[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Health
of the Town of Walpole effective 8-15-1985. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
A.
Any resident who wishes to construct a private on-lot
well as a source of drinking water shall apply for a permit from the
Walpole Board of Health.
B.
Applicants shall provide the Board of Health with
a locus map (US Geological Survey Quadrangle is recommended) and a
copy of the State "Water Well Completion Report" with well location
and septic systems (including adjacent lots) shown in diagram.
C.
The Walpole Board of Health charges a $75 fee per
application. Sampling costs shall be borne by the applicant.
A.
Wells shall be located at least 15 feet from any public
or private way or street, 10 feet from any building, 10 feet from
lot lines, 50 feet from any septic tank, and 100 feet from any leaching
facility. Greater distances from leaching facilities may be required
by the Board of Health if geologic or groundwater flow conditions
so warrant.
B.
A plot plan shall be submitted with the application
for a well permit to the Board of Health indicating the proposed location
of the well, all buildings, boundary lines, and septic systems (within
200 feet).
C.
Wells must be properly curbed and covered to prevent
entrance or contamination and to divert surface drainage away from
the well.
D.
A pitless adapter shall be provided such that the
permanent watertight casing of the well shall terminate a minimum
of 12 inches above the finished grade and/or the elevation of the
one-hundred-year flood.
All well drillers shall have a Massachusetts
State license issued by the Water Resources Commission.
A.
There shall be a minimum yield of 200 gallons per
bedroom per day at 20 pounds psi at the highest fixture serviced.
A bedroom shall include undeveloped area that could be made into a
bedroom. System capacity for semipublic supplies must be adequate
to meet the projected needs.
B.
Pressure tanks for individual home installations shall
have a minimum capacity of 42 gallons.
C.
Quantity tests shall be performed by competent pump
or well drilling contractors and a well shall produce a supply for
each dwelling unit served by an on-site well as follows:
|
Well Depth
|
GPM - 4 Hours
| |
|---|---|---|
|
0 to 150 feet
|
5 to 6
| |
|
150 to 200 feet
|
4
| |
|
200 to 300 feet
|
2 to 3
| |
|
300 and over
|
1 to 2
|
D.
Auxiliary power must be available to maintain a water
supply for multiple dwellings.
E.
The wall of a dug well shall extend at least four
inches above the floor or the original ground surface.
F.
Sanitary protection must be incorporated into the
construction of the well and final finishing at grade shall include
cement platform large enough to extend at least two feet in all directions
from the well casing itself.
G.
All newly completed wells shall be disinfected in
accordance with instructions from US Environmental Protection Agency
Manual of Individual Water Supply Systems.
H.
Before approval, well log and pump test data shall
be submitted to the Board of Health. It shall include a log of the
well, showing the depth and type of overburden, depth of casing installed
below ground surface, diameter of casing and diameter of the hole
in the rock, static water level, and the pumping rate that can be
sustained for four hours. The well after pump testing shall recover
to within 85% of the original static water level within a twenty-four-hour
period. The results of all testing shall be submitted to the Board
of Health for approval and the well contractor shall be responsible
for all data submitted.
I.
Wells shall be cleared and sampled. Sampling methods
selected should minimize agitation of the sample.
J.
pH and specific conductance shall be measured in the
field.
K.
The water sample shall be iced, picked up (within
24 hours) by a state-certified water quality laboratory and shall
be analyzed for total coliform bacteria, turbidity, iron, manganese,
nitrate nitrogen, chloride, and copper.
L.
A bacteriological test to indicate a zero-to-one-hundred-milliliter
coliform density shall be required. A total bacteria count shall also
be determined at 35° C.
M.
Testing specifications.
(1)
Water quality results shall meet limits to conform
to current Federal and Massachusetts Drinking Standards. Presently
they are:
|
pH
|
6.5 to 8.5
| |
|
Specific conductance
|
500 Mmhos/cm
| |
|
Turbidity
|
5 SU
| |
|
Iron
|
0.30 ppm*
| |
|
Manganese
|
0.05 ppm*
| |
|
Nitrate - nitrogen
|
10 ppm
| |
|
Chloride
|
250 ppm
| |
|
Copper
|
1.0 ppm
|
|
NOTES:
*Excessive iron and manganese may be treated
to achieve the required water quality standards.
*Sodium to be reported to the homeowner if greater
than 20 mg/l. Other parameters will be evaluated on a case-by-case
basis by the Board of Health to establish the water's suitability
as a domestic water supply.
|
(2)
Screening for volatile organic compounds must also
be tested in accordance with VOC analytical methods approved in accordance
with 310 CMR 22.07B (8)". 524.4 EPA =. Screening for heavy metal toxicity
must also be done in accordance with EPA methods. 200.7 EPA =.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: So in original.
Permanent disinfection of a polluted supply
is prohibited. If the natural water quality does not meet the physical
and chemical criteria, water conditioning shall be required. Water
softener or other treatment backwash shall not be discharged into
a septic system.
A.
All service pipes and connections shall be of nontoxic
material and meet the specifications approved by the New England Water
Works Association.
B.
The installation of pipes shall be such that they
are protected from crushing, freezing and/or attack by rodents.
C.
Dissimilar metals should be discouraged in the water
system. The use of nonconductive plastic inserts between pipes and
fittings or the installation of sacrificial anodes is helpful in minimizing
electric corrosion problems.
D.
Electrical service grounds shall not be attached to
the water piping. All electrical service and controls of well must
be permitted, inspected and approved according to Town and state regulations.
A.
Surface water supplies for private or semipublic water
supplies shall be prohibited.
B.
Cisterns shall be prohibited.
C.
Cross-connections shall be prohibited. No cross-connection
between a private source of water supply shall be allowed.
D.
Other cross-connections for whatever purpose shall
not be allowed without a written permit from Massachusetts Department
of Public Health.
E.
All homes already on private wells must report to
Board of Health within six months.
F.
No lot may be connected to both Town and private water
system.
A.
Variances. The Board of Health may vary the application
of any provision of these regulations with respect to any particular
case, when in its opinion, the enforcement thereof would do manifest
injustice, provided that the decision of the Board of Health shall
be in writing.
B.
Variance, grant of special permission, expiration,
modifications, suspension of. Any variance or other modification authorized
to be made by these regulations may be subject to such qualification,
revocation, suspension or expiration as the Board of Health expresses
its grant. A variance or modification authorized to be made by these
regulations may otherwise be revoked, modified, or suspended, in whole
or in part, only after the holder thereof has been notified in writing
and has been given an opportunity to be heard.
C.
General enforcement. The provisions of Article 1 of
the State Environmental Code shall govern the enforcement of these
regulations.
E.
The inspection and these regulations cannot be construed
as a guarantee by the Town of Walpole, or its agents, that the water
system will function satisfactorily.
F.
The Board of Health may require a restriction to be
recorded in the Registry of Deeds in cases that, in the opinion of
the Board of Health, the water analyses show marginal compliance with
the criteria of these regulations.
These rules and regulations were adopted by
vote of the Board of Health, Town of Walpole, Massachusetts, and are
to be in full force and effect on and after August 15, 1985 and shall,
before said date, be published in this Town and a copy thereof shall
be deposited in the office of the Town Clerk.
