State Well Codes

Casing to be fitted w/ locking cap or sanitary well cap.

Wells to be plugged appropriately.

Casing to extend a min of 12 in. above grade & be equipped w/ pitless adapter. To be sealed w/ a pitless well cap or a sanitary well seal.

Potable water wells in unconsolidated formations: minimum length of 50 feet of grout seal extending from the top of the gravel pack or top of the well screen to grade. Potable wells in consolidated formations: minimum of 50 ft grout seal from bottom of casing to grade. May be sealed with Portland Neat Cement, Portland Cement and High Grade Bentonite, High Grade Bentonite, Cementitious Thermally Enhanced Grout, or Thermal Grout 85 or equivalent. Shall be sealed in accordance with approved methods 7:9D-2.10.

To be avoided if possible & to have a drainage system or sump pump.

Required before drilling, construction, installation, or replacement t of a well. Not required for well repair or installation of pitless adapters.

All repairs made to existing wells or pump systems, where wellhead terminates below ground, shall include extending casing above land surface and installing a pitless adapter. Extending casing by welding additional casing, or use of gasketed, water-tight casing adapter meeting WSC PAS 97 standard.

50 ft.

25 ft.

50 ft.

150 ft.

License required for drilling, construction, maintenance, or repair of any well, pump, or well equipment without valid NJ well driller's license unless performed under immediate on-site supervision of licensed well driller.

Mix 94 lbs. of cement w/ 5.2 gal. of water for Type I & II cement. Mix 94 lbs. of cement w/ 6.3 gal. of water for Type III cement.

Mix 50 lbs of bentonite w/ 18 gals of water. Bentonite not to be used if it will encounter ground water of a pH < 5.0 or tds > 1000 ppm.

Grout to be pumped under pressure through tremie pipe into oversized borehole. To be used only for wells in consolidated formations.

Use limited to wells constructed in consolidated formations. Well to be treated shall be minimum 150 ft from nearest well, packer shall be no < 50 ft below bottom of well casing.

Disinfect well after completion w/ chlorine soln of 50 ppm for a min of 12 hrs, or w/ chlorine soln of 20 ppm for min of 24 hrs, or wetting of surfaces with brush or spray of chlorine soln not less than 500 ppm for contact period of 1 hr minimum.

A well shall not be screened or gravel packed in more than one water bearing unit or across a confining unit without prior written approval by the Department.

Casings to be joined by solvent welding or mechanically joined by threaded connections. Solvent cement used shall meet specifications for type of plastic casing. Limited to use in unconsolidated formations, shall not be driven, shall meet ASTM Standard F480-91, SDR SCH 40 and SCH 80, ABS D1527 Schedules 40 and 80, NSF Standard 14. Each length of casing shall be marked per ASTM F480.

Cap to be threaded on to casing if well completed and pump not yet installed. All flowing wells to be capped with watertight threaded, slip-on, or welded cap, and control valve or necessary appurtenances.

Must be decommissioned under supervision of on-site licensed well driller. Pre-approval by Department required for wells with no record, contaminated with hazardous waste, affected by saltwater intrusion, installed in unconsolidated formations screened in more than one aquifer, cannot be cleared of all obstructions, multiple cased wells, elevator shafts. All other wells decommissioned by clearing pump, pipe, debris, and all other obstructions. Maintain borehole at original depth of well until sealed, casing shall be perforated, ripped, or removed if unsealed annular space exists to ensure space is sealed. All water used during sealing process must be potable.

To be screened.

Annular space shall be filled with cement grout, bentonite or ledge drillings or cuttings. For all wells constructed on known active hazardous waste remediation sites, petroleum spill remediation sites, and sites with unlined solid waste landfills, as identified in the department’s remediation and initial response spill sites database, the void area outside the casing shall be filled with cement grout, bentonite grout, or a cement-bentonite grout mixture to prevent surface water from migrating along the well casing.

At time of installation or reinstallation, wells to be chlorinated to a min of 50 ppm for a min of 4 hrs.

Underground water service pipe to have min working pressure of 160 lbs. per square in. Water supply line to be buried min of 4 ft. below grade. All connections to flexible plastic pipe in well or underground outside bldg foundation shall be double clamped with all stainless steel clamps.

Packer settings to be no < 40 ft. below casing bottom & at least 60 ft. below surface.

75 ft.

Shall be neat cement, cement-sand grout, cement bentonite grout containing no more than 5% bentonite, or high solids bentonite grout. Bedrock well: grout annular space from bottom of borehole to ground surface using tremie pipe in one continuous operation. Gravel Wells: grout shall extend from 5 ft below pitless adapter to a depth sufficient to prevent surface water from channeling along casing to groundwater.

Cable not to be directly secured to cold water piping. Conduit may be one approved by National Electrical Code. Conduit may be PVC SCH 40, metal, or flexible plastic pipe rated for 100 lbs. per square in. Electrical cable to be secured at max interval of 4.5 ft. & w/in 1 ft. of each cabinet box, pitting, or pressure switch. Electrical wire between well & building to be encased in conduit from well to inside of foundation wall. Protective conduit to be used to pass cable through foundation wall. Pump circuit equipment to be bonded to well casing if metal casing is used. Wire in well to be secured to drop pipe w/ tape at 5-20 ft. intervals. Wire to be sized in accordance w/ manufacturer\'s specifications.

Wells to be flushed or surged to remove debris & by-products of construction. Wells in unconsolidated material shall be surged or pumped to remove fine soil particles. Wells yielding >5 gpm, measure for minimum of 15 mins. Wells yielding <5 gpm, yield measure for minimum of 30 minutes after dewatering hole and until flow is stabilized.

For bedrock wells may be PVC, CPVC, or ABS of SCH 40 or better & NSF approved.

Casing shall have a secure cover which provides a seal preventing entrance of insects or foreign matter. Wooden covers not acceptable. Gravel wells and wells 4-12 inches inside diameter shall have a cover which provides an o-ring, gasket, or other seal. Wells <4 inches inside diameter shall be fitted with a secure cap or plug. Dug wells shall be equipped with a concrete cover or shall be enclosed in a locked structure specifically designed to house the well. Where a well house is provided, covers other than concrete shall be permitted.

Wells to be decommissioned by a licensed New Hampshire water well contractor. Dug wells shall be filled and sealed with clean fill material free of organic matter. Upper 2 ft filled with impervious materials, like clay or hardpan. Contaminated drilled wells sealed by pressure grout with tremie pipe from bottom to top w/Portland cement of 2-10% high solids bentonite clay mix. Non-contaminated drilled wells seal with Portland cement (neat cement), mixed with 5-6 gallons of water to each 94 lb bag, Portland cement of 2-10% high solids bentonite clay mix, and bentonite chips. Bentonite chips sealing 6 inch diameter or greater shall be minimum 3/8 inch diameter and applied at rate meeting manuf. spec.

Casing to extend at least 12 in. above land surface grade. Earth surrounding casing to slope away from casing and firmly tamped.

Pump tests to be performed on wells. Public wells: 179 NAC 2 007 Title 178 NAC 12-004.03

Must be constructed of durable non-toxic materials with sufficient strength, and resistant to corrosion.

Above ground: to be equipped w/ check valve, protect from contamination, be constructed of materials for potable use, equipped w/backflow preventer, properly anchored and protected against water hammer. Underground: must be equipped w/a curb stop valve and schedule 80 plastic or metal riser w/in 1 foot of discharge, and be in compliance with 178 NAC 12-011.01

Must be centered in the borehole in areas of grout to have minimum 2 in. uniform annular space.

Must have PAS stamp of approval of WSC. Be shop fabricated from point of connection w/ well casing to unit cap or cover. Be threaded or welded to casing, and be watertight. Terminate at least 12 in. above final ground level. Must be made of steel through frost zone and be compatible w/casing. Must have a field connection to the lateral discharge from the pitless unit of threaded, flanged, or mechanical joint connection. Special requirements for pitless units in areas of high traffic.

Only the portion(s) of a well being repaired must meet the same minimum standards as it would if it were within a new well with regard to design, construction, and material. Bored and dug wells must be repaired so that they meet the standards of a bored well.

50 ft. See Department for requirements to obtain written approval for distances between 25-50 ft.

Must be located at least 100 ft from any known source of contamination or pollution. See Department for requirements to obtain written approval for distances between 50-100 ft. Protect from surface waters & contaminant seepage by terminating top of well and vent above the 100 yr flood plain, locating the well on a berm and/or within a dike to protect from 100 yr flood, or by plugging the vent if yield is less than 50 gpm.

100 ft. See Department for requirements to obtain written approval for distances between 50-100 ft.

To consist of mixture of Portland Cement, sand, & water of no > 2 parts by weight sand to 1 part cement, with no more than 6 gallons of clean water per bag.

To consist of chipped, chunk or pelletized bentonite varieties that are hydrated to manufacturer's specs.

Cement-based grouts must not contain fly ash.

Must consist of an inorganic mixture of soda ash for pretreatment of makeup water and min. of 20% solids by wt bentonite forming a low permeability seal not greater than 1x10^(-7) cm/sec which resists flow of fluid through the seal, is pumpable, and is mixed to the manufacturer's specs. If needed, additives for yield/rate control for bentonite products with same specs.

Must comply with State Electrical Code.

Must be developed to remove drilling fluids and debris left in the filter pack and formation as a result of the drilling process.

Must be cased with unused, watertight casing of steel, PVC, fiberglass, or teflon and must be manufactured expressly for water well casing. Packaging of thread compounds, sealants and lubricants must bear the NSF Standard 61 stamp of approval.