New Jersey Administrative Code › Title 7 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION › Chapter 9D - WELL CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE; SEALING OF ABANDONED WELLS › Subchapter 2 - REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES FOR THE CONSTRUCTION, INSTALLATION, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF WELLS › Section 7:9D-2.2 - General construction and maintenance requirements for all wells

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
(a) The
				following general construction requirements shall apply to the construction of
				all categories of wells pursuant to the Act:
1. A New Jersey licensed well driller shall
				be on-site and directly supervise each well drilling operation, and there shall
				be one licensed well driller of the proper class on site for each well drilling
				rig on site;
2. All water used in
				the construction, alteration, repair or decommissioning of any well shall be of
				potable quality;
3. All well
				drilling rigs, tools, pipe and other drilling equipment shall be maintained in
				a clean and operational state to prevent contamination to the well or work
				site;
4. The Department may
				prohibit for use in the construction or maintenance of any well any material or
				equipment that may pose a hazard to public health or the environment;
5. Any hazardous waste, including, but not
				limited to, contaminated casing, cuttings, sediment, displaced water, or free
				product, generated during the drilling procedure shall be handled in accordance
				with N.J.A.C. 7:26G;
6. No existing
				well shall be built over by any realty improvement that would inhibit access to
				the well for any repair, replacement or decommissioning;
7. When permanent casing is to be driven into
				an undersized borehole, the borehole diameter shall be less than the inside
				diameter of the casing;
8. A drive
				shoe shall be placed on casing that is to be driven, and granular or powdered
				sodium-based bentonite shall be hydrated and pooled around the outside
				perimeter of the casing to create a protective barrier while
				drilling;
9. When casing is to be
				installed into an oversized borehole, the borehole diameter shall be at least
				four inches greater than the inside diameter of the well casing to be
				installed, except for the following:
i.
				Category 3 environmental resource and geotechnical wells, which must be
				constructed in accordance with
N.J.A.C.
				7:9D-2.4(d)
;
				and
ii. Category 5 closed loop
				geothermal wells, which must be constructed in accordance with
N.J.A.C. 7:9D-2.5
;
10. Where
				applicable, all annular space between well casings, and the annular space
				between any casing and borehole, shall be sealed immediately following the
				setting of the well casing, but no later than 24 hours after the well casing
				has been set in place. In unconsolidated formations, a head of drilling fluid
				shall be maintained in the borehole and the well driller shall ensure that the
				entire annular space to be sealed is clear of obstruction(s);
11. A temporary outer casing of the same
				inner diameter as the oversized borehole may be installed to prevent cave-in
				provided the temporary casing is removed, if possible, during the sealing of
				the annular space;
12. A well shall
				not be screened or gravel packed in more than one water bearing unit as
				determined by the Department or across a confining unit unless explicitly
				authorized in a permit issued pursuant to this chapter in accordance with
N.J.A.C. 7:9D-2.8
;
13. Until construction
				of the well is completed, adequate protection shall be provided for the top of
				the borehole and/or the top of the well casing to prevent surface contamination
				from entering the well and to prevent a safety hazard during the drilling
				operation and when the well driller is not at the drilling site;
14. When the drilling of a borehole for any
				well is suspended, the borehole shall be considered abandoned and subject to
				the decommissioning requirements in N.J.A.C. 7:9D-3.
i. Boreholes or partially constructed wells
				that are deemed to be inadequate for the intended use by the driller shall be
				immediately decommissioned in accordance with the requirements of N.J.A.C.
				7:9D-3.
ii. Removal of the drilling
				rig from the borehole or incomplete well shall be allowable to conduct
				geophysical and hydraulic testing, to change or repair drilling equipment, to
				enable the driller to accommodate changes in material or drilling methods, or
				to allow for the curing of grout.
15. Once the well has been installed, the
				well casing shall be securely capped until the well is placed in service or
				until the well is properly decommissioned. The cap shall be threaded onto the
				casing, or be a friction type device which locks onto the outside of the
				casing, or a blank sanitary well seal, or any other equivalent type of cap as
				may be approved by the Department;
16. All flowing wells shall be equipped with
				a water-tight cap which is threaded, slip-on or welded, and a control valve or
				necessary appurtenances to protect the integrity of the well construction
				and/or wellhead.
i. There shall be no
				overflow of water from the well which may become a public nuisance or violate
				any other New Jersey State law or regulation;
17. Unsuitable or non-productive wells that
				cannot be used for their intended purpose shall be decommissioned in accordance
				with N.J.A.C. 7:9D-3. These include, but are not limited to, wells which are
				abandoned during construction, are contaminated, exhibit a loss of supply or
				are damaged;
18. If the Department
				determines that any well system, or any appurtenance thereto, is not being
				properly maintained, or has deteriorated to such an extent that contamination
				might enter the well or enter the groundwater or constitute a physical hazard,
				the Department may order the property owner to hire a well driller to perform
				work on the well system or appurtenances thereto as is deemed necessary to
				prevent contamination of the groundwater or mitigate the physical
				hazard;
19. When permanent well
				pumping equipment is required for any well, all installation or replacement
				work shall be performed by a pump installer or master journeyman, or journeyman
				(Class B) well driller. All such work shall conform with the standards set
				forth at N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.16 and
				13:31-3;
20. Any portion of a
				borehole that is drilled into a confining layer or through a confining layer
				where the deeper aquifer will not be used, or any portion of a borehole that
				will extend 20 feet or more below the bottom of the completed well, shall be
				considered abandoned and that portion of the borehole shall be decommissioned
				prior to the completion of the well in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:9D-3;
				and
21. The State well permit
				number shall be prominently displayed and permanently affixed to each Category
				1, 2, and 3 well, in addition to the site-specific well identification number
				set forth on the approved well permit application (for example,
				MW-1).