Anyone desiring to do work for which a water well drilling permit is required must be registered with the city as a contractor. Registration with the city is effective for one calendar year. Well drillers must be licensed by the State of Texas prior to being registered with the city. Registration with the city is required before a city permit can be issued. Registration fees shall be in accordance with section 98-185, Contractor Registration of the North Richland Hills Code or Ordinances.
(Ordinance 3208, § 4, adopted 7/9/2012)
(a) 
Prior to the drilling of any water well within the corporate limits of the city, a permit shall be obtained from the city by filing an application with the public works department at least two weeks in advance of commencing work on the well. An application to drill a water well within the city limits shall contain two copies of the following information.
(1) 
The name, address, and phone number of the owner of the land upon which the work is to be done.
(2) 
A map drawn to scale showing the location of the well and including its latitude, longitude, and street address.
(3) 
Show to scale on the map the location of all other water wells, fences, swimming pools, property lines, irrigation lines, animal pens, fuel storage tanks, septic tanks, lateral fields, aerobic on-site sewage systems, and aerobic system effluent spray piping on the tract of land the well is to be drilled and located.
(4) 
The type of material and size of casing, piping, and all other equipment to be installed.
(5) 
The well driller's name, business address, phone number, and Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) license number.
(6) 
An application fee as set forth in appendix A. Such fee shall initially be $50.00 and be included in appendix A and adjusted annually for inflation by the city's finance department.
(7) 
Copy of permit and registration with the NTGCD.
(b) 
TDLR driller's license required: No water well in the city limits shall be drilled, reworked, or repaired unless the person, company, or corporation doing the work has a well driller's license from the TDLR and a well driller's registration from the city. Normal maintenance of pumps, delivery pipe, wiring, or sand removal should be performed by a licensed well driller or by persons under his supervision unless exempted under TAC, Title 16, Part 4, Chapter 76, Section 76.30, Exemptions.
(c) 
Water well construction: All water wells drilled within the city limits shall meet the following minimum requirements.
(1) 
All water wells drilled within the city shall be constructed and completed in accordance with the appropriate rules promulgated by the TCEQ or TDLR for an individual property owner (private well). These rules and regulations are found in the Texas Administrative Code, Title 16 - Economic Regulation, Part 4 - Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Chapter 76 - Water Well Drillers and Water Well Pump Installers.
(2) 
All wells shall be constructed and completed in accordance with the rules and regulations of the NTGCD.
(3) 
All wells shall be for irrigation purposes only.
(4) 
All wellheads and vents shall be at least two feet above the ground or the known high watermark or 100-year base flood elevation (BFE) whichever is higher.
(5) 
No well other than a city owned and operated public drinking water supply well is permitted to be connected to the city's public water system.
(d) 
All new water well locations shall meet the rules for spacing and location of the NTGCD.
(e) 
Inspections: The permit holder or the permit holder's agent will notify the public works department 24 hours prior to the well driller beginning to drill the well and 24 hours prior to the water well being completed. The notification will be in person or by phone during the city's regular business hours. The notification will include the time, name and phone number of the person making contact, the approved permit number, and the address given for the inspection. The city's inspector will call back the phone number given on the notification to confirm the address and time of the inspection. The inspection by the city prior to the well being drilled will be to verify that the drilling rig is set up ready to drill in the proper well location as noted on the approved permit. The inspection by the city after the well is completed will be to confirm the wellhead has been finished in accordance with the city and state criteria. The city inspector's access to the site will be the permit holder's responsibility. Any pets or animals (cats, dogs, cattle, horses, etc.) will need to be removed or excluded from the wellhead area prior to the inspections taking place.
(Ordinance 3208, § 4, adopted 7/9/2012; Ordinance 3317, § 1, adopted 7/28/2014)
The record owner of land upon which any abandoned water well is located must plug such wells as required by the TCEQ and TDLR rules and submit the following to the public works department:
(1) 
An application complying with section 78-451 above.
(2) 
A fee set forth in appendix A for plugging a well. Such fee shall initially be $50.00 and be included in appendix A and adjusted annually for inflation by the city's finance department.
A copy of the official plugging report to be sent the state from the driller or the property owner immediately after the plugging operation is complete.
(Ordinance 3208, § 4, adopted 7/9/2012; Ordinance 3317, § 1, adopted 7/28/2014)
All land owners within the corporate limits of the city with existing water wells located thereon as of January 1st of each year, must furnish the public works department with the water quality test results for nitrate and nitrite. The test results must be from a state health department approved testing laboratory and be supplied to the public works department prior to September 30th of that same year.
(Ordinance 3208, § 4, adopted 7/9/2012)
In the event of a conflict between the provisions of this article and applicable regulations enforced by the TCEQ or the TDLR, the most stringent regulations shall apply.
(Ordinance 3208, § 4, adopted 7/9/2012)