Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 440 - Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board › Chapter 10 - General Administration, Registration, Licensing, and Filing Claims › Subchapter 00 - N/A › Part 6 - Rules and Regulations for Well-Drillers, Pump Installers, and Water Filtration Contractors › Section 440-RICR-10-00-6.4 - Definitions

Current through June 14, 2024
6.4.1
General
				 Definitions
A. In addition
				 to the terms defined in R.I. Gen. Laws §§
											5-65-1,
				  5-65.2-2,
				 and §
											1.4     of this Subchapter, for the purpose of this Part, the
				 following terms shall have the following meanings:
1. "Abandoned Well" means a well,
				 test well, or borehole that has gone dry, is contaminated, or no
				 longer serves a useful purpose.
2. "Access port" means a minimum
				 3/4 inch tapped hole and plug, or a 3/4-inch pipe welded onto the
				 casing in the upper portion of a well casing to permit entry of
				 water-level measuring devices into the well.
3. "Adequate protection" means
				 construction methods which assure protection of ambient groundwater
				 from the introduction of contamination.
4. "Air line" means a water level
				 measuring device consisting of a pressure gauge attached to an
				 airtight line or pipe within the well bore extending from land
				 surface to below the pumping level measuring the stable air pressure
				 remaining in the line after completely purging water from within the
				 line.
5. "Alter" means
				 the replacing or repairing of any portion of an existing water supply
				 system and the terms "alteration" and "altering" shall be construed
				 accordingly.
6. "Altering
				 a well" means the deepening, hydro-fracturing, reaming, casing,
				 re-casing, perforation, re-perforating, and installation of liner
				 pipe, packers, seals, and any other material change in the design or
				 construction of a well.
7. "Annular space" means the space
				 between two objects, one of which is surrounded by the other. This
				 includes the space between the wall of an excavation and the wall of
				 a pit; between the wall of an excavation and the casing of a well; or
				 between two casings.
8.
				 "Aquifer" means a geologic formation, group of formations, or part of
				 a formation that contains saturated and permeable material capable of
				 transmitting water in sufficient quantity to supply wells or springs.
				 The terms water-bearing zone or water-bearing stratum are synonymous
				 with the term aquifer.
9.
				 "Artesian sell" means a well in which groundwater is under sufficient
				 head to rise above the level at which it was first encountered
				 whether the water flows at land surface. If the water level stands
				 above land surface, the well is a flowing artesian well.
10. "Bentonite clay grout" means a
				 mixture of bentonite clay and water.
11. "Bored well" means a well,
				 constructed with the use of earth augers turned either by hand or by
				 power equipment.
12.
				 "Buried slab type well" means a dug well in which well casing is used
				 to case the upper hole. A slab, sealed with cement grout, is placed
				 between the upper hole and lower drill hole, and the remainder of the
				 annulus is filled with concrete.
13. "Casing" means the tubing,
				 pipe, or conduit, installed in the borehole during or after drilling.
				 The term "casing" does not include slotted or perforated pipe, well
				 screens, or liner pipe.
14. "Casing seal" means the
				 watertight seal established in the well bore between the well casing
				 and the drill hole wall to prevent the inflow and movement of surface
				 water or shallow ground water in the well annulus, or to prevent the
				 outflow or movement of water under artesian or hydrostatic
				 pressures.
15. "Cement
				 grout" means a mixture of cement, sand, and water.
16. "Cesspool" means a covered pit
				 with open jointed lining for the reception of untreated sewage, the
				 liquid portion of which is disposed of by seepage or leaching into
				 the surrounding soil and the solids or sludge being retained in the
				 pit.
17. "Cistern" means
				 a tank for the reception of rain water, intended for non-potable
				 water supply system.
18.
				 "Clay" means a fine-grained, inorganic material having plastic
				 properties and with a predominant grain size of less than 0.005
				 mm.
19. "Commercial
				 water-filtration/treatment-system work" means any alteration,
				 installation or repair of water-filtration/treatment systems in which
				 the piping exceeds one and one-half inches (1.5") or the flow rate
				 exceeds eighty (80) gallons per minute.
20. "Confining formation" means the
				 "impermeable" stratum immediately overlying an artesian (confined)
				 aquifer.
21.
				 "Consolidated formation" means materials that have become firm
				 through natural rock-forming processes. It includes such materials as
				 basalt, sandstone, hard claystone, conglomerate, and
				 granite.
22. "Construct"
				 means to build, assemble, or install a new water supply system, water
				 treatment system, or the enlargement or alteration of an existing
				 water supply system.
23.
				 "Contamination" means the presence of sewage, industrial wastes,
				 organisms of the coliform group, or harmful or objectionable material
				 which is in, or may gain access to, potable water.
24. "Decommission" means the act of
				 completely filling a well, test well or bore with sealant from the
				 original depth to the surface, in accordance with this Part, so that
				 it is no longer a conduit to the aquifer.
25. "Disinfection" means the
				 inactivation of harmful organisms presents in water.
26. "Disposal field" means an area
				 consisting of disposal trenches, a disposal bed, or a combination
				 thereof used for dispersion of the liquid portion of sanitary sewage
				 into the ground as close to the surface as feasible.
27. "Disposal trench" means a
				 shallow ditch with vertical sides and flat bottom partially filled
				 with a satisfactory filtering material in which a single distribution
				 line has been laid, covered with top soil and suitable
				 vegetation.
28.
				 "Distribution box" means a watertight structure which receives
				 sanitary sewage effluent from a septic tank and distributes such
				 sewage effluent to two or more pipelines leading to a disposal
				 field.
29. "Distribution
				 lines" means a series of open-jointed or perforated pipes used for
				 dispersion of sewage into a disposal field.
30. "Distribution main" means the
				 pipe for the transmission or conveyance of potable water to more than
				 one structure.
31.
				 "Domestic well" means a well that supplies water to a water supply
				 system for drinking, culinary, or household uses, and which is not
				 used as a public water supply.
32. "Drawdown" means the difference
				 in vertical distance between the pumping level and the static water
				 level in a well or the area outside of the well.
33. "Driven well" means a well,
				 constructed by driving into the ground a wellpoint fitted to the end
				 of a pipe section or series of pipe sections.
34. "Dry well" means a covered pit
				 with open-jointed lining through which drainage from roofs, basement
				 floors or area-ways may seep or leach into the surrounding
				 soil.
35. "Dug well"
				 means a well in which the excavation is made using picks, shovels,
				 spades, or digging equipment, such as backhoes, clam shell buckets,
				 or sand bucket.
36.
				 "Electrical work" means the limited electrical installation,
				 connection, and services from a drop/wall switch, as supplied by a
				 properly licensed electrician for water-supply systems,
				 water-filtration systems, water-treatment systems, and pump
				 installations. Contractors, as defined herein, may perform this
				 limited electrical work. This definition shall not exclude or prevent
				 any properly licensed electrician from performing this
				 work.
37. "Emergency
				 work" means an unexpected event which affects the residents' health,
				 safety, and welfare, which must be corrected or rectified on an
				 immediate need basis. In such instance, the contractor shall within
				 72 hours of completion of work, have the owner or owner's
				 representative sign an invoice/contract noting the scope of work and
				 the amount of charges as well as obtain any required
				 permits.
38. "Established
				 ground surface" means the permanent elevation of the surface of the
				 ground at the site of the well after completion of grading,
				 excavation; or other land movement.
39. "Filtration system" means water
				 treatment system.
40.
				 "First draw" means a sample from a filter-free, cold water tap that
				 is routinely used for consumption and with a minimum six (6) hour
				 stagnation time.
41.
				 "Gravel packed well" means a well in which the area immediately
				 surrounding the well screen or perforated pipe within the
				 water-producing zone is filled with graded coarser
				 material.
42.
				 "Groundwater" means water encountered below the ground surface of the
				 earth within the zone of saturation that can supply wells and
				 springs.
43. "Grout"
				 means a supple, impervious bonding material which can provide a water
				 tight seal between the casing and the formation throughout the depth
				 required protecting against objectionable matter, and which is
				 essentially free of shrinkage. This shall include but not be limited
				 to neat cement grout, sand clay, bentonite cement grout.
44. "Grout Pipe" means the same as
				 "Tremie Pipe"
45.
				 "Hydraulic conductivity" means the ability of material to transmit
				 fluid, usually described in units of gallons per day per square foot
				 of cross-section area. It is related to the effectiveness with which
				 pore spaces transmit fluids.
46. "Hydro fracturing" means a
				 procedure whereby high-pressure water injection is used in an attempt
				 to fracture or widen existing fractures or propagate limited
				 fractures in a water bearing to increase a well's
				 productivity.
47.
				 "Industrial waste" means liquid or solid waste resulting from the
				 processes employed in industrial establishments.
48. "Jaswell seal" means a type of
				 seal that seals off a portion of the well hole. The Jaswell can seal
				 off just the level of concern or can seal off the entire area from
				 the top to the concern area.
49. "Jetted well" means a well in
				 which the excavation is made using a high velocity jet of
				 water.
50. "Leakage"
				 means leakage of surface and/or subsurface water around the well
				 casing.
51. "Limited
				 plumbing" means the required cutting of a water service/supply pipe,
				 for the purpose of installing a supply and return to connect
				 water-filtration/treatment system, pump equipment and also includes
				 drainage for point of use equipment. Any repair, or re-piping of the
				 water service/supply pipe, to bypass an outdoor faucet, irrigation
				 system, etc., shall be considered "Plumbing Work" which may only be
				 performed by a R.I. Licensed Plumber.
52. "Liner pipe" means pipe that is
				 installed inside a completed and cased well for the purpose of
				 sealing off undesirable water or for repairing ruptured or punctured
				 casing or screens.
53.
				 "Locate" means the designation of the site or place of the sources or
				 other appurtenances of a water supply system, and the term "location"
				 shall be construed accordingly.
54. "Lower drill hole" means that
				 part of the well bore extending below the surface seal interval in a
				 well.
55. "Mineralized
				 water" means any naturally occurring ground water containing an
				 amount of dissolved chemical constituents limiting the beneficial
				 uses to which the water may be applied.
56. "Neat cement grout" means a
				 mixture of not more than six gallons of clear water to one bag of
				 cement.
57.
				 "Non-community water system" means a public water system that is not
				 a community water system. A non-community water system is either a
				 "transient non-community water system (TNC)" or a "non- transient
				 non-community water system (NTNC).
58. "Onsite wastewater treatment
				 system" or "OWTS" means any system of piping, tanks, dispersal areas,
				 alternative toilets or other facilities designed to function as a
				 unit to convey, store, treat or disperse wastewater by means other
				 than discharge into a public wastewater system.
59. "Oversized drill hole" means an
				 excavation which is larger than the outside diameter of the well
				 casing, constructed for the emplacement of a well.
60. "Perched ground water" means
				 ground water held above the regional or main water table by a less
				 permeable underlying earth or rock material.
61. "Petcock valve" means a valve
				 used to contain pressure and when opened, to drain the line or
				 pipe.
62. "Pitless
				 adaptor" means a device fabricated at the job site designed for
				 attachment to one or more openings through a well casing, and so
				 constructed as to prevent the entry of contamination into the well or
				 potable water, conduct water from the well, prevent the water from
				 freezing or extremes of temperature, and provide access to water
				 system components within the well.
63. "pH" means the measurement of
				 the acidity in water.
64.
				 "Point-of-entry treatment" means water treatment that serves the
				 entire house by treating water and reducing contaminants as it enters
				 the structure.
65.
				 "Porosity" means the ratio of the volume of voids in the geologic
				 formation being drilled to the overall volume of the material without
				 regards to size, shape, inter-connection, or arrangement of
				 openings.
66.
				 "Potability" means the determination that water is potable and is
				 safe for consumption.
67.
				 "Potable water" means water that meets human consumption standards of
				 the R.I. Department of Health or the U.S. Environmental Protection
				 Agency, whichever is more restrictive.
68. "Potentiometric surface" means
				 the level to which water will rise in tightly cased wells.
69. "Pressure grouting" means a
				 process by which a cement grout is confined within the drill hole or
				 casing by the use of retain plugs or packer and by which sufficient
				 pressure applied to drive the grout slurry into the annular space or
				 zone to be grouted.
70.
				 "Private water system" means a system that extracts groundwater from
				 a well or well field (wells on one (1) or more properties), provides
				 potable water for human consumption, and does not meet the
				 requirements to be classified as a public water system. These systems
				 also include commercial - mixed use, multi-family residential,
				 single/duplex residential, and individual private systems.
71. "Private well" means a water
				 well that can serve as a private drinking water system.
72. "Private well water testing
				 report form" means a standardized form for the reporting of certified
				 laboratory results to be disseminated to the well owner or client to
				 determine if the water is potable.
73. "Public health hazard" means a
				 condition whereby there are sufficient types and amounts of
				 biological, chemical, or physical, including radiological, agents in
				 relation to water which are likely to cause human illness, disorders,
				 or disability. These include, but are not limited to pathogenic
				 viruses, bacteria, toxic chemicals, and radioactive
				 isotopes.
75. "Public
				 water system" means a system for the provision to the public of water
				 for human consumption through pipes or constructed conveyances; if
				 such a system has at least fifteen (15) service connections or
				 regularly serves at least twenty-five (25) individuals daily at least
				 sixty (60) days out of the year.
76. "Pump" means mechanical
				 equipment or device used to move, raise, compress, or transfer
				 water.
77. "Pump
				 installation" means the industry, procedure, and all operations
				 engaged in by any person, full-time or part-time, for compensation or
				 otherwise, to connect a pump or pipe to a water system or its
				 appurtenances, or to install a pump or pipe in a well and the
				 procedures for licensing well drillers and pump installers.
78. "Pump test" means the procedure
				 involving pumping water for a specified period to determine the yield
				 characteristics of a well.
79. "Pumping level" means the level
				 of the water surface in a well while it is being pumped or
				 bailed.
80. "Repair"
				 means any work involved in the reaming, sealing, installing, changing
				 of casing depths, perforating, screening, cleaning, acidizing, or
				 other redevelopment of a well, pump or filtration system.
81. "Rough drilling log" means a
				 record kept on the well site of the information needed to complete
				 the well report for the well being constructed.
82. "Sand" means a detrital
				 material having a prevalent grain ranging from 2 millimeters to 0.06
				 millimeters.
83. "Sand
				 clay or bentonite cement grout" means a mixture of one-part fine
				 sand, one-part clay or bentonite, and one-part cement and five to six
				 gallons of water for every hundred pounds of the mixture.
84. "Sand cement grout" means a
				 mixture of not more than two parts sands to one-part cement, and not
				 more than six gallons of clear water to each bag of cement.
85. "Sanitary sewage" means any
				 liquid waste containing animal or vegetable matter in suspension or
				 solution, or the water-carried wastes resulting from the discharge of
				 water closets, urinals, laundry tubs, washing machines, sinks,
				 dishwashers, or any other source of water-carried waste of human
				 origin or containing putrescible material.
86. "Sanitary sewer" means a pipe
				 which carries sewage and to which storm, surface, and groundwater
				 waters are not intentionally admitted.
87. "Seepage pit" means a covered
				 pit with open-jointed lining material which septic or laundry waste
				 may seep or leach into surrounding soil.
88. "Septic tank" means watertight
				 receptacle which receives the discharge of sanitary sewage and is
				 designed and constructed to permit settling of settleable solids from
				 the liquid, digestion of the organic matter by detention, and
				 discharge of the liquid portion into a disposal field.
89. "Service line" means a pipe for
				 the transmission or conveyance of potable water under pressure either
				 from an individual well or from a distribution main, to a realty
				 improvement.
90. "Shared
				 well" means a common well or well field that provides drinking water
				 to more than one (1) residential unit, commercial enterprise, or any
				 combination that does not meet the definition of public
				 well.
91. "Silt" means
				 unconsolidated elastic sediment composed predominantly of particles
				 between 0.06 and 0.005 millimeters in diameter.
92. "Specific capacity" means the
				 yield of a well expressed in gallons per minute per foot of drawdown,
				 as abbreviated gpm/ft.
93. "Spring" means a natural
				 surface feature where groundwater issues from the rock or soil onto
				 the land or into a body of water.
94. "Static water level" means the
				 depth to the surface of the water in a well measured from the land
				 surface or other convenient, permanent, and specified datum, when no
				 water is being discharged from the well and the water level has
				 reached equilibrium.
95.
				 "Stratum" means a bed or layer of a formation that consists
				 throughout of approximately the same type of consolidated or
				 unconsolidated material.
96. "Subsurface sewage disposal
				 system" means an individual sewage disposal system.
97. "Suction line" means a pipe
				 that conveys water at less than atmospheric pressure from a well to a
				 pump.
98. "Sump" means a
				 hole dug to a depth of ten feet or less with a diameter greater than
				 ten feet in which water is sought or encountered.
99. "Supervision" means the
				 physical presence of a licensee during all work of well-drilling,
				 pump installation, and water-filtration/treatment, including repairs
				 and service.
100.
				 "Surface water" means the water found on the ground surface or
				 contained in a stream, pond, lake, wetland, or other natural
				 watercourse.
101.
				 "Surging" means the use of a solid plunger in an up and down plunging
				 motion to increase well productivity by forcing water into and out of
				 existing fissures.
102.
				 "Temporary removal from service" means to remove a drilling machine
				 from a well site prior to putting the well into service or returning
				 it to service or subsequent to completing or altering a well, or to
				 remove a well form service with the intent of using it in the
				 future.
103. "Test well"
				 means a temporary well installed to obtain data.
104. "Transient non-community water
				 system" or "TNC" means a non-community water system that does not
				 regularly serve at least twenty-five (25) of the same persons over
				 six (6) months per year.
105. "Tremie pipe" means a pipe
				 which is used to place grout at the bottom of the sealing interval of
				 a well.
106.
				 "Unconsolidated formation" means naturally occurring loosely cemented
				 or poorly indurated materials including clay, sand, silt, and
				 gravel.
107. "Undersized
				 hole" means an excavation which is no larger than the internal
				 diameter of the well casing, constructed for the emplacement of a
				 well.
108. "Upper drill
				 hole" means that part of the well bore extending from land surface to
				 the bottom of the surface seal interval.
109. "Water authority" means an
				 entity supplying water and regulated by the Rhode Island Department
				 of Health.
110. "Water
				 bearing formation" means aquifer.
111. "Water table well" means the
				 upper surface of an unconfined water body, the surface of which is at
				 atmospheric pressure and fluctuates seasonally. The water table is
				 defined by the levels at which water stands in wells that penetrate
				 the water body.
112.
				 "Water treatment system" means any apparatus for treating, filtering,
				 or processing water to modify, enhance, or improve its quality or to
				 meet a specific water quality need, desire, or standard in the pipes,
				 fittings, and other components servicing such apparatus.
113. "Well cap" means a watertight
				 sanitary device that covers and encloses the upper termination of a
				 pitless well unit or the well casing and provides watertight
				 connections for electrical power lines and well vents.
114. "Well drilled" means a well,
				 constructed by drilling a hole and inserting a casing to support the
				 sides of the hole.
115.
				 "Well drilling machine" means any power-driven percussion, rotary,
				 boring, digging, or auguring machine used in the construction or
				 alteration of wells.
116.
				 "Well, dug" means a well excavated into a shallow aquifer.
117. "Well, geothermal" means a
				 well that is drilled; bored, augured, or dug to allow piping to be
				 installed to utilize the earth's temperature for heating or cooling
				 purposes.
118. "Well,
				 irrigation" wells of all types of construction for the sole use of
				 irrigation.
119. "Well,
				 monitoring" means a well that is specifically located, designed,
				 constructed, and emplaced to sample groundwater quality and/or
				 measure water table elevations.
120. "Well seal" means an approved
				 arrangement or device used to cap a well or to establish and maintain
				 a junction between the casing and curbing of a well and the pipe or
				 equipment installed therein, the purpose or function of which is to
				 prevent contaminants from entering a well at the upper
				 terminal.
121. "Well
				 unit" a pre-assembled device which extends the upper end of a well
				 casing to above grade, provided with a pitless well cap, and so
				 constructed as to prevent the entry of contamination into the well or
				 potable water, conduct water from the well, protect the water from
				 freezing or extremes of temperature, and provide access to the well
				 and to the water system components within the well.
122. "Well vent" means an outlet at
				 the upper terminal of a well casing to allow equalization of air
				 pressure in a well but at the same time so constructed as to avoid
				 entry of water and foreign material into the well.
123. "Well yield" means the
				 quantity of water per unit of time which may flow or be pumped
				 continuously from a well.