These regulations are promulgated by the Kingston Board of Health in accordance with MGL c. 111, § 1.
A.
The purpose of these regulations is to protect the safety and welfare of the public by establishing suitable standards for the construction, use, and maintenance of private wells.
B.
Although local conditions may require more stringent regulating to protect the interests of public safety and welfare, the following regulations, when properly enforced, should afford adequate protection.
The following definitions apply to these regulations:
A well that has not been used for water supply for a period of one year.
A water-bearing geologic formation that transmits water in sufficient quantities to supply a well.
A vertical pipe placed in the ground to prevent caving and to seal off surface water from a well.
Issued by the Board of Health on its findings that a well has been constructed in accordance with these regulations.
Piping connection between well and point of water use.
The vertical distance between static water level in a well and water level when the well is being pumped.
Well that is constructed by drilling a hole and inserting the well casing and screen.
Well that is constructed by driving a well point to which the screen and casing are attached.
Water that is safe for human consumption.
The vertical distance between ground surface and water surface in the well while the well is not being pumped, influenced by pumping nearby or flowing under artesian pressure.
Any hole, boring, or shaft constructed for the purpose of extracting water from the ground.
Any person, association, partnership, company, corporations or trust licensed by the Massachusetts Water Resources Commission to construct wells.
Slotted opening at the bottom of the casing through which water enters the well.
A protective barrier to prevent surface pollution from entering the well.
Maximum rate at which water may be drawn from a well.
A.
A well construction permit shall be obtained from the Board of Health prior to the construction of any well. Applications for well permits shall be accompanied by a plot plan showing property lines, locations of any structures in the proposed well location, distance between well and street, property lines, buried fuel tanks, sewage disposal systems (and reserve areas) on the lot and, if within 300 feet of the proposed well site, disposal systems and reserve areas of adjoining lots. The Board of Health reserves the right to require a certification of this plan from a registered professional engineer.
Construction of wells in Kingston shall be performed only by well drillers who are registered with the Massachusetts Water Resources Commission, Division of Water Resources, as required by 310 CMR 46.00, Certification of Well Drillers and Filing of Well Completion Reports.
Within 30 days after completion of any well, the well driller shall submit to the Board of Health a report containing the name and address of the well owner, the geographic location of the well (or sufficient accuracy to permit plotting on USGS topographic map), depth to refusals, static water level, method used to test well yield, method of disinfection and laboratory analysis of the well. In addition, the well driller shall submit an as-built plan showing the material penetrated of the well casing above the finished connection to casing, well screen type and length, depth of screen setting and date of installation and testing.
A.
All wells shall be located at sufficient distances from potential sources of pollution to prevent impairment of water quality. The following minimum lateral distances shall apply to common sources of pollution:
B.
Where, in the opinion of the Board of Health, documented adverse conditions exist, the above distances may be increased.
C.
Wherever possible, the well shall be up gradient from sources of pollution.
A.
The casing for a driven or drilled well shall have minimum length of 40 feet. The top of the casing shall be at least 12 inches above finished ground surfaces. The thickness of casing shall be selected in accordance with conditions encountered, and shall not be less than Schedule 40 steel pipe. The casing must be new; used casings are prohibited.
B.
The top of the well casing shall be sealed with a watertight, sanitary well seal. If ventilation is required for the well, a two-inch vent pipe with a 180° inverted U-fitting terminating at least three feet above finished ground surface (or floor level if a well house is used) shall be provided. The vent shall be provided with a corrosion-resistant screen.
A.
The annular space between the well casing and the wall of the well resulting from the construction wall shall be properly sealed with a concrete collar to protect against pollution by surface water. With a well constructed in consolidated material, the depth of seal shall be at least five feet below either original or finished ground surface, whichever is lower; the seal must be extended at least five feet into the impervious formation. For walls terminating in bedrock, the well must be sealed with a casing extending from at least 12 inches above finished ground surface for a depth of at least 10 feet into bedrock.
B.
Depending on local conditions, i.e., potential sources of pollution, the Board of Health may require greater depths of seal than herein indicated.
The underground connection between the wall casing and discharge pipe must be located below the frost line. A watertight collar, such as a pitless adapted, must be provided to prevent the entrance of groundwater into the well casing at the connection.
Discharge piping shall consist of either PVC pipe with pressure rating and size to suit local conditions, or of pipe approved by the Board of Health.
A.
All plumbing used for the distribution of water from a private well supply shall be in accordance with the Uniform State Plumbing Code, 248 CMR 10.00. Cross-connections between private well suppliers and the Kingston public water system are prohibited.
B.
Wells used for pumping water from an unconsolidated aquifer shall be equipped with Type 304 stainless steel continuous slot screen. Screen opening size shall be based on sieve analysis if the material is at screen depth. Screens shall be designed to limit flow velocity to a maximum of 0.1 foot per second, based on permanent pumping rate.
The well shall be developed by pumping, surging, jetting, and other suitable means to produce sand-free water while the well is be pumped at a rate of 1.5 times the pumping rate of the permanent pump.
After development and prior to test pumping, the well and discharge piping shall be disinfected with sufficient chlorine concentration of 50 ppm, at the end of 24 hours in the water column standing in the casing and screen. At the end of 24 hours, the chlorine solution shall be pumped to waste and flushed from the discharge pipe.
A.
A deep well turbine, submersible or jet pump may be used for pumping water from the well.
B.
If a pump room is to be used for pumping equipment, it shall be located above the pump room floor. The pad shall be constructed to provide a watertight seal to prevent penetration of pollutants on the floor from entering the well.
The finish ground surface at the well shall be sloped at a grade of 2% to prevent ponding of surface water.
Whenever there is an interruption of work on well construction, such as overnight shutdown, waiting periods because of inclement weather or for setting up of sealing materials, tests, installation of pump, etc., the well opening shall be closed with a cover to prevent pollutants from entering the well. During interruptions of one week or more, a semipermanent, steel-cover, tank welded to the top of the well shall be installed.
A.
The well shall be test pumped continuously for a period of at least four hours. Yield of the well shall be considered to be that rate of pumping after which level recovery reaches either 80% of drawdown within 30 minutes or 100% of drawdown with 12 hours. During test pumping, water level in the well shall not be drawn down below five feet above the top of the screen.
B.
Any well to be used for private well supply must have minimum yield of five gallons a minute.