WAC 173-160-420   What are the general construction requirements for resource protection wells?  (1) No resource protection well or soil boring excavation may be used to withdraw or inject water for domestic, industrial, municipal, commercial, or agricultural purposes.

     (2) No resource protection well or soil boring excavation may interconnect aquifers.

     (3) Nested resource protection wells are prohibited.

     (4) Cuttings, development water, and other investigation derived waste from resource protection well construction or geotechnical soil borings shall be managed in a manner consistent with the intent and purposes of the Water Pollution Control Act, chapter 90.48 RCW, the Hazardous Waste Management Act, chapter 70.105 RCW, and implementing regulations.

     (5) Well tagging:

     (a) It shall be the driller's responsibility to place a well identification tag with a unique identification number on every resource protection well that they construct or alter within thirty days of completion of the well. Uncased geotechnical soil borings and environmental investigation wells are exempt from the tagging requirements of this chapter.

     (i) The alpha-numeric number shall be recorded on the drilling report in the space provided.

     (ii) The driller shall remove the well identification tag on all resource protection wells they decommission and shall attach the tag to the decommissioning well report.

     (b) It shall be the well owner's responsibility to place a well identification tag with a unique identification number on every resource protection well they own and which was completed prior to the effective date of this regulation.

     (i) Upon request, the department shall furnish the well owner with a well tag and tagging instructions.

     (ii) The well owner shall tag their well(s) and submit a completed tagging report to the department.

     (c) The well tag shall be permanently attached to:

     (i) The well casing and be visible above land surface for all wells which have been completed above land surface.

     (ii) The well casing or to any permanent and protected portion of the vault for wells completed below land surface.

     (iii) A prominent system component visible above land surface for ground source heat pump borings.

     (d) All well identification tags shall be supplied by the department.

     (e) It is unlawful for a person to tamper with or remove a well identification tag except during well alteration.

     (6) All resource protection wells will be sealed in accordance with WAC 173-160-450 regardless of the method of installation. Except, resource protection wells that are properly decommissioned prior to the removal of any drilling equipment from the well location are exempted from the surface sealing requirements of this chapter. Provided the decommissioning process includes the removal of any conduit, tubing, probe, or other items inserted into the ground.

     (7) All geotechnical soil borings shall be decommissioned under the terms of this chapter.

     (8) Except as provided in RCW 18.104.180, all construction, alteration, reconstruction, and decommissioning of resource protection wells and geotechnical soil borings shall be done by an individual licensed under the provisions of chapter 173-162 WAC.

     (9) A notice of intent to construct or decommission a resource protection well and a geotechnical soil boring shall be filed with the department a minimum of seventy-two hours prior to initiating construction or decommissioning of the well(s) or boring(s). A fee must accompany each notice of intent to construct or decommission a resource protection well.

     (a) The fee for a resource protection well, except for an environmental investigation well, a ground source heat pump boring, or a grounding well, is forty dollars for each well.

     (b) The fee for an environmental investigation well in which groundwater is sampled or measured is forty dollars for the construction of up to four environmental investigation wells per project, and ten dollars for each additional environmental investigation well constructed on a project with more than four wells. There is no fee for soil or vapor sampling purposes.

     (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 fee to decommission a resource protection well, except for an environmental investigation well, is twenty dollars per well. There is no fee to decommission an environmental investigation well or a geotechnical soil boring.

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

     (f) Under some circumstances, it may be necessary to construct more resource protection wells or geotechnical soil borings than originally anticipated. When additional resource protection wells are constructed on a site for which a notice of intent and fee were submitted, a second notice and fee shall be submitted within twenty-four hours after all wells have been completed or as soon as the final number of wells to be constructed is determined, whichever is sooner. When additional geotechnical soil borings are needed, the borings may be completed. A follow-up notice of intent shall be submitted to the department within twenty-four hours after all borings are constructed. Notification to construct multiple wells or geotechnical soil borings within the same quarter/quarter section, township, and range may be submitted on one notice form.

     (10) Resource protection well reports.

     (a) Anyone who constructs or decommissions a well is required to submit a complete well report on the construction or decommissioning of all resource protection wells and geotechnical soil borings. Reports must be submitted to the water resources program within thirty days after completion of construction or decommissioning. Submission of a well report to consulting firms does not meet the requirement of this section. The report must be an accurate summation of data collected in the field taken from field notes written as the well was constructed or decommissioned. Field notes must be available at all times during construction or decommissioning for review by state and local inspectors and kept until the well report is submitted.

     (b) The resource protection well report must be made on a form provided by the department, or a reasonable facsimile of the form, as approved by the department.

     (c) Where applicable the report shall include the following information:

     (i) Owner's name; operator/trainee name; operator/trainee license number; contractor registration number, drilling company name;

     (ii) Tax parcel number;

     (iii) Well location address;

     (iv) Location of the well to at least 1/4, 1/4 section or smallest legal subdivision;

     (v) Unique well identification tag number;

     (vi) Construction date;

     (vii) Start notification number;

     (viii) Intended use of well;

     (ix) The well depth, diameter, and general specifications of each well;

     (x) Total depth of casing;

     (xi) Well head elevation;

     (xii) Drilling method;

     (xiii) Seal material, seal location and type of placement used;

     (xiv) Filter pack location; filter pack material used;

     (xv) The thickness and character of each bed, stratum or formation penetrated by each well including identification of each water bearing zone;

     (xvi) Casing gauge, diameter, stickup, type of material, and length, also of each screened interval or perforated zone in the casing;

     (xvii) The depth to the static water level, as measured below the land surface; and

     (xviii) Such additional factual information as may be required by the department.

     (d) The well report must include one of the following:

     (i) The license number and signature of the person who constructed or decommissioned the well;

     (ii) The license number and signature of the trainee and the licensed operator under chapter 18.104 RCW; or

     (iii) The license number and signature of an exempted individual as defined under RCW 18.104.180(3).

     (e) This rule shall allow an individual to submit electronic reports in accordance with department procedures. The use of a digital signature in the electronic reports will be authorized as a substitute for an original signature under (d) of this subsection.

     What are the surface protection requirements?

     (11) All resource protection wells shall be capped and protected using one of the following methods:

     (a) If the well is cased with metal and completed above the ground surface, you must attach a watertight cap with a lock to the top of the casing.

     (b) If the well is not cased with metal and completed above the land surface, you must install a protective metal casing over and around the well. The protective casing shall extend at least six inches above the top of the well casing and be cemented at least two feet into the ground. A cap with lock shall be attached to the top of the protective casing.

     (12) You shall protect the well(s) completed above ground from damage by:

     (a) Cementing three metal posts, at least three inches in diameter, in a triangular array around the casing and at least two feet from it. Each post shall extend at least three feet above and below the land surface.

     (b) A reinforced concrete pad may be installed to protect against and prevent frost heave. If installed, the concrete pad shall extend to a depth equal to anticipated frost depth. When a concrete pad is used, the well seal may be part of the concrete pad.

     (13) If the well is completed below land surface, a watertight cap with a lock shall be attached to the top of the well casing. A metal monument or equivalent shall be installed over and around the well. The monument shall serve as a protective cover and be installed level with the land surface and be equipped with a waterproof seal to prevent the inflow of any water or contaminants. Drains will be provided, when feasible, to keep water out of the well and below the well cap. The cover must be designed to withstand the maximum expected loading.

     (14) The protective measures may be waived or modified upon written approval from the department (a variance).

     (15) If the well is damaged, the well protection measures and casing shall be repaired to meet the requirements of this chapter. If the well is damaged beyond repair, it shall be decommissioned in accordance with WAC 173-160-460.



[Statutory Authority: Chapter 18.104 RCW. 09-01-125 (Order 08-10), § 173-160-420, filed 12/19/08, effective 1/19/09; 06-23-121 (Order 06-08), § 173-160-420, filed 11/21/06, effective 12/22/06; 98-18-104 (Order 98-17), § 173-160-420, filed 9/2/98, effective 10/3/98. Statutory Authority: Chapter 18.104 RCW and RCW 43.21A.080. 98-08-032 (Order 97-08), § 173-160-420, filed 3/23/98, effective 4/23/98. Statutory Authority: Chapter 18.104 RCW. 88-08-070 (Order 88-58), § 173-160-420, filed 4/6/88.]