials. Similar materials may
					 include, but are not limited to, plastic, rubber, fiberglass, or other
					 synthetic materials. Materials used in a formed manure storage structure shall
					 have the structural integrity to withstand expected internal and external load
					 pressures.
"Grout"
means a material used to seal the
					 annular space between the casing and the borehole and shall consist of neat
					 cement, concrete, high solids bentonite slurry, or hydrated bentonite
					 chips.
"Health-related problem"
means well water
					 that contains any contaminant at a level that exceeds MCLs (maximum contaminant
					 levels), or HALs (health advisory levels) as adopted by the department of
					 natural resources.
"Heavy drilling fluid"
means water used
					 for drilling which because of the natural clay content of the borehole or by
					 addition of bentonite grout has a solids density of at least 10 percent by
					 weight or a mud weight of at least 9.25 lb/gal.
"Low permeability material"
means a
					 geological unit of unconsolidated material (usually clay or till) or bedrock
					 (usually shale) that is all or partially saturated, and having permeability low
					 enough (10-7cm/sec) to give water in the aquifer
					 artesian head.
"Nonpublic water supply well"
means a well
					 that does not supply a public water supply system.
"Nonregulated well"
means a well used to
					 supply water for a nonregulated use (a use of water less than 25,000 gallons
					 per day which is not required to have a water use permit).
"Open feedlot"
means an unroofed or
					 partially roofed animal feeding operation in which no crop, vegetation, or
					 forage growth or residue cover is maintained during the period that animals are
					 confined in the operation.
"Permitted use "
means a use of water in
					 excess of 25,000 gallons per day which requires a water use permit pursuant to
					 567-Chapters 50 through 52 and Iowa Code chapter 455B, division III, part
					 4.
"Pitless adapter "
means a device designed
					 for attachment to one or more openings through a well casing. It shall be
					 constructed so as to prevent the entrance of contaminants into the well through
					 such openings, conduct water from the well, protect the water from freezing or
					 extremes of temperature, and provide access to water system parts within the
					 well.
"Pitless unit"
means an assembly which
					 extends the upper end of the well casing to above grade. It shall be
					 constructed so as to prevent the entrance of contaminants into the well,
					 conduct water from the well, and protect the water from freezing or extremes of
					 temperature, and shall provide full access to the well and to water system
					 parts within the well. It shall provide a pitless well cap for the top terminal
					 of the well.
"Public water supply"
means a system for
					 the provision to the public of piped water for human consumption, if such
					 system has at least 15 service connections or regularly serves an average of at
					 least 25 individuals daily at least 60 days out of the year. The term includes
					 (1) any collection, treatment, storage, and distribution facilities under
					 control of the supplier of water and used primarily in connection with the
					 system; and (2) any collection (including wells) or pretreatment storage
					 facilities not under the control of the supplier which are used primarily in
					 connection with the system.
"Pump installer"
means a person certified
					 by the department to perform pump services.
"Pumps and pumping equipment"
means any
					 equipment or materials, including seals, tanks, fittings and controls utilized
					 or intended for use in withdrawing or obtaining water for any use.
"Pump services"
means the installation,
					 repair, and maintenance of water systems; modification of the upper terminus of
					 a well; well plugging; well rehabilitation; or the construction of Class 3
					 wells.
"Runoff control basin"
means an
					 impoundment designed and operated to collect and store runoff from an open
					 feedlot.
"Shallow well"
means a well located and
					 constructed in such a manner that there is not a continuous layer of low
					 permeability soil or rock (or equivalent retarding mechanism acceptable to the
					 department) at least 5 feet thick, the top of which is located at least 25 feet
					 below the normal ground surface and above the aquifer from which water is to be
					 drawn.
"Stuffing box"
means an approved
					 receptacle in which packing may be compressed to form a watertight or airtight
					 junction between two objects.
"Upper terminus "
means the upper ten feet
					 of the well casing as measured from the finished surface grade.
"Water systems "
means any part of the
					 mechanical portion of a water well that delivers water from the well to a valve
					 that separates the well from the plumbing system. "Water systems" includes the
					 pump, drop pipe to the well, electrical wire from the pump to the first
					 electrical panel or connection outside the casing, piping from the well to the
					 pressure tank or first valve outside the casing, pitless unit or adapter, and
					 all related miscellaneous fittings necessary to operate the pump. "Water
					 systems" does not include any outside piping to other buildings and does not
					 include the piping that carries the water in the remainder of the distribution
					 system.
"Well"
means any excavation that is
					 drilled, cored, driven, dug, bored, augered, jetted, washed or is otherwise
					 constructed for the purpose of exploring for groundwater, monitoring
					 groundwater, utilizing the geothermal properties of the ground, or extracting
					 water from or injecting water into the aquifer. "Well" does not include an open
					 ditch, drain tiles, an excavation made for obtaining or prospecting for oil,
					 natural gas, minerals, or products mined or quarried, lateral geothermal heat
					 exchange systems less than 20 feet deep, nor temporary dewatering wells such as
					 those used during the construction of subsurface facilities only for the
					 duration of the construction.
"Well construction "
means constructing a
					 water well and installing necessary casing, screen, liners, grout, seals, and
					 other appurtenances.
"Well driller"
means a person certified by
					 the department to perform well drilling services.
"Well drilling services"
means new well
					 construction, well reconstruction, well repair, well rehabilitation,
					 installation of pitless equipment, or well plugging.
"Well liner"
means a pipe used to line the
					 inside of a well hole but not designed to hold hydraulic or structural loading.
					 Liners must be installed within a casing or in an ungrouted open
					 borehole.
"Wellplugging"
means the closure of an
					 abandoned well with plugging materials by procedures which will permanently
					 seal the well from contamination by surface drainage and permanently seal off
					 the well from contamination into an aquifer. "Well plugging" includes the
					 proper application of filling and sealing materials.
"Well reconstruction"
means modification
					 of the original construction of a well. "Well reconstruction" includes, but is
					 not limited to, deepening the well, installing a liner, installing or replacing
					 a screen with one of a different diameter or length, installing a pitless
					 adapter, extending the casing, or hydrofracturing a well. Replacing a screen
					 with one of identical diameter and length or replacing a pitless adapter is
					 considered repair, not reconstruction.
"Well rehabilitation "
means the physical
					 or chemical cleaning of a well.
"Well seal"
means a device used to cover
					 or seal a well that establishes or maintains a junction between the casing of
					 the well and the piping, electric conduit or equipment installed, so as to
					 prevent water or other foreign material from entering the well at the uppermost
					 terminal.
1. "Well cap" means a
				  snug-fitting, watertight device used above flood level that excludes dust and
				  vermin and allows for screened venting.
2. "Sanitary seal" means a watertight fitting
				  which uses mechanical compression that is installed on wells that terminate in
				  a wellhouse.
"Well services"
means both well drilling
					 services and pump services.