The purpose of this article is to prevent contamination of groundwater
and to protect public health, safety and welfare by assuring that
unused, unsafe or noncomplying wells or wells which may serve as conduits
for contamination of groundwater or wells which may be illegally cross-connected
to the municipal water system are properly filled and sealed or maintained.
This article applies to all wells located on premises served by the Village of Bellevue municipal water system. Communities outside the jurisdiction of a supplying municipal system are also required by code, contract agreement, or utility rule to adopt and enforce equivalent ordinances within their jurisdictions for the purpose stated in §
450-13 above.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
COMMUNITIES SERVED
Any jurisdiction having customers supplied by a municipal
water system as retail or wholesale customers, including those outside
the jurisdiction of the supplying system.
MUNICIPAL WATER SYSTEM
A community water system owned by a city, village, county,
town, town sanitary district, utility district, public inland lake
and rehabilitation district or a federal, state, county, or municipal
owned institution for congregate care or correction, or a privately
owned water utility serving the foregoing.
NONCOMPLYING
A well or pump installation which does not comply with the
provisions of § NR 812.42, Wis. Adm. Code, Standards for
Existing Installations, and which has not been granted a variance
pursuant to § NR 812.43, Wis. Adm. Code.
PUMP INSTALLATION
The pump and related equipment used for withdrawing water
from a well, including the discharge piping, the underground connections,
pitless adapters, pressure tanks, pits, sampling faucets and well
seals or caps.
SERVED BY
Any property having a water supply pipe extending onto it
which is connected to the municipal water system.
UNSAFE
A well or pump installation which produces water that is
bacteriologically contaminated or contaminated with substances in
exceedance of the standards of Ch. NR 140 or 809, Wis. Adm. Code,
or for which a health advisory has been issued by the Department of
Natural Resources.
UNUSED
One which does not have a functional pumping system or other
complying means of withdrawing water.
WELL
A drillhole or other excavation or opening deeper than it
is wide that extends more than 10 feet below the ground surface constructed
for the purpose of obtaining groundwater.
WELL ABANDONMENT
The filling and sealing of a well according to the provisions
of § NR 812.26, Wis. Adm. Code.
All wells located on premises served by the municipal water system shall be properly filled and sealed in accordance with §
450-18 of this article no later than one year from the date of connection to the municipal water system, or discovery or construction of a well, unless a valid well operation permit has been issued to the well owner by the Village of Bellevue under the terms of §
450-17 of this article.
The owners of wells on premises served by the municipal water
system shall make application for a well operation permit for each
well no later than one year after connection to the municipal water
system or date of discovery or construction of a well. The Village
of Bellevue shall grant a permit to a private well owner to operate
a well for a period not to exceed five years, providing all conditions
of this section are met. A well owner may request renewal of a well
operation permit by submitting information verifying that the conditions
of this section are met. The Village of Bellevue, or its agent, may
conduct inspections or have water quality tests conducted at the applicant's
expense to obtain or verify information necessary for consideration
of a permit application or renewal. Permit applications and renewals
shall be made on forms provided by the Village. All initial and renewal
applications must be accompanied by the fees on file with the Village
of Bellevue. The following conditions must be met for issuance or
renewal of a well operation permit:
A. The well and pump installation shall comply with the Standards for
Existing Installations described in § NR 812.42, Wis. Adm.
Code, or repaired to comply with current standards. Compliance shall
be verified by inspection for initial issuance of a permit and every
10 years thereafter. Inspections shall be conducted by a Wisconsin
licensed well driller or pump installer and documented on inspection
report form DNR No. 3300-221, to be submitted to the Village of Bellevue.
B. The well construction and pump installation have a history of producing
bacteriologically safe water as evidenced by at least one coliform
bacteria sample collected within prior 30 days and submitted to the
Village of Bellevue. In areas where the Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) has determined that groundwater aquifers are contaminated with
substances other than bacteria, additional chemical tests may be required
to document the safety of the water.
C. There shall be no cross-connections between the well and pump installation
or distribution piping and the municipal water system unless approved
by the DNR and the Village of Bellevue.
D. The proposed use of the well and pump installation can be justified
as being necessary in addition to water provided by the municipal
water system.
E. The water from the private well shall not discharge into a drain
leading to a public sewer utility unless properly metered and authorized
by the sewer utility.
F. The private well shall have a functional pumping system or other
complying means of withdrawing water.
Any well owner violating any provision of this article shall, upon conviction, be punished by forfeiture established in §
1-4. Each day of violation is a separate offense. If any person fails to comply with this article for more than 30 days after receiving written notice of the violation, the municipality may impose a penalty and cause the well abandonment to be performed and the expense to be assessed as a special tax against the property.