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 or wells which may be illegally cross-connected
to the municipal water system are properly abandoned.
This article applies to all wells located on premises served
by the Village of Sherwood municipal water system.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
MUNICIPAL WATER SYSTEM
A system for the provision to the public of piped water for
human consumption, when such system has at least 15 service connections
or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents, owned or operated
by a city, village, county, town, town sanitary district, utility
district or public institution, or a privately owned water utility
serving any of the above.
NONCOMPLYING
A well or pump installation which does not comply with the
provisions of Ch. NR 812, Wis. Adm. Code, in effect at the time the
well was constructed, a contamination source was installed, the pump
was installed or work was done on either the well or pump installation.
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.
UNSAFE
A well or pump installation which produces water which is
bacteriologically contaminated or contaminated with substances in
exceedance of the standards of Ch. NR 140 or NR 809, Wis. Adm. Code,
or for which a health advisory has been issued by the Department of
Natural Resources.
UNUSED
A well or pump installation which is not in use or does not
have a functional pumping system.
WELL
An excavation or opening into the ground made by digging,
boring, drilling, driving, or other methods for the purpose of obtaining
groundwater for consumption or other use.
WELL ABANDONMENT
The filling and sealing of a well according to the provisions
of Ch. NR 812, Wis. Adm. Code.
[Amended 4-24-2000; 6-25-2012]
The Village of Sherwood may grant a permit to a private well
owner to operate a well, provided the conditions of this section are
met. The permit shall be effective for one year, and the 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 Sherwood, 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.
The following conditions must be met for issuance or renewal of a
well operation permit:
A. The well and pump installation meet or are upgraded to meet the requirements
of Ch. NR 812, Wis. Adm. Code.
B. The well has a locked cap to prevent access to the well.
C. The well construction and pump installation have a history of producing
bacteriologically safe water as evidenced annually by at least two
samplings taken a minimum of two weeks apart for bacteria testing,
with the first sample also requiring arsenic testing. All samplings
shall be collected by the applicant and tested by a certified lab
at the well owner's expense. Sampling results shall be provided to
the Village and must meet Department of Natural Resources requirements
for maximum contaminant levels for these parameters. No exception
to this condition may be made for unsafe wells, unless the State Department
of Natural Resources approves, in writing, the continued use of the
well.
D. An inspection shall be completed by a licensed plumber at the well
owner's expense every five years and the results of the inspection
provided to the Village showing that there are no cross-connections
between the well and pump installation and the municipal water system.
Any well owner violating any provision of this article shall, upon conviction, be punishable as prescribed in Chapter
40, Fees and Penalties, of this Code. Each day of violation is a separate offense. If any person fails to comply with this article for more than 10 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.