New York Codes, Rules and Regulations › Title 10 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH › Chapter - APPENDICES › Appendix 5-B › Section 5-B.3 - Water Well Construction

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 28, July 10, 2024
(a)
				Acceptable water well construction methods include well drilling, driving,
				boring, jetting and excavating into an aquifer to obtain groundwater for a
				source of water supply. Acceptable water well drilling methods include
				cable-tool drilling, percussion drilling, air or mud/direct or reverse rotary
				drilling, sonic drilling, driving water well casing, and boring with earth
				augers to obtain groundwater.
(b)
				All of the following provisions apply to water well construction.
(1) Wells shall be constructed according to
				the requirements of Table 2.
(2) A
				well shall be constructed to maintain existing natural protection against
				contamination of aquifers and other geologic materials penetrated during well
				drilling and installation.
(3) A
				well shall be constructed to preclude and prevent entry of all known sources of
				contamination into the well.
(4) A
				well shall have a minimum casing length extending from one foot above finished
				grade to nineteen feet below finished grade upon completion of well drilling,
				with the following exceptions:
(i) The
				required total length of casing may exceed twenty feet depending upon geologic
				conditions and shall be in accord with the standards for the construction of
				wells listed in Table 2; and
(ii)
				Where the only viable source of groundwater available is from a shallow aquifer
				where the well must be completed at a depth less than nineteen feet below
				grade, the Department or local health department having jurisdiction may allow
				use of well casing of less than twenty feet total length along with such
				additional measures as needed, including but not limited to increased
				separation distances per Table I, Note I, to ensure provision of potable
				water.
(5) If a well is
				located in a well house, the floor of the well house shall be at least six
				inches above grade and the permanent casing shall extend at least six inches
				above the floor.
(6) Upon
				completion of well drilling and until such time as the well is equipped with a
				pump, the top of the casing shall be secured with a watertight and vermin proof
				well cap.
(7) Casing and joints
				must be of sufficient strength and construction to ensure that integrity,
				shape, and ability to properly function are maintained during and after
				installation.
(8) Steel pipe that
				is used as permanent well casing shall be new pipe that contains a label or
				imprint indicating compliance with ASTM specification A53, AI 06, A500 or A589
				or API specification 5L.
(9) A
				driven steel permanent casing terminating in bedrock shall be fitted with a
				drive shoe that is firmly seated in the bedrock.
(10) PVC pipe that is used as permanent
				casing shall be new pipe that contains a label or imprint indicating compliance
				with ASTM specification F 480 and NSF or UL standards and shall be Schedule 80
				or SDR 21 or heavier. PVC pipe that is installed at depths of more than 200
				feet shall be SDR 17 or heavier.
(11) Casing pipe that is manufactured from
				thermoplastic materials other than PVC shall be new pipe that contains a label
				or imprint indicating compliance with ASTM specification F 480 (i.e., SDR water
				pipe) and NSF or UL standards for use with drinking water.
(12) PVC and other thermoplastic materials
				may be used as casing in bedrock if not driven and if sealed with grout,
				provided such use complies with other requirements in this Appendix.
(13) Steel, PVC and other materials used as
				temporary casing in well construction shall be clean and free of contaminants.
				PVC and thermoplastic materials other than PVC used as temporary casing shall
				contain a label or imprint indicating compliance with NSF or UL standards for
				use with drinking water.
(14) A
				well shall be sufficiently straight and vertical to allow normal installation
				and operation of the pump.
(15) The
				upper twenty feet of a water well casing shall not be used as a suction line
				unless the well casing is protected by a standard weight or heavier outer
				casing.
(16) Where bedrock is
				present within 19 feet of the ground surface, an oversized borehole shall be
				drilled and the permanent casing in the oversized borehole shall be sealed with
				grout to a minimum depth of 19 feet below grade, or five feet into the
				competent bedrock, whichever is deeper.
(17) Annular space between the well casing
				and borehole shall be grouted in accordance with Table 2. Where inner and outer
				well casings are used, the annular space between these casings shall be sealed
				with grout.
(18) An artesian well
				that overflows at land surface shall be constructed, equipped, and operated to
				provide for controlling the rate of discharges to conserve groundwater and to
				prevent the loss of artesian head by minimizing uncontrolled continuous waste
				discharges. Discharges to waste pipe, where installed, shall not be directly
				connected to a sewer or other source of contamination and shall be equipped
				with an air gap or backflow prevention device. Discharge pipes shall be
				properly screened to prevent entry of vermin.
(19) Wells completed in unconsolidated
				material or at the unconsolidated-consolidated material interface shall be
				screened if necessary and sufficiently developed to produce sand-free water and
				to minimize the entrance of fine materials into the well.
(20) Lead packers, lead plugs, or lead wool
				shall not be used as a well component.
(21) No solder containing more than 0.2
				percent lead shall be used in making joints and fittings in any drinking water
				supply system or any water user's water lines.
(22) Wells shall be developed by air lift,
				bailing, surging, jetting, hydrofracturing and/or chemical treatment until sand
				free. Rock cuttings produced during water well drilling and well development
				shall be cleaned out of the well. As a final stage, the well may be pumped to
				waste at a pumping rate which equals or exceeds that of a permanent pump, until
				the water is clear as reasonably possible considering the groundwater
				conditions of the area. The permanent pump shall not be used to develop the
				well without the owner's consent.
(23) Water that is used for well construction
				and development purposes or is otherwise introduced into the well, other than
				water from the well itself, shall be obtained from a public water system or, if
				necessary, from a non-public drinking water source provided such non-public
				source is not surface water nor otherwise known or suspected to be
				contaminated.
(24) A connection to
				a water well casing that is made below the ground shall be protected by a
				pitless adapter or by a pitless unit (threaded or welded joints). A below
				ground connection shall not be submerged in water during installation. Pitless
				adapters or pitless units to be used shall contain a label or imprint
				indicating compliance with the Water Systems Council Pitless Adapter Standard
				(PAS -97).
(25) A pitless adapter
				or pitless unit shall provide adequate clearance within the internal diameter
				of a water well to permit insertion or withdrawal of water system components
				from within the well through the top of the well casing and be constructed and
				installed to exclude dirt or other foreign matter from the interior of the well
				casing.
(26) Extensions of existing
				water well casings to at least 12 inches above grade shall be constructed of
				the same material as the existing casing.
(27) Any chemicals or other additives,
				including disinfectants, used during construction shall be of a specification
				acceptable for use in water wells and any excess not required for operation of
				the well shall be cleaned out of the well.
(28) A water well shall be designed,
				operated, and maintained in a manner that will preclude cross-connections or
				any other piping connections which may introduce contaminants into the water
				supply or aquifer. A physical connection between a water supply that is in
				compliance with the requirements of these rules and another water supply that
				is not in compliance with the requirements of these rules is prohibited unless
				acceptable cross connection control is provided.
(29) All drilling fluids used for drilling
				operations shall be of food grade quality or NSF or UL approved or shall be
				water that complies with paragraph 5-B.3(b)(23) of this Appendix.