State Well Codes

All pumps installed for drilled wells shall be installed with a pitless adapter or a sanitary seal. Shall be installed to exclude the entrance of water or other material into the well. All pitless adapters shall be installed not to exceed the weight recommendation of the manufacturer. Any above ground installation shall use a sanitary well seal.

Not to be terminated in unconsolidated materials unless adequate qty of water free from fine soil particles can be withdrawn. The contractor shall develop the well by using appropriate methods of his or her choice until such time as the well produces water substantially free from fine soil particles.

Void area outside casing shall be filled with cement grout, bentonite or ledge cuttings. Recommended that the materials, methods and procedures in the “Manual of Water Well Construction, Second Edition, published in 1998 by the National Groundwater Association”, chapter 4 be used.

Must be installed in permanent manner. When “Jaswell” type seal tips are installed on liners, they shall be watertight and leak-free.

Well casing shall extend above the ground surface a minimum of eight inches. In areas prone to flooding, additional height, or a vented watertight cap may be required. Casing shall be covered to prevent entrance of foreign matter. Bottom of casing shall be terminated using: open end casing, well screen, gravel packs, or perforated casings.

The void area outside the casing shall be filled with cement grout, bentonite or ledge cuttings.

Openings to be turned downward & screened. Required for public supply water wells & recommended for others. To be no less than 0.5 in. in diameter. To be no less than 1 ft. above top of well casing. To be piped water-tight & to a point at least 2 ft. above highest flood level within a 10 year period. To prevent entrance of contaminants. Vents will not be required when single-pipe
jet pumps are used.

To be installed at top of casing for all wells. To be of cast iron, steel, aluminum, high impact plastic, neoprene, or a combination of these.

Every water well or hole drilled in the state of Louisiana shall be registered with the department in accordance with the requirements of LAC 56:I.Chapter 1. Required within 30 days of completion.

Drilled hole to be straight & plumb. Test Plumbness & Alignment according to AWWA A-100 and article 51 of USEPA Manual of Water Well Construction Practices.

50 ft.

50 ft.

30 ft.

50 ft.

50 ft.

250 ft. from the landside toe of levee. If within 1,500 ft. of any state or federal flood control levee or structure, the owner or driller must first obtain permission from the appropriate levee board.

50 ft.

Amount of disinfectant required is determined primarily by the amount of water in the well. Refer to table 312 IAC 13-9-2 subdivision (1) to establish the amount of chlorine to use for each foot of water in the well. Amount of bleach determined should be added to approximately 10 gallons of water and splashed around the lining or wall of the well. The entire amount of disinfectant must be circulated so that the solution contacts all parts of the well. The top of the well must be sealed. Another application of chlorine may be substituted by a water well driller which results in a chlorine concentration of at least 100 ppm.

Individuals must pass an exam. Well construction, reworking, plugging and abandoning to be undertaken by a licensed contractor (driller). Reworking includes removing and replacing screens, replacing gravel pack around screens, replacing a new screen within the old screen, placing a liner pipe within the old casing, redeveloping a well by surging, acidizing, jetting, etc.

May be used where mixture is 5 gal. of water per 94 lb. sack of cement in lieu of cement-bentonite slurry.

May have additives. Slurry to consist of 8% or less bentonite by dry weight of cement & at least 10 gal. of water per 94 lb. sack of cement.

Prohibited.

Chemical mixture to stand in well for at least 1 hr. Chemicals to meet AWWA or EPA standards. Development of gravel-packed wells, to be accomplished by jetting or cross washing method. Glassy polyphosphate chemicals are beneficial to development. Observed specific capacity to = theoretical specific capacity. Sand not to exceed 5 mg/L of water. To be backwashed or surged by starting & stopping pump. To be jetted w/ water (cross washing). Use chemicals designed for developing & redeveloping. Wells to be developed at yield of 1.5x proposed pumping rate. Wells to be developed by surging w/ a plunger of piston while jetting using an air-lift. Wells to be over-pumped. Wells to be relatively sand free & have less encrustation problems.

To meet ASTM A36, ASTM A242, ASTM 570-79, ASTM A283, or ASTM A441.

To conform to ASTM D-2564.

Shall be threaded, integral bell pipe, or one piece couplings. Solvent-weld tapered bell & spigot joints to meet ASTM D-2672.

If located in flood-prone area, casing must be at least 2 ft. above 10-yr highest flood level. When located in coastal areas prone to storm surge, wells with casing 4 inches or less shall be constructed with: casing material strength S/40 PVC or greater and max. height 24 inches above ground surface, protective casing S/80 PVC or greater with diameter size providing minimum 3 inch space between well casing O.D. and O.D. of protective casing, protective casing height of 20-22 inches above ground surface and min. depth below ground surface to 38 inches or greater, spacing between protective casing and well casing filled with Portland cement, and grouted down to depth of at least 50 ft. below ground surface. Well piping constructed to prevent introduction of surface water if damage to piping or pressure tank occurs.

Prohibited.

Shall be sealed to minimum depth of 10 ft. to ground surface using pump-down or gravity method. with cement-bentonite slurry, neat cement, sodium bentonite with a minimum porosity of 10^(-8). Slurry to be placed in annular space from bottom to top in one continuous operation. Slurry to fill a min annular space of 1.5 in. for 4 in. wells or less, & fill a min of 2 in. for 6 in. wells or greater.

Each well shall be tested for yield, be test pumped at capacity at least equal to pumping rate desire during normal use. Shall be developed and tested at capacity for minimum of 1 hr, yield and drawdown shall be recorded. Pumping equipment shall be installed at a depth to allow for drawdown caused by pumping equipment and seasonal water level fluctuations.

Required for wells drawing from unconsolidated formations. Approved screen materials are stainless steel, brass, bronze, fiberglass, and polyvinyl chloride or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastic. Should have adequate openings to provide for maximum water transmittance with respect to size of water bearing formation or gravel pack.

Should be equipped with pumping apparatus that provides at least 50 ft. of available drawdown.

Shall provide consistence with WSC Listing of Products for PAS-97(04). Shall extend the upper end of the well at least 1 ft above ground level and be affixed to well casing in a watertight manner by threading, welding (including gluing) or mechanical connection. Attached to be watertight, adapter fitting should be commercially produced casting or shop-welded fitting, pressure tested to at least 100 psi, no weeping or leakage. Should be designed to prevent pump column pipe from dropping into well.

1,500 ft.

100 ft. includes surface or subsurface stored chemicals such as gasoline, diesel fuel, home heating oil, fertilizer, pesticides, etc.

50 ft. Sanitary or storm sewer not constructed of water works grade ductile iron, cast iron or PVC pipe with mechanical or push-on joints.

If residence located within 2,500 ft, consult with DEM Office of Land Quality.

100 ft. includes pit privy; manure pile; manure holding tank; silage pit; dry well; seepage pit or trench.

10 ft.

Neat cement with no more than 5% by weight of bentonite additive, bentonite slurry (can include polymers to retard swelling), pelletized, granular, medium grade, or coarse grade crushed bentonite, or other approved materials. Cement or bentonite slurry shall be pumped from bottom continuously with grout pipe or casing with positive displacement method. Other grout shall be placed to prevent bridging of annulus between outside of well casing and borehole. Annulus must be grouted within 24 hrs following installation of well casing or before drilling equipment is removed from site, whichever is earlier.

At least one 100 ppm chlorine concentration in water required for disinfection using laundry bleach (5.25% chlorine) or hypochlorite granules (70% chlorine). See table 312 IAC 13-9-1 to determine how much to use based on well diameter and gallons of water per foot. Pour solution into well ensuring casing walls wetted before covered, capped or sealed. Another application of chlorine may be substituted by a water well driller which results in a chlorine concentration of at least 100 ppm.

Water used in the drilling process shall be obtained from a source that will not result in contamination of the well or water bearing zones penetrated by the well. Water from creeks and ponds not permitted. Drilling water should be potable, should be treated to maintain a free chlorine residual of 100 mg/L.

Casing shall terminate not less than 10 ft below ground surface, must be firmly embedded in or connected to a pipe, minimum of 2 inches inside diameter, cast in reinforced buried concrete slab, or attached to an NSF certified fiberglass cap with watertight mechanical or glued connection. Fiberglass casing may be slotted below ground surface. Shall have a continuous watertight lining of steel or fiberglass casing or concrete extending at least 5 ft below ground surface. Annular opening filled with washed graded gravel from bottom of well to at least 5 ft below ground surface. Remaining annulus shall be sealed with neat cement, bentonite slurry, or granular, pelletized, medium or coarse grade crushed bentonite. Cover slab at least 4 inches thick with diameter larger than casing or NSF certified fiberglass cap. Vents or pump piping through slab shall have pipe sleeves cast in place, if through fiberglass cap or casing shall be attached with watertight mechanical or glued connection. Top of slab or cap shall be sloped to drain all sides. Water tight joint made where slab rests on well lining using watertight sealing compound. Any manhole installed shall have a metal curb cast in the concrete slab with open end turned down at least 6 inches above slab. Open end shall be covered with 16 mesh or finer screen made of durable material. Vent shall be installed in a fiberglass cap or casing and shall consist of metal or plastic pipe extending at least 6 inches above cap or away from casing with open end turned down. A hole drilled in the concrete casing for a below ground discharge line shall be sealed on the inside and outside of the well casing with concrete or a mastic compound. Fiberglass casing equipped with a below ground discharge line shall have the discharge line attached with a watertight mechanical or glued connection. Where casing is used with an inside diameter of less than 12 inches that extends the entire depth of the borehole, the graded gravel filling the annular space shall terminate not less than 10 ft below ground surface. The borehole annulus shall be filled with granular, pelletized, or coarse grade crushed bentonite a minimum of 6 inches thick and the remainder of the borehole shall be filled with clean earth and thoroughly tamped to minimize settling.

Should be new, first-class material meeting ASTM1Standards A-120 or A-53, or API2 Standards API-5A or API-5L. Only casing salvaged from water well test holes may be reused for well drilling. Where corrosive water or soil is likely to be encountered, see Table 2 for thicknesses that should be used.

Min. inside diameter 2 in. and must allow for easy installation and future removal of permanent pumping equipment. Shall extend at least 1 ft above ground level. If located in designated flood hazard area, must be at least 2 ft above reg. flood elevation or be equipped with watertight pitless unit cap or well seal and vented to an elevation at least 2 ft above reg. flood elevation. Must be cased to min. depth of 25 ft below ground surface. Constructed of steel, thermoplastic, NSF certified fiberglass pipe, or concrete tile to be used in bucket wells, and casing must be new. Ferrous casing shall be new, first class material that meets ASTM A-120 (1984), A-53 (1987) or API-5A or API-5L (1987). No finished casing shall be cut below ground surface except to install pitless well adapter.

Should be 1 in. between casing and wall of hole. To be properly sealed with neat cement grout or bentonite clay grout to prevent entry of contaminants into aquifer. Proper sealing directions by geology available in section 2.3 SEALING.

Shall be filled with natural clay materials, neat cement, bentonite slurry or med to coarse grade crushed or pelletized bentonite from bottom to not less than 25 ft. below ground surface, then filled with neat cement, bentonite slurry or med to course grade bentonite chips from 25 ft. below surface to 2 ft. below surface. Remainder shall be filled with natural clay material to ground surface.

Well not used for more than 3 months without being permanently abandoned must be sealed at or above ground surface by a welded, threaded, or mechanically attached watertight cap, and maintained so does not become a source of ground water contamination.

50 ft.

100 ft.