North Dakota Administrative Code › Title 33 - State Department of Health › Article 33-18 - Water Well Contractors › Chapter 33-18-01 - Water Well Construction and Water Well Pump Installation › Section 33-18-01-02 - Definitions

Current through Supplement No. 393, July, 2024
For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions
				  shall apply:
1. "Abandoned well" means a well whose use has been
				  permanently discontinued.
2. "Annular space" means the opening between a well hole
				  excavation and the well casing or curb, or between a casing pipe and a liner
				  pipe.
3. "Appurtenances" means valves, meters, taps, gauges, or
				  other devices required for adequate control or measurement of the well output.
4. "Aquifer" means a water-bearing formation that transmits
				  water in sufficient quantities to supply a well.
5. "Casing" shall mean the pipe installed in the drill hole
				  to give unobstructed access to the water-bearing formation.
6. "Constructing" a well includes boring, digging, drilling,
				  or excavation in installing casings, well screens, and other appurtenances.
7. "Contamination" means alteration of the physical,
				  chemical, or biological quality of the water so that it is harmful or
				  potentially injurious to the health of the users or for the intended use of the
				  water.
8. "Department" means the North Dakota state department of
				  health.
9. "Disinfection" means the killing of infectious agents
				  outside the body by chemical or physical means.
10. "Drawdown" means the extent of lowering the water surface
				  in a well and of the water table adjacent to the well, resulting from the
				  discharge of water from the well by pumping or natural flow.
11. "Drilling" means making any opening in the earth's
				  surface by drilling, boring, or otherwise, and includes inserting any object
				  into any part of the earth's surface for the purpose of obtaining an
				  underground water supply except drainage tiles or similar devices designed
				  primarily to improve land by removing excess water.
12. "Established ground surface" means the permanent
				  elevation of the surface of the ground at the site of the well.
13. "Filter pack" means a clean sand or sand and gravel
				  material of selected grain size and gradation which is installed in the annular
				  space between a well hole excavation and the outside of the well screen for the
				  purpose of preventing formation material from entering the screen.
14. "Geothermal system driller" means any person who is
				  certified to conduct the business of drilling, boring, or excavating for the
				  purpose of constructing or substantially modifying a geothermal energy
				  extraction facility.
15. "Ground water source" means all water obtained from dug,
				  drilled, bored, or driven well, infiltration lines, and springs.
16. "Grout" or "grouting material" means any stable
				  impervious bonding material which is capable of providing a watertight seal
				  between the casing and the formation throughout the depth required to protect
				  against objectionable matter and which is reasonably free of shrinkage.
17. "Liner pipe" means a pipe installed inside a completed
				  and cased well for the purpose of sealing off undesirable water or for
				  repairing ruptured or punctured casing or screens.
18. "Pitless adapter" means a commercially manufactured
				  device designed for attachment to a well casing and is so constructed as to
				  prevent the entrance of contaminants into the well or potable water supply,
				  conduct water from the well below the frostline to prevent freezing, and
				  provide full access to the water system components within the well.
19. "Pitless unit" means a factory-assembled device with cap
				  which extends the upper end of a well casing to above grade and is so
				  constructed as to prevent the entrance of contaminants into the well or potable
				  water supply, conduct water from the well below the frostline to prevent
				  freezing, and provide full access to the well and the water system components
				  within the well.
20. "Potable water" means water free from impurities in
				  amounts sufficient to cause disease or harmful physiological effects, with the
				  bacteriological and chemical quality conforming to applicable standards.
21. "Pressure tank" or "hydropneumatic tank" means a closed
				  water storage container constructed to operate under a designed pressure rating
				  to modulate the water system pressure within a selected range.
22. "Private water supply" means one that is not for public
				  use.
23. "Public water supply" means a water supply connected to
				  at least fifteen service connections or regularly serves an average of
				  twenty-five persons daily, sixty days out of the year.
24. "Pumps" and "pumping equipment" means any equipment or
				  materials utilized or intended for use in withdrawing or obtaining ground water
				  for any use, including, without limitation, seals and tanks, together with
				  fittings and controls.
25. "Repair" means any action which results in a breaking or
				  opening of the well seal or replacement of a pump.
26. "Shall" means mandatory compliance with all aspects of
				  the rules and regulations for water well construction and water well pump
				  installation.
27. "Should" means provisions which are not mandatory but
				  which are recommended or desirable procedures or methods. Deviation from the
				  rules and regulations for water well construction and water well pump
				  installation is subject to individual consideration.
28. "Static water level" means the elevation of the surface
				  of the water in a well when no water is being discharged therefrom.
29. "Water well contractor" means any person who is certified
				  to conduct the business of well drilling under the provisions of North Dakota
				  Century Code chapter 43-35.
30. "Water well pump and pitless unit installer" means any
				  person who is certified to conduct the business of installing water well pumps
				  and pitless units under the provisions of North Dakota Century Code chapter
				  43-35.
31. "Well development" means the general process to achieve
				  sand-free water at the highest possible well capacity.
32. "Well seal" means an approved arrangement or device used
				  to cap a well or to establish and maintain a junction between the casing or
				  curbing of a well and the piping or equipment installed therein, the purpose or
				  function of which is to prevent pollutants from entering the well at the upper
				  terminal.
33. "Well vent" means an outlet at the upper terminal of the
				  well casing to allow equalization of air pressure in the well and escape of
				  toxic or inflammable gases.
34. "Wells" means any artificial opening or artificially
				  altered natural opening however made by which ground water is sought or through
				  which ground water flows under natural pressure or is artificially withdrawn;
				  provided, that this definition does not include a natural spring, stock ponds,
				  or holes drilled for the purpose of exploration for production of oil, gas,
				  gravel, or other minerals.
General Authority: NDCC 43-35-19, 43-35-19.1
Law Implemented: NDCC 43-35-19,
					 43-35-19.1