In addition to the definitions of terms set forth in Article
I, §
159-4, the following additional definitions shall apply to the enforcement and implementation of this article and shall have the meanings indicated:
Any well which is not in use, has been illegally installed or improperly constructed, has been improperly maintained or is damaged, has not been maintained in a condition that ensures that the subsurface or percolation waters of the state are protected from contamination, has been replaced by another well or connection to a public supply, is contaminated, is nonproductive, or no longer serves its intended use pursuant to the state Act.
ACT, STATERefers to the Private Well Testing Act, P.L. 2001, c. 40; N.J.S.A. 58:12A-26 et seq., which applies to buyers, sellers and lessors of certain real property as follows:
A. All contracts of sale for any real property in which the potable water supply is a private well located on the property, or for any other real property in which the potable water supply is a well that has less than 15 service connections or that does not regularly serve an average of at least 25 individuals daily at least 60 days out of the year, shall include a provision requiring the testing of that water supply for certain parameters as set forth in the Act.
The lessor of any real property in which the potable water supply is a private well for which testing of the water is not required pursuant to any other state law shall test that water supply for certain parameters as set forth in the Act. Testing of the water is required at least once every five years. In addition, within 30 days after receipt of the test results, a written copy of the results must be provided to each rental unit and each new lessee.
ACUTE PARAMETERA parameter in drinking water that has significant potential to have serious and adverse effects on human health as a result of short-term or limited exposure.
ALTERTo enlarge, deepen, replace or in any other way change any portion of an existing water supply system. The terms alteration and altered shall be construed accordingly.
APPLICANTA developer or property owner submitting an application for development or permit to locate, construct or alter a water supply.
APPLICATION FOR DEVELOPMENTThe application form and all accompanying documents required by the Andover Township Land Use Ordinance for approval of a subdivision, site plan, planned development, conditional use, zoning variance, or direction of the issuance of a permit pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-34 or N.J.S.A. 40:55D-36.
APPLICATION FOR WELL PERMITThe application form and all accompanying documentation required by the NJDEP for approval to locate, construct or alter a water supply.
AQUIFERA formation, group of formations, or part of a formation that contains sufficient saturated permeable material to yield economic quantities of water to wells and springs.
AQUIFER, CONFINEDAn aquifer that is overlain by a confining bed (aquitard). The confining bed has a significantly lower hydraulic conductivity than the aquifer. Artesian aquifer is a synonym.
AQUIFER, SEMICONFINEDAn aquifer overlain by a low-permeability layer that permits water to slowly migrate through to the aquifer. Also termed leaky artesian or leaky confined aquifer.
AQUIFER TESTA three-part test conducted to obtain background, pumping, and recovery data/information from a pumping well and observation wells in order to determine aquifer hydraulic characteristics and assess potential water-level drawdown (well interference) to nearby wells.
AQUIFER TEST LOCATIONA location(s) most representative of site geologic conditions where the aquifer test shall be conducted to evaluate potential impacts to proximate users of the groundwater resource.
AQUIFER, UNCONFINEDAn aquifer in which there are no confining beds between the zone of saturation and the ground surface. Water-table aquifer is a synonym.
AQUITARDA low-permeability unit that can store groundwater and also transmit water slowly from one aquifer to another (also see aquifer, confined).
BOARDThe Andover Township Land Use Board or Board of Adjustment, whichever land use body has jurisdiction to hear the application for development.
CERTIFIED LABORATORYAny laboratory, facility, consulting firm, government or private agency, business entity or other person that the NJDEP has authorized pursuant to the Regulations Governing the Certification of Laboratories and Environmental Measurements, N.J.A.C. 7:18, to perform analysis in accordance with the procedures of a given analytical method using a particular technique as set forth in a certain methods reference document, and to report the results from the analysis of environmental samples in compliance with a NJDEP regulatory program.
CONE OF DEPRESSIONThe area around a pumping well in which the head (water level) in the aquifer has been lowered by pumping action.
CONFINING BEDA body of low hydraulic conductivity material that is stratigraphically adjacent to one or more aquifers.
CONTAMINANTAny physical, chemical, biological, or radiological substance or matter that has an adverse effect on air, water or soil quality.
DEPARTMENTThe New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
DEVELOPERThe legal or beneficial owner or owners of a lot or of any land which is the subject of an application for a permit to locate, construct or alter a water supply or the subject of a development application regulated by this article, and shall include the holder of an option or contract to purchase, or other person having an enforceable proprietary interest in such land.
DRAWDOWNThe lowering of the water table of an unconfined aquifer or the potentiometric surface of a semiconfined or confined aquifer caused by pumping of groundwater from a well or wells. Drawdown is determined by subtracting the depth to water during pumping from the static water level determined prior to the start of pumping.
DRINKING WATER QUALITY STANDARDA standard that applies to a constituent or contaminant that is required to be tested pursuant to the New Jersey Safe Drinking Water Act, N.J.S.A. 58:12A-1 et seq., including a maximum contaminant level, recommended limits, or, in the case of lead, an action level.
EXCEEDANCEThe concentration of a constituent or contaminant that is greater than a maximum contaminant level (MCL), action level, standard or recommended upper limit for that given constituent or contaminant.
FRACTURE TRACEThe surface representation of a fracture zone as determined from an analysis of aerial photographs in stereo pair.
GROUNDWATERWater in the ground that is in the zone of saturation from which wells, springs and stream baseflow (dry weather streamflow) are supplied.
HEAD, STATICStatic head is the height above a standard datum of the surface of a column of water that can be supported by the static pressure at a given point. In a groundwater system, it is composed of elevation head and pressure head.
HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITYThe capacity of a geologic formation to transmit water. It is expressed as the volume of water at the prevailing density and viscosity that will move in unit time under a unit hydraulic gradient through a unit area measured at right angle to the direction of flow.
HYDRAULIC GRADIENTThe change in static head per unit of distance measured in a given direction.
HYDROGEOLOGYThe study of groundwater with particular emphasis given to its chemistry, mode of migration, and relation to the geologic environment.
INFILTRATIONThe flow of water downward from the land surface into and through the upper soil layers.
IRRIGATION SYSTEMEquipment, including but not limited to pumps, piping, and sprinkler heads used to distribute water to grasses, landscape materials, crops, and other vegetation.
LOT or LOT IN QUESTIONAny designated parcel, tract or area of land, whether established by plat or otherwise permitted by law, to be used, developed or built upon as a unit, regardless of the nature of the use contemplated, which is the subject of an application for a permit to locate, construct or alter a water supply or the subject of an application for development that is regulated by this article.
MAXIMUM CONTAMINANT LEVEL (MCL)The maximum permissible concentration of a constituent or contaminant in drinking water. Maximum contaminant levels shall apply to public and nonpublic water systems, in accordance with the New Jersey Safe Drinking Water Act, N.J.S.A. 58:12A-1 et seq., and implementing rules at N.J.A.C. 7:10.
NJDEPThe New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
OBSERVATION WELL (MONITORING WELL)A nonpumping well used to observe the elevation of the water table or the potentiometric surface. An observation well is generally constructed similar to a pumping well. Observation wells are also referred to as monitoring wells. Observation wells are required to measure water-level drawdown during the aquifer pumping test and also for the calculation of aquifer hydraulic characteristics. The specific requirements for observation wells are provided in Appendix II, Observation Well Requirements — Well Testing, of this chapter.
PARAMETERA general standard or scope that includes other terms such as contaminant, constituent, substance, metal, organic/inorganic chemical, and characteristics that are used to designate an analyte, group of analytes, attribute, or physical property.
POINT-OF-ENTRY TREATMENT (POET) DEVICEA water treatment device applied to the drinking water entering a house or building for the purpose of reducing contaminants in the drinking water distributed to the entire house or building. Examples of POET include devices such as calcite filters and ion exchange (water softeners).
POROSITYThe voids or openings in rock and soil. Porosity may be expressed quantitatively as the ratio of the volume of openings in a rock or soil to the total volume of the rock or soil.
POROSITY, PRIMARYThe porosity that represents the original pore openings when a rock or sediment was formed.
POROSITY, SECONDARYThe porosity that has been caused by fractures or weathering in a rock or sediment after it has been formed.
POTABLE WATERAny water used, or intended to be used, for drinking and/or culinary purposes which is free from impurities in amounts sufficient to cause disease or harmful physiological effects, and complies with the bacteriological and chemical quality standards of the New Jersey Safe Drinking Water Act rules at N.J.A.C. 7:10.
PRIVATE WELLA potable water well that serves or will serve a dwelling unit or nonresidential or agricultural use and is located on the same real property as the dwelling unit or nonresidential or agricultural use.
PROPERTY OWNER NOTIFICATIONNearby wells and springs, Appendix III of this chapter, outlines the notification requirements and procedures for owners of existing wells and springs within 500 feet of any boundary of the lot in question.
PUBLIC NOTIFICATIONA general notice of private well test failures sent by the appropriate local health authority to surrounding and/or neighboring owners of real property. The notification can include recommendations to test for the parameters of concern to the owners of surrounding or neighboring properties served by wells.
PUMPING TESTA test made by pumping a well for a period of time and observing the change in water levels (hydraulic head) in pumping and observation wells in the aquifer.
PUMPING TEST, CONSTANT RATEA pumping test during which the discharge rate from the pumping well is maintained at a constant rate for the duration of the test.
QUALIFIED HYDROGEOLOGISTAn individual who has received a minimum of a Bachelor's degree in Geology at an accredited institution or has completed an equivalent of 30 semester hours of geological education (including at least two accredited courses in hydrogeology) while obtaining a Bachelor's or Master's degree in a related field of engineering or science at an accredited institution. Such a person must also demonstrate eight years of professional work experience in the practice of applying geologic and hydrogeologic principals to interpretation of groundwater conditions and in the running of aquifer tests and the analysis of aquifer test data. The individual shall provide a resume or curriculum vitae to document education and experience requirements.
RECHARGE, AQUIFERThe volume of water that infiltrates to an aquifer, often expressed in million gallons per year per square mile or gallons per day per acre.
RECHARGE AREAAn area in which there are downward components of head (water levels) in an aquifer. Infiltration moves downward to deeper parts of an aquifer in a recharge area.
RECOVERYThe rate at which the water level in a well rises after the pump has been shut off. Recovery is the inverse of drawdown.
REPORTING LABORATORYThe certified laboratory responsible for reporting to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection a complete set of required information related to the analysis of a private well sample.
SATURATED ZONEThe zone in which the voids in the rock or soil are filled with water at a pressure greater than atmospheric. The water table is the top of the saturated zone in an unconfined aquifer.
SECONDARY PARAMETERA drinking water parameter regulated for aesthetic purposes rather than health effects under the Safe Drinking Water Act (hereinafter "SDWA") rules at N.J.A.C. 7:10. Secondary parameters include pH, iron and manganese.
SPECIFIC CAPACITY (Q/s)The specific capacity of a well is the rate of discharge of water from the well divided by the drawdown of water level within the well. Specific capacity will vary with the duration of pumping. Specific capacity should be described on the basis of the number of hours pumping prior to measurement of drawdown. Specific capacity will generally decrease with increased time of pumping.
STATIC WATER LEVELThe depth from ground surface to water in a well prior to the commencement of pumping.
STORAGE COEFFICIENT (STORATIVITY)The volume of water an aquifer releases or takes into storage per unit surface area of the aquifer per unit change in head. It equals the product of specific storage and aquifer thickness. Also known as storativity.
TRACTSee definition of lot or lot in question.
TRANSMISSIVITYThe rate at which water of a prevailing density and viscosity is transmitted through a unit width of an aquifer under a unit hydraulic gradient. Transmissivity equals hydraulic conductivity times aquifer thickness.
UNSATURATED ZONEThe zone between ground surface and the water table. Pore spaces in the unsaturated zone contain water at pressures less than atmospheric. Also referred to as "zone of aeration" and "vadose zone."
WATER QUALITY TEST FAILUREAn exceedence of an applicable drinking water quality standard of a required test parameter under the Private Well Testing Act. This term includes all applicable maximum contaminant levels or recommended limits, or an action level for lead analysis.
WATER TABLEThe surface in an unconfined aquifer or confining bed at which the pore water pressure is atmospheric. It is defined by the levels at which water stands in wells that penetrate the water body just far enough to hold standing water.
WATER TREATMENT SYSTEMA device applied to the drinking water at a house or building for the purpose of reducing contaminants in the drinking water distributed in the house or building. Examples: point-of-entry devices and point-of-use devices.
WELLA hole or excavation larger than four inches in diameter or a hole or excavation deeper than 10 feet in depth that is drilled, bored, cored, driven, jetted, dug, or otherwise constructed for the purpose of removal or emplacement of, or investigation of, or exploration for, fluids, water, oil, gas, minerals, soil, or rock.
WELL INTERFERENCEThe result of two or more pumping wells, the drawdown cones of which intercept. At a given location, the total well interference is the sum of the drawdown due to each individual pumping well.
WELL PERMITRefers to a written approval issued by the NJDEP, pursuant to the Well Construction and Maintenance Act Regulations at N.J.A.C. 7:9D, to a licensed well driller which authorizes a licensed well driller of the proper class to construct a well or wells in accordance with the permit.
WELL RECORDThe form provided by the NJDEP that depicts the construction details of a well, which is completed by the well driller subsequent to well permit issuance and well installation.