Township of Washington, NJ Water

A code regulating the location, construction, alteration, use and supervision of individual and semipublic water supplies, requiring certain permits, providing for the inspection of such supplies, the fixing of fees and prescribing penalties for violation is hereby adopted pursuant to N.J.S.A. 26:3-69.1 to 3-69.6. A copy of the code is annexed to this article and made a part of it without inclusion of the text herein.

§ 255-2 Title.

The code established and adopted by this article is described and commonly known as "Standards for the Construction of Public Noncommunity and Nonpublic Water Systems (2000)" which is set forth in Chapter 7:10-12.1 through 7:10-12.43 of the New Jersey Administrative Code and the supplements and additions thereto pursuant to N.J.S.A. 58:11-23 et seq. and N.J.S.A. 58:12A-1 et seq. and the amendments and supplements thereto.

§ 255-3 Copies on file.

Three copies of N.J.A.C. 7:10-12.1 et seq., Standards for the Construction of Public Noncommunity and Nonpublic Water Systems (2000), have been placed on file in the offices of the Secretary of the Board of Health and the Township Clerk for use and examination by the public.

§ 255-4 Permit required.

No person shall locate, construct or alter any water supply until a permit for the location, construction or alteration of such water supply is issued by the Board of Health.

§ 255-5 Issuance of permit.

The Board of Health may issue a permit if an application therefor is accompanied by a certificate made by an engineer licensed to practice professional engineering in the State of New Jersey or a New Jersey State licensed well driller stating that the design of the water supply as proposed is in compliance with the code. In the case of a replacement well for a building or facility already served by an individual water supply system, a New Jersey licensed well driller may make such application and certification in lieu of an engineer.

§ 255-6 Certificate of compliance required.

New water supplies shall not be placed in operation, nor shall new dwellings or buildings or additions thereto be sold or occupied which must rely on such a supply for water, until the Board of Health has issued a certificate indicating that the water supply has been located and constructed in compliance with the terms of the permit issued and the requirements of the code. Issuance of such certificate shall not be required for alteration to an existing water supply.

§ 255-7 Hearing on denial of permit or certificate.

If any person or certificate required by this article is denied by the Board of Health, a hearing shall be held thereon before the Board within 15 days after request is made by the applicant. Upon such hearing the Board of Health shall affirm, alter or rescind its previous determination and take action accordingly within 15 days thereafter.

§ 255-8 Stop orders.

The Board of Health may order all further work in and about any water supply which is being erected or installed in violation of the code to be stopped forthwith, except such work as shall be necessary to remedy such violation, and thereafter the work continued without any violation of any of the provisions of the code. After issuance of any such order and the service of a copy thereof upon any person connected with or working in and about the erection or installation of such water supply or any part thereof, no further work shall be done thereon except as aforesaid.

§ 255-9 Standards for certificate of compliance.

[Amended 11-26-2002 by Ord. No. 2-02]

The well must be staked by a land surveyor or engineer for wells on vacant lots. The well driller may stake the well for replacement wells.

The casing of each well shall extend 18 inches above grade, and all pump and well installations shall include a pitless adapter and shall be properly vented.

Well caps or coverings shall be bonnet-type, heavy pattern, and Harvard or Martinson brands are the types preferred. Other makes may be approved by the inspector.

The minimum distance between a new well and any component of a septic system shall be 100 feet. In the event a new well must be constructed to replace a preexisting well, in circumstances where the physical condition of the lot renders compliance with this requirement impossible, then the Board may apply the less stringent distance standards set forth in the Standards for the Construction of Public Noncommunity and Nonpublic Water Systems (2000), provided that the applicant shows to the satisfaction of the Board that those less stringent standards can be applied with safety.

All wells shall be cased to a minimum depth of 50 feet.

The well line must be located a minimum of 48 inches below grade and must be bedded with six inches of clean sand below and six inches of clean sand above the well line.

If an existing septic system needs to be altered or constructed within 100 feet of a substandard well (well has less than 50 feet casing, is a spring, dug well, cistern, or Kelly concrete-cased well), a new well must be drilled in compliance with the Standards for the Construction of Public Noncommunity and Nonpublic Water Systems (2000). The old well must be properly sealed by a person who possesses a valid New Jersey well driller's license of the proper class as issued by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection pursuant to N.J.S.A. 58:4A-4.1 et seq.

§ 255-10 Amendments pertaining to individual wells.

The following amendments, for the purpose of upgrading and establishing specific criteria for individual water systems to protect the health of the Township residents, are made to the Standards for the Construction of Public Noncommunity and Nonpublic Water Systems (August 21, 2000), adopted by reference in § 255-1 of this article. This article shall apply to all new water wells, which will supply new homes and/or buildings.

Minimum well yields.

(1)

Definitions. As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:

MAXIMUM PUMPING LEVEL

A distance of 10 feet above the bottom of a well.

PEAK LOAD

The amount of water used during periods of the day when demand is highest.

PEAK LOAD TIME

The length of time during which the peak load is to be delivered.

PNEUMATIC TANK STORAGE

Volume of water stored between the minimum and maximum pressure settings in pressure tanks with a two-hundred-twenty-gallon maximum size.

STATIC WATER LEVEL

The elevation of water in a well when no pumping is in progress.

WELL FLOW

Initial well yield at the wellhead in gallons per minute reduced by a decremental factor of 10%.

WELL STORAGE

The volume of water stored in the well between the static water level and the maximum pumping level.

(2)

All new water wells drilled within the Township of Washington which are intended to be used as potable water supply for new residential and/or commercial use shall yield not less than two gallons per minute at the tap.

(3)

Any such residential well shall produce at peak load time a well flow and well storage which, when combined with pneumatic tank storage, exceeds the peak load. Compliance with this requirement shall be determined in accordance with the following formulas:

[Amended 11-26-2002 by Ord. No. 2-02]

(a)

(Well flow x peak load time) + well storage + pneumatic tank storage greater than peak load

(b)

Well flow = .9 x (initial well yield)

(c)

Peak load time = :

75 x (number of bedrooms)

—————————————

3 x (number of bathrooms)

(d)

Well storage = 3.14 x r2 (well depth - static water level -10)

(e)

Peak load 75 x (number of bedrooms)

The yield shall be determined through the use of a four-hour pumping test. The test shall show static level drawdown during pumping test and recovery time to static level.

The well driller/pump installer shall:

[Amended 11-26-2002 by Ord. No. 2-02]

(1)

Perform the pumping test described in Subsection B of this section.

(2)

Supply the Department of Health of the Township of Washington with detailed information regarding the pump test and shall certify the same to the Board of Health of the Township of Washington on forms supplied by said Department.

The well shall be installed and pump tested before any other construction permits are issued.

[Amended 11-26-2002 by Ord. No. 2-02]

The builder or property owner of newly constructed dwellings shall be responsible for the quality of the water produced by the individual water supply system until the issuance of a certificate of occupancy. The builder or property owner shall arrange for an initial water test in accordance with the requirements of the Private Well Testing Act, N.J.A.C. 7:9E, including the following parameters as soon as the water is available within the dwelling. The sample for this initial test must be collected prior to the installation of any treatment system. Prior to signing an application for a certificate of occupancy, the Department of Health of the Township of Washington shall confirm that all parameters listed are in compliance with applicable standards as indicated. Treatment systems installed to correct for parameters which fail the initial test will be required. Retesting for failing parameters after treatment will be required to ensure compliance with the specifically enumerated standards.

	Substance/Condition	Concentration Maximum
	Corrosivity	Within plus/minus 1.0 LSI units as defined by the Langelier Index
	pH	Within 6.5 to 8.5 pH units
	Arsenic	0.01 mg/L
	Total Coliform bacteria	0/negative
	Copper	1.3 mg/L Action Level
	Fluoride	2.0 mg/L
	Iron	0.3 mg/L
	Lead	0.015 mg/L Action Level
	Mercury	0.002 mg/L
	Manganese	0.05 mg/L
	Nitrates	10 mg/L
	Volatile organics	MCLs established under the Safe Drinking Water Act, N.J.S.A. 58:12A-1 et seq., and implementing rules, N.J.A.C. 7:10.

When it becomes necessary to install a water treatment device on any potable water supply system in the Township of Washington, it shall become the obligation of the owner or builder of said system to install the appropriate water treatment device. Once said device is installed, it must remain on the site and be utilized in conjunction with the water supply system.

[Amended 11-26-2002 by Ord. No. 2-02]

The builder shall provide the Health Department with the list of water treatment devices installed on the water supply (if applicable), and list the reasons for the installation.

[Amended 11-26-2002 by Ord. No. 2-02]

Wells drilled to service existing dwellings must be sampled in accordance with the Private Well Testing Act, N.J.A.C. 7:9E, for the following parameters: pH, arsenic, total coliform bacteria, iron, manganese, nitrates, volatile organics, copper and lead. Compliance for those parameters for which there is a primary standard will be required.

[Amended 11-26-2002 by Ord. No. 2-02]

§ 255-11 Fees and charges.

[Amended 11-26-2002 by Ord. No. 2-02; 3-23-2004 by Ord. No. 4-04]

For the filing of an application and plans for the issuance of a permit to locate and construct a new water supply system, the fee shall be $200, plus, if applicable, the cost to the Department of Health of initial water supply testing. The permit shall be valid for two years from the date of issuance, but may be renewed upon payment of an annual renewal fee of $50. No permit may be renewed more than four times.

For the filing of an application and plans for the issuance of a permit to alter an existing water supply system, the fee shall be $50, plus, if applicable, the cost to the Department of Health of the initial water supply testing. The permit shall be valid for two years from the date of issuance, but may be renewed upon payment of an annual renewal fee of $50. No permit may be renewed more than four times.

§ 255-12 Certificates of potability; fee; violations and penalties.

[Amended 11-26-2002 by Ord. No. 2-02]

Certificate required. Prior to the transfer of title of any residential dwelling serviced by an individual water supply, a certificate of potability shall be obtained from the Board of Health indicating that the water supply meets specific current primary potable water supply standards of the State of New Jersey and the Board of Health. The applicant must note the source of water. Dug wells, springs, Kelly concrete-cased wells and cisterns are not acceptable sources of water. If a home is serviced by a source of water other than a well (as defined by Chapter 10, Safe Drinking Water Act), a new well must be drilled and tested prior to the transfer of title. All water treatment/purification devices must be noted by the applicant on the application for the certificate. Certified laboratory results of samples taken by a New Jersey certified laboratory or their authorized agent must be supplied prior to certificate of potability issuance, by providing the original copy of the water results from the water testing laboratory, or a fax directly from the water-testing laboratory. The water supply must be sampled in accordance with the Private Well Testing Act (N.J.A.C. 7:9E). Results must indicate pH, total coliform bacteria, nitrates, iron, manganese, lead, copper, arsenic and volatile organics. If water treatment/purification devices are in place, an additional test for total coliform bacteria, plus any other primary drinking water parameter(s) treated for by the system, must be performed at a primary cold water non-aerated tap with the treatment device functioning. The results of all laboratory analyses used to obtain a certificate of potability are valid for 12 months after the date of sampling. The only exception will be in the case of total coliform bacteria testing where the results are valid for six months after the sampling date. The requirement for a certificate of potability shall be noted on all tax searches performed by the Township of Washington. The report shall be made part of the property's permanent file.

Exemptions. New water wells regulated by § 255-10 shall be exempt from this section.

Fees. For the filing of an application and the issuance of a certificate of potability, the fee shall be $50. For the filing of an application to reissue a certificate of potability, the fee shall be $25.

[Amended 3-23-2004 by Ord. No. 4-04]

Violations and penalties. Any person who violates the provisions of this article shall be subject to a fine not to exceed $500 or imprisonment for a term not to exceed 90 days, or both, for each violation.

§ 255-13 Well pumps; fee.

Only a New Jersey licensed well driller or pump installer may repair, install or replace a well pump. A permit will be required to repair, replace or install a well pump in an existing well. The applicant must note the approved individual who will be performing the work. The fee for this permit will be $50. This fee includes a total coliform bacteria test, which may be taken by the applicant or this Department.

§ 255-14 Well lines; fee.

Any relocation, changes, alterations or repairs to a well line must be permitted and inspected by the Health Department. The fee for this permit will be $50. This fee includes a total coliform bacteria test, which may be taken by the applicant or this Department.