Code of Maine Rules › 10 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES › 144 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES - GENERAL › Chapter 232 - WELL DRILLERS AND PUMP INSTALLERS RULES › Chapter 5 - OPEN-LOOP GEOEXCHANGE WELLS › Section 144-232-5-501.0 - SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
501.1
Return
				  water quality:
Any water returned to an open loop well shall be the same
				  water that was pumped from that well, or another well in the same aquifer,
				  modified only by a change in temperature due to the heat pump and a reduction
				  in particulates using generally accepted means of filtration. No other form of
				  water treatment, filtration or any addition of chemical or biological
				  substances is allowed.
501.2
Bleed water discharge:
An open-loop well for a single-family,
				  residential, detached home should have a bleed rate of no more than one (1)
				  gallon per minute (gpm) per acre for lots greater than one (1) acre in size
				  that discharges to a point other than the aquifer from which it came. For lots
				  less than one (1) acre in size, bleed water that discharges to somewhere other
				  than the aquifer from which it came is not recommended. All other water must be
				  returned back into the same aquifer from which it was produced.
501.3
Return Water:
Any water
				  from an open-loop well that is returned back into a ground water aquifer shall
				  be returned back into the same aquifer from which it was produced.
501.4
Bedrock return wells:
If
				  the water from a bedrock well is returned to another bedrock well, it will be
				  considered that the water is being returned to the same aquifer.
501.5
Gravel return wells:
If
				  the water from a "gravel" well is returned to another "gravel" well, it will be
				  considered that the water is being returned to the same aquifer.
501.6
Return well/geoexchange well
				  separation:
Return wells for single-family detached homes shall not be
				  more than 200 feet away from the pumped well.
501.7
Return line depth:
All
				  return lines installed in open-loop wells shall be installed so they will
				  always be submerged below the lowest pumping water level in the well so as to
				  prevent the cascading of return water back into the well.
501.8
Coastal zones:
Any
				  open-loop well drilled within a defined coastal zone shall always have 100% of
				  the water that is pumped from it (for geothermal purposes) returned into the
				  exact aquifer from whence it originated. This may be in the exact same well or
				  in a different well. No bleed shall be allowed unless it is returned back into
				  the same aquifer.
501.9
Coastal zone definition:
The "coastal zone" is defined as the land
				  area bounded by the medium high water mark along all ocean front property and
				  all saltwater or brackish marshes or inland rivers, extending 600 feet
				  inland.
501.10
Chloride
				  levels:
If the driller encounters water in an open-loop well which is
				  drilled within the coastal zone, with a chloride level of more than 1,500 mg/l,
				  the driller must suspend drilling and seal off the salt water fracture with a
				  neat cement grout.
501.11
Chloride level measurements:
For any well drilled within the
				  coastal zone, a driller must perform a field measurement of the chloride
				  content of the water produced from the well after encountering each
				  water-bearing fracture and shall record the results on a permanent driller's
				  log.