Words and phrases not defined in this section shall have their conventional
meanings unless expressly stated otherwise.
ABANDONED WATER WELL
A well that meets any of the following criteria: 1) construction
was terminated prior to completion of the well; 2) the well owner
has notified the local Board of Health that use of the well has been
permanently discontinued; 3) the well is a potential hazard to public
health or safety and the situation cannot be corrected; 4) the well
is in such a state of disrepair that its continued use is impractical;
or 5) the well has the potential for transmitting contaminants from
the land surface into an aquifer or from one aquifer to another and
the situation cannot be corrected.
AGENT
Any person designated and authorized by the Board to implement,
in whole or part, these regulations. To the extent provided by the
Board, the agent shall have all the authority of the Board and shall
be directly responsible to the Board and under its direction and control.
ALTER A WELL or WELL ALTERATION
Change the structural or hydraulic characteristics of a well
including but not limited to deepening, decommissioning, performing
well yield enhancement, or performing casing extension, replacement,
perforation or repair.
ANNULAR SPACE
The space between two cylindrical objects, one of which surrounds
the other. For example, the space between the wall of a drill hole
and a casing pipe, or between an inner and outer well casing.
APPLICANT
Any person who applies to have a private well constructed.
AQUIFER
A geologic formation, group of formations, or part of a formation
that contains sufficient saturated permeable material to yield significant
quantities of water to wells and springs.
ARTESIAN AQUIFER
An aquifer that is bound above and below by impermeable material
or materials or distinctly lower permeability than the aquifer itself.
The water in an aquifer confined in this manner will rise in a drilled
hole or well casing above the point of initial penetration (above
the bottom of the confining, or impermeable, layer overlying the aquifer).
BENTONITE
A mixture of swelling clay minerals containing at least 85%
of mineral montmorillonite (predominantly sodium montmorillonite)
which meets the specifications of the most recent revision of API
Standard 13A.
BENTONITE GROUT
A mixture of bentonite (API Standard 13A) and water in a
ratio of not less than one pound of bentonite per gallon of water.
BOARD
The Board of Health of Belchertown, Massachusetts or its
authorized agent.
BUSINESS OF WELL DRILLING
A person or entity who performs for commercial purposes,
the activity of drilling, digging, or altering a well within the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts.
CASING
Impervious durable pipe placed in a boring to prevent the
walls from caving and to serve as a vertical conduit for water, other
fluids, or gases in a well.
CERTIFIED COMPANY
A person authorized by nontransferable certification with
the Department, under 310 CMR 46.00, to engage in the business of
well drilling and alteration, determining well yield and pump installation.
CERTIFIED INDIVIDUAL
An individual authorized by nontransferable Certification
with the Department to drill or alter wells, as specified in 310 CMR
46.03(3).
CERTIFIED LABORATORY
A laboratory certified by the Department of Environmental
Protection for the analysis of drinking water and required water quality
analytes. Provisional certification is acceptable.
CONCRETE
A mixture consisting of Portland cement (ASTM Standard C150,
type I or API Standard 10, Class A), sand, gravel, and water in a
proportion of not more than five parts of sand plus gravel to one
part cement, by volume, and not more than six gallons of water. One
part cement, two parts sand, and three parts gravel are commonly used
with up to six gallons of water.
DEPARTMENT
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
HYDROFRACTURING
A process whereby water is pumped under high pressure into
a well to fracture the surrounding rock thereby increasing the well
yield.
IRRIGATION WELL
A well used for the sole purpose of watering or irrigation.
The well shall not be connected at any time to a dwelling or a building
unless it meets the requirements of a private drinking water well
and have the Board's written approval.
NEAT CEMENT GROUT
A mixture consisting of one bag (94 pounds) of Portland cement
(ASTM Standard C 150, Type I or API Standard 10, Class A) to not more
than six gallons of clean water. Bentonite (API Standard 13A), up
to 2% by weight of cement, shall be added to reduce shrinkage. Other
additives, as described in ASTM Standard C494, may be used to increase
fluidity and/or control setting time.
PERSON
Any agency or political subdivision of the federal government
or the commonwealth, any state, public or private corporation or authority,
individual, trust, firm, joint stock company, partnership, association,
or other entity, and any officer, employee or agent of said person,
and any group of said persons.
PRIVATE DRINKING WATER WELL
Any hole or shaft drilled into the ground or inject or withdraw
water, other fluids, or gasses, monitor soil gasses, monitor groundwater
levels or water quality, transfer heat, or provide cathodic protection
that is not regulated as a public water supply under 310 CMR 22.00.
PRIVATE WELL YIELD
The gallons per minute (gpm) of water that can flow or be
withdrawn from a well, at a sustained rate after a minimum of two
hours if the water level has stabilized (water level does not fluctuate
more than three inches) for the last 30 minutes of the test. (Required
volume of water: gallons of water needed to support the household's
daily needs, based on the following equation: the number of bedrooms
plus one, times 110 gallons, times a safety factor of two).
PUMP or PUMP SYSTEM
The mechanical equipment or devices used to remove water
from a well. For a well with a pitless adapter, the pump system includes
all piping and the pitless adapter. For a well with a submersible
pump and without a pitless adapter, the pump system includes all piping
up to the metering device, or if none, then up to the main control
valve inside the foundation of the structure served by the well. For
a well without a submersible pump and without a pitless adapter, the
pump system includes all piping up to and including the wellhead.
For installation or repair purposes, the pump or pump system includes
all piping up to the metering device or, if none, then up to the main
control valve inside the foundation of the structure served by the
well.
PUMPING (AQUIFER) TEST
A procedure used to determine the characteristics of a well
and adjacent aquifer by installing and operating a pump.
REGISTERED WELL DRILLER
Any person registered with the Department of Environmental
Management/Division of Water Resources to dig or drill wells in the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
REPLACE A PUMP or PUMP REPLACEMENT
Install a pump of the same horsepower as the pump that was
last removed, install any component of a pump with a component of
the same size and capacity as the one that was last removed; also,
removal and replacement of a pump or any component thereof.
SAND CEMENT GROUT
A mixture consisting of Portland cement (ASTM Standard C150,
Type I or API Standard 10, Class A), sand, and water in the proportion
of one part cement to three or four parts sand, by volume, and not
more than six gallons of water per bag (94 pounds) of cement. Up to
5% by weight of bentonite (API Standard 13A) shall be added to reduce
shrinkage.
STATIC WATER LEVEL
The distance from established ground surface to the stabilized
water level in a well which is neither being pumped nor under the
influence of pumping.
STRUCTURE
A combination of materials assembled at a fixed location
to give support or shelter, such as a building, framework, retaining
wall, fence, or the like.
STUMP DUMP
Wood waste disposal sites either buried or above ground with
a volume of 50 cubit yards or greater of stumps, brush, or trees.
Temporary storage of wood products with an intent value such as fire
wood or lumber, are excluded.
UTILITY RIGHT-OF-WAY
Any corridor of land over which facilities such as rail roads,
power lines, communication lines, or pipe lines are located.
WELL
Any hole or shaft drilled into the ground to inject or withdraw
water, other fluids, or gases, monitor soil gasses, monitor groundwater
levels or water quality, transfer heat, or provide cathodic protection.
WELL YIELD ENHANCEMENT
A process to increase the production of water and yield by
using water under pressure, or another substance the Department has
approved for use in the process, to clean our existing fractures in
order to allow water to flow into the well from other areas.
WELLHEAD
The aboveground component or structure built over a well.