Well Driller ProgramAnd SearchWell

MAHB Certification ProgramMarlboro Holiday Inn, Marlboro, MA

November 2, 2013

BySteve Hallem

Well Driller ProgramMassDEP – Bureau of Resource Protection, Drinking Water

Program

Well Driller Certification Program

Program Consists of : Certification of Well Drillers/Registration of

Drill Rigs Approximately 360 Well Drillers Approximately 450 rigs

Updating of the Well Completion Report Database w/Data From Recently Drilled Wells

Respond to Requests for Well Completion Data From BOH/Home Owners/Buyers/Realtors Other Drillers Engineers/Consultant Office of the State Geologist

Processing of Backlogged Well Completion Reports Well Completion Cards submitted to DCR to be

entered into database (90,000 Now 20,000)

MassDEP

Well Drillers Must: Be certified in Massachusetts to drill a well Must use a drill rig with a current MA

sticker Must submit a Well Completion Report

(WCR) within 30 days of completing a well Must submit a WCR for any well (private

potable, irrigation, geothermal, or monitoring well) left in the ground for 48 hours or longer

MassDEP

Well Driller Certification Program

Well Driller Certification Program

Compliance and Enforcement Under old DCR Regulations

(313 CMR 3.00)

$300/Violation

Under MassDEP Regulations

Currently in effect with 310 CMR 46.00

Subject to MassDEP C & E Schedule

Could be Up to $10,000

MassDEP

Well Driller ProgramCan assist you…

Be a resource for types of wells and general drilling practices

Provide a list of certified drillers Provide the SeachWell database tool for

wells in your town If you don’t see it in SearchWell, give us a

call and we will look through the paper files

MassDEP

Well Driller Certification Program

Database

Well Drillers are submitting about 90% of WCR on-line. Data goes into SearchWell within 15 minutes.

Some drillers still submit paper forms which staff enter.

Old forms from DCR are being entered by staff.

MassDEP

Well Driller Certification Program

Database Currently contains 130,000 wells

30,000 Well Completion Reports Backlogged

Going Back to 1970s Poor Locational Information

MassDEP

Well Driller Program SearchWell

What is it:

Its primary function is for users to view our well data

It can be viewed Saved in an Excel spreadsheet Printed as a simple well report

You can view well locations on a map, IF THE WELL HAS LOCATION DATA (LAT/LON).

MassDEP

Well Driller Certification Program

Geologic Mapping Layers* Surficial Geology – in progress by USGS

Bedrock Geology – Zen unless mapped

by Office of State Geologist

* Data provided in part by Well Driller Program

MassDEP

Well Driller Program

Well locations: Very accurate if location collected by the

driller using GPS Some what accurate if lot number is

known Less accurate if location is from an

“address match”. All are good for general positions but not

accurate enough for set back determinations.

MassDEP

Well Driller Certification Program

Can use your help…

Let us know if a driller is trying to take out a well permit and is not certified.

Only allow certified drillers to obtain a well permit.

Keep copies of the well permits on hand and match it with a copy of the WCR (which the drill should mail to you). Let us know if you have a well permit without a WCR to go with it.

Let us know of any problems with wells someone drills.

MassDEP

Well Driller Registration Program

Contact information:

Steve Hallem – 617.292.5681steve.hallem@state.ma.us

Paul Blain – 617.292.5948paul.blain@state.ma.us

MassDEP

End