WAC 173-160-151   Does the department require prior notice and fees for well constructing, reconstructing, or decommissioning a water well?  (1) Yes. The property owner, owner's agent, or water well operator shall notify the department of their intent to begin well construction or decommissioning procedures at least seventy-two hours before starting work.

     (2) The notice of intent is submitted on forms provided by the department and must contain the following:

     (a) Well owner name;

     (b) Well location; street address; county name, 1/4, 1/4 section, township, and range, and tax parcel number;

     (c) Proposed use; (if the intended withdrawal requires a water right, the permit or certificate shall be attached to the notice of intent);

     (d) Approximate start and completion dates;

     (e) Contractor registration number;

     (f) Operator/trainee name and license number; and

     (g) Drilling company name.

     (3) In an emergency, a public health emergency, or in exceptional instances, the department may allow verbal notification to the appropriate regional office, with a notice of intent and payment of fee submitted within twenty-four hours. An emergency situation may consist of a failing well, or water quality issues which could result in a public health or safety concern.

     (4) The notice must be accompanied by the following fees which apply to all newly constructed or altered wells:

     (a) The fee for one water well, other than a dewatering well, with a top casing diameter of less than twelve inches is two hundred dollars. This fee does not apply to a ground source heat pump boring or a grounding well.

     (b) The fee for one water well, other than a dewatering well, with a top casing diameter of twelve inches or greater is three hundred dollars.

     (c) The fee for a ground source heat pump boring or a grounding well is forty dollars for construction of up to four ground source heat pump borings or grounding wells per project and ten dollars for each additional ground source heat pump boring or grounding well constructed on a project with more than four wells.

     (d) The combined fee for construction and decommissioning of a dewatering well system shall be forty dollars for each two hundred horizontal lineal feet, or portion of horizontal lineal feet, of the dewatering well system.

     (e) The fee to decommission a water well is fifty dollars.

     (f) The fee to decommission a ground source heat pump boring or a grounding well is twenty dollars.

     (5) If drilling results in an unusable well:

     (a) A notice of intent and fee for decommissioning will apply for each unusable well;

     (b) No additional notice of intent or fee to construct a water well for each subsequent unusable well is required, provided:

     (i) A subsequent attempt at constructing a new well is made immediately; and

     (ii) The unusable well(s) is properly decommissioned before drilling equipment leaves the well site; and

     (iii) The driller follows all requirements under WAC 173-160-040(2); and

     (iv) The department is notified of all decommissionings; and

     (v) A well report describing the decommissioning process is submitted to the department in accordance with this chapter.

     (6) A new notice of intent and fee shall be required on all follow-up construction after the drilling equipment has left the drill site.

     (7) A refund shall be made on any well that has not been constructed provided, a written request on an approved form is made by the person who paid the fee and is submitted to the department within six months from the date the notice and fee were received by the department.



[Statutory Authority: Chapter 18.104 RCW. 09-01-125 (Order 08-10), § 173-160-151, filed 12/19/08, effective 1/19/09; 06-23-121 (Order 06-08), § 173-160-151, filed 11/21/06, effective 12/22/06. Statutory Authority: Chapter 18.104 RCW and RCW 43.21A.080. 98-08-032 (Order 97-08), § 173-160-151, filed 3/23/98, effective 4/23/98.]