Water supply from a private well is a regulatory area
with multiple enforcement in the State of Massachusetts. There are
state statutes enforceable by the Select Board (MGL c. 40, § 54)
and by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management (Well
Completion Report).
Since a private source of water is not supervised
by anyone other than an individual homeowner, it is imperative that
a homeowner be aware of the factors which govern approval of a water
supply as fit for human consumption.
MGL c. 40, § 54, states that a building
permit for a residential dwelling shall not be issued unless there
is a potable (approvable) source of water. This law is enforceable
by the Select Board through the Building Inspector.
Department of Environmental Management regulations,
313 CMR 3.00, require that a Well Completion Report be submitted to
the state, the local Board of Health, and the landowner.
MGL c. 21, § 16, requires that all well
drillers must be registered with the state, which includes meeting
state qualification requirements. The local Board of Health requires
that only licensed well drillers fill out applications for well installation.
The Board of Health also requires that, prior to any well driller
being given approval for well installation, a copy of his/her well
driller's license must be on file at the Board of Health office.
Drilled artesian wells must be constructed according
to guidelines detailed by the Department of Environmental Management.
The guidelines, basically, state the following:
The water must be tested by a state-approved lab for
bacteriological quality. A test result of 0 coliform/100 ml is the
minimum acceptable test result.
The Barre Board of Health does not require that water
be tested for chemical quality. The Board does have information available
concerning the primary and secondary water quality standards, which
are both Federal EPA and Massachusetts DEP standards.
The Barre Board of Health does not require that pump
testing be completed on all water supplies. However, to ensure an
adequate water supply, the following water yield to well depth table
is suggested:
If the yield is not adequate according to the above
chart, it may be necessary to incorporate a larger storage tank into
the home system to ensure adequate storage capacity.
If any provision of these rules and regulations,
or their application, is deemed to be invalid, such invalidity shall
not affect any provisions of the rules and regulations not specifically
deemed to be invalid.