[Adopted 5-23-1989, effective 6-1-1989 (Section 3.00 of Part XIV of the 1991 Codification as updated through 6-1-1996)]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ABANDONED WELL
A well that has not been used for water supply for a period of one year or more, unless the owner declares his intention to use the well again for supplying water within one year.
BOARD OF HEALTH
The Board of Health or its agent.
POLLUTION
Adverse effect on water quality created by the introduction of any matter.
POTABLE
Water which is pure, wholesome and free from impurities that may cause disease or harmful physiological effects such that the water is safe for human consumption.
RENTED OR LEASED PROPERTY
Any dwelling used for habitation or business purposes by an occupant other than the owner, for the use of which a fee is paid. This includes, but is not limited to, campgrounds, motels, bed-and-breakfasts, inns, and other accommodations used on a transient basis, as well as community-type buildings which are rented to community groups.
WELL
Any pit, pipe, excavation, spring, casing, drill hole, or other source of water to be used for any purpose of supplying water, and shall include dug wells, driven or tubular wells, drilled wells (artesian or otherwise) and springs, gravel packed, gravel walled wells, gravel developed and wash borings and as further described in the U.S. EPA Manual of Individual Water Supply Systems. For the purpose of these regulations, it shall include both private potable wells, and nonpotable wells.
WELL INTENDED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION
Any well supplying water for human consumption, bathing, or washing purposes, which is not otherwise regulated as a public water system (community or noncommunity water supply) under 310 CMR 22.00.
WELL DRILLER
Any person, firm, or corporation drilling, constructing, or destroying a water supply well.
YIELD
Quantity of water delivered per unit time which may flow or be continuously pumped from the well.
All well drillers doing business in the Town of Barnstable shall annually file with the Board of Health a copy of their current well driller registration certificate issued by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 21 § 16 and Massachusetts Regulations 313 CMR 3.00.
A. 
No well shall be installed, altered, or repaired except by a well driller who is registered with the Water Resources Commission, Division of Water Resources under MGL Chapter 2, § 16, and 313 CMR 3.00, except wherein an owner chooses to install or to have installed a hand-driven well to be used for nonpotable purposes.
B. 
All wells shall be located on the same lot as the building they serve.
A. 
Well construction permit.
(1) 
No well or group of wells with a yield greater than five gallons per minute shall be installed, altered, or repaired until a well construction permit has been obtained from the Board of Health. A permit so granted shall expire six months from the date of issue unless construction has begun.
(2) 
The fee for this permit shall be set by the Board of Health.
(3) 
An application for a well construction permit shall be submitted by the drilling contractor or his agent to the Board of Health on forms furnished by the Board of Health. The well driller is responsible for obtaining said permit prior to construction.
(4) 
The location and design of the water well must be approved by the Board of Health prior to issuance of a well construction permit. Prior to approval, the Board of Health requires the following information to be submitted:
(a) 
The Assessor's map, parcel, and lot number of the property on which the well will be located.
(b) 
Design and capacity of the water system, as described under § 397-8G, Well yield and water system design.
(c) 
Purpose for which well is to be used.
(5) 
Every well used for nonpotable purposes and permanently equipped with pump piping and appurtenances shall be clearly labeled: "Nonpotable water supply not for human consumption."
(6) 
Permit conditions. All permits issued shall be subject to the conditions that all facilities shown shall be constructed in the location approved by the Board of Health. All permits issued shall be subject to the requirements of these regulations and to such further conditions as the Board of Health shall prescribe.
B. 
Well construction (wells not intended for human consumption).
(1) 
The Board of Health recommends that well construction meet the guidelines outlined in the New England Water Well Drillers Association Ground Water Quality Control Well Construction Code.
(2) 
All nonyielding holes which are installed in the process of constructing the well shall be filled so as not to act as a conduit to the groundwater.
(3) 
A metal tag shall be affixed to the top of the well casing at the time of installation, so that the well may later be located if necessary by a metal detector.
C. 
Well drillers report. Within 30 days after completion of the construction of any well requiring a permit, the well driller shall submit to the Board of Health a copy of the water well completion report.
D. 
Well destruction.
(1) 
Prior to destruction of any well, a well destruction permit must be obtained by the owner or his agent from the Board of Health. The Board of Health will require a site plan showing the well location, including information on the Assessor's map, parcel and lot number for the property on which the well is located, prior to issuance of the well destruction permit.
(2) 
Any abandoned well shall be filled and sealed with clean puddled clay, neat cement grout, or concrete grout in such a manner as to prevent it from acting as a channel for pollution to the groundwater.
(3) 
Within 30 days after completion of the destruction of any private well, the well owner or well driller acting as agent for the well owner shall submit to the Board of Health a report containing the following:
(a) 
The name of the owner of the well;
(b) 
The geographic location of the well;
(c) 
Any preliminary cleaning or redrilling;
(d) 
Types, depths, and materials of seals used.
A. 
Well construction permit.
(1) 
No well shall be installed, altered, or repaired until a well construction permit has been obtained from the Board of Health, which shall expire six months from the date of issue unless construction has begun.
(2) 
The fee for this permit shall be set by the Board of Health; the fee for each well construction permit shall be $45.
(3) 
An application for a well construction permit shall be submitted by the drilling contractor or his agent to the Board of Health on forms furnished by the Board. The well driller is responsible for obtaining said permit prior to well construction.
(4) 
The location, and design of the water well must be approved by the Board of Health prior to issuance of a well construction permit. Prior to approval, the Board of Health requires the following to be submitted:
(a) 
The Assessor's map, parcel and lot number of the property on which the well will be located.
(b) 
Design and capacity of the water system, as described under well yield and water system design (§ 397-8G).
(c) 
A site plan, drawn by a registered professional civil engineer, registered sanitarian, or registered land surveyor showing the proposed location of the well in relation to building foundations, property lines, building sewer lines, the subsurface sanitary disposal systems serving the lot, all other septic systems within 200 feet, and any other known potential sources of contamination within 200 feet which could affect the well. Such sources of contamination shall include sanitary landfills; auto junkyards; municipal sewage treatment facilities with on-site disposal of primary or secondary effluent; car washes; road salt stockpiles; dry-cleaning establishments; boat and motor vehicle service and repair; cabinetmaking; electronic circuit assembly; metal plating, finishing, and polishing; motor and machinery service and assembly; commercial paint, wood preserving, and furniture stripping; sites where pesticides and herbicides are regularly applied, including golf course and cranberry bogs (but not including pesticide application at single-family dwellings); photographic processing; printing; chemical and bacteriological laboratories; transportation terminals; funeral homes; any principal use involving the sale, storage, or transportation of fuel or oil; and any use which involves as a activity the manufacture, storage, use, transportation or disposal of toxic or hazardous materials. To meet this requirement, well location shall be shown on the same plot plan submitted to the Board of Health for approval of septic systems installation.
(d) 
A registered civil engineer or registered land surveyor must determine and mark the location of the well on the lot prior to its installation.
(5) 
For emergency repair, alteration, or replacement of an existing well, the Board of Health may waive the requirements that a site plan be submitted and that the location of the well be staked on the lot.
(6) 
Permit conditions. All permits issued shall be subject to the conditions that all facilities shown shall be constructed in the location approved by the Board of Health. All permits issued shall be subject to the requirements of these regulations and to such further conditions as the Board of Health shall prescribe.
B. 
Well construction (wells intended for human consumption).
(1) 
The Board of Health recommends that well construction meet the guidelines outlined in the New England Water Well Drillers Association Ground Water Quality Control Well Construction Code.
(2) 
The top of a well shall be above ground that is higher than any surface sources of contamination and above any known conditions of flooding by drainage or runoff from the surrounding land, unless located in a floodproofed well house.
(3) 
Wells must be constructed so as to maintain existing natural protection against all known or potential pollution of the groundwater and to exclude all known sources of pollution from entering the well.
(4) 
All nonyielding holes which are installed in the process of constructing a well must be filled so as to not act as a conduit to the groundwater.
(5) 
A metal tag shall be affixed to the top of the well casing at the time of installation so that the well may later be located if necessary by a metal detector.
(6) 
In areas where salt water or other pollutant intrusion is known or likely to occur, the Board of Health, working with a designing engineer, may specify the well screen level, pumping rate, water storage capacity, or any other construction parameter which must be used to ensure that water of adequate quality is obtained.
C. 
Well driller's report. Within 30 days after completion of the construction of any well, the well driller shall submit to the Board of Health a copy of the water well completion report. The Board of Health will not issue a certificate of approval for the well until this report has been received.
D. 
Well destruction.
(1) 
Prior to destruction of any well, a well destruction permit must be obtained by the owner or his agent from the Board of Health. The Board of Health will require a site plan showing the well location, including information on the Assessor's map, parcel and lot number for the property on which the well is located, prior to issuance of the well destruction permit.
(2) 
Any abandoned well shall be filled and sealed with clean puddled clay, neat cement grout, or concrete grout in such a manner as to prevent it from acting as a channel for pollution to the groundwater.
(3) 
Within 30 days after completion of the destruction of any private well, the well owner or well driller acting as agent for the well owner shall submit to the Board of Health a report containing the following:
(a) 
The name of the owner of the well;
(b) 
The geographic location of the well;
(c) 
Any preliminary cleaning or redrilling;
(d) 
Types, depths, and materials of seals used.
E. 
Well location.
(1) 
In general, wells intended for human consumption shall be located as far as possible from potential sources of contamination. The following minimum distances are required:
(a) 
Property line: 10 feet.
(b) 
Roadway: 10 feet from edge of road layout (not edge of pavement).
(c) 
Leaching catch basin/dry well: 50 feet, but recommend that this distance be maximized.
(d) 
Utility rights-of-way: 50 feet, but recommend that this distance be maximized.
(e) 
Septic tank: 100 feet.
(f) 
Septic leaching facility: 150 feet.
(g) 
Septic distribution box: 100 feet.
(h) 
Subsurface drains: 25 feet, but recommend that this distance be maximized, as pollutants frequently travel along the outside of subsurface drain pipes.
(2) 
Where, in the opinion of the Board of Health, adverse conditions exist, the above distances may be increased. In certain cases, the Board of Health may require the owner to provide additional means of protection. Where possible, the well shall be located up the groundwater gradient from sources of contamination.
F. 
Water quality.
(1) 
Prior to approval of the well and approval of a disposal works construction permit application, the owner or his agent shall take a water sample(s) from the well and submit it to a state certified testing laboratory for analysis, with the cost to be borne by the owner. The results of all analyses shall be submitted to the Board of Health. At a minimum, water must be tested for the following chemical and bacteriological standards: total coliform, nitrate-nitrogen, pH, conductivity, sodium, iron, and EPA methods 502.1/503 or 502,2 or 524.1 or 524.2. These tests include analyses for purgeable halocarbons and purgeable aromatics, as well as analyses for petroleum hydrocarbons or pesticides.
(2) 
The Board of Health will determine potability of the well water using as guidelines the National Interim Primary and Secondary Drinking Water Standards and the U.S. EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). The water quality standards for common parameters are as follows:
Primary Standards
Total coliform
0 colonies/100 ml MF
Nitrate
10 ppm
Secondary Standards
pH
Recommend pH above 5.0
Sodium
20 ppm
Iron
0.3 ppm
(3) 
When the Board of Health deems it necessary, the Health Agent or other agent of the Board of Health may be present to witness the taking of a water sample and/or may take the water sample and deliver it to the testing laboratory him/herself.
(4) 
The Board of Health further recommends that all well owners have their wells tested at a minimum of every two years, and at more frequent intervals when water quality problems are known to exist.
G. 
Well yield and water system design.
(1) 
Before approval, every well shall be pump tested to determine yield. The pump test shall include a drawdown test at a minimum pumping rate of five gallons per minute for one hour.
(2) 
The design of the water system, including well, pump, storage tank, and other accessories must be adequate to provide a water capacity in gallons per minute which equals the number of water fixtures installed; in addition, capacity (in gpm) must not be less than the peak demand for the largest fixture installed. For the purposes of this regulation a fixture is defined as a water outlet, and includes faucets, sinks, toilets, bathtubs, washing machines, dishwashers, and the like.
(3) 
In areas where salt water or other pollutant intrusion exists or is believed likely, and where the Board of Health (in conjunction with a designing engineer, as outlined under well construction) has determined a well pumping rate which must be used to prevent further contamination, the Board of Health may specify design criteria for the building and water system served by the well, so that the water storage tank, number of fixtures and habitable space are compatible with the pumping capacity of the well.
H. 
Submission of well water test results.
(1) 
Prior to issuance of a certificate of approval for a well intended for human consumption, the results of all water quality and yield tests shall be submitted to the Board of Health. The owner of the property which the well will serve, or the well driller acting as agent for the owner, shall certify, on a form provided by the Board of Health, the following:
(a) 
The location, and date the sample was taken, and the laboratory at which it was analyzed;
(b) 
That the water sample whose analysis results were submitted to the Board of Health was taken from the well for which approval is being sought; and
(c) 
The results of the yield test performed by the well driller.
I. 
Well approval.
(1) 
New wells shall not be placed into use for human consumption until the Board of Health has approved the potability and quantity of the water provided and issued a certificate of approval for the well to the owner of the property which the well serves.
(2) 
A certificate of approval for a well will not be issued until:
(a) 
The well water has been shown to meet the water quality criteria outlined in the regulations; and
(b) 
The capacity of the water system, in gallons per minute, has been demonstrated to equal the number of fixtures installed.
(3) 
In addition, for wells installed at newly constructed buildings, the Board of Health shall require that a certified plot plan, drawn by a registered land surveyor or registered professional civil engineer, be submitted to the Board of Health. Such plot plan must show the actual location of the well on the lot as cross tie distances from lot corners, and must show the location of the septic system, as installed, in relation to the well. The plot plan must also identify, by Assessor's map, parcel and lot number, the property on which the well is located. This information may be included in the certified plot plan required by the Building Commissioner which shows the location of the foundation on the lot. [1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III).
(4) 
The Board of Health shall not approve a building permit or a certificate of occupancy until it has issued a certificate of approval for the well serving that building.
(5) 
Wells which fail to meet some or all of the requirements in these regulations may be approved by the Board of Health after a hearing at which a variance from these standards may be granted.
J. 
Existing wells serving rental properties.
(1) 
The owner of every well intended for human consumption serving property which is rented or leased shall have its water tested at a state certified laboratory for the following chemical and bacteriological standards at a minimum of once every two years: total coliform, nitrate-nitrogen, pH, conductivity, sodium, and iron; and for EPA Methods 502.1/503 or 502.2 or 524.1 or 524.2 at a minimum of once every five years. Where water quality problems are known or suspected to exist, the Board of Health may require more frequent testing or testing for additional parameters.
(2) 
Results of all water quality tests shall be made available to all tenants of the property and to the Board of Health, by the owner of the property.
(3) 
In cases where the well water does not meet the water quality standards outlined above, the Board of Health may require the property owner to provide an alternative approved source of drinking water for the tenants.
K. 
Test of water quality upon transfer of real estate.
(1) 
Prior to selling, conveying, or transferring title to real property in the Town of Barnstable, the owner thereof shall have tested the water of every private potable well serving that property. A water sample from each well shall be submitted to a state certified laboratory for testing for the parameters outlined under water quality above in Subsection F. This water quality test shall be performed not more than one year prior to transfer of the property. Results of the water test shall be submitted to the Board of Health prior to property transfer on a form provided by the Board of Health on which the owner will certify that the sample was taken from the well serving the property being transferred.
(2) 
In addition, the owner shall give copies of all water test results of which he has knowledge (regardless of age of results) for the private potable well in question to any buyer and/or broker identified with the transfer. In the event that there is no buyer at the time the water is tested, a copy of all water test results must be given by the owner to the buyer before the property is put under agreement.
(3) 
This regulation shall not apply to the conveyance or devise of a property to a surviving spouse or to any of the heirs or devises of the property owner, and further, shall not apply to a sale under power of sale in a bona fide mortgage affecting the property.
The Board of Health may, at its discretion, require single-family, multifamily, or commercial structures located within 300 feet of a municipal waterline to connect to municipal water.
Any well regulated pursuant to the Water Management Act, MGL Chapter 21G, which governs any well that withdraws an average volume of water in excess of 100,000 gallons of water per day, is exempt from the regulations established herein.
A. 
The Board of Health may vary the application of any provision of this article 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 not conflict with the spirit of these minimum standards nor with the protection of human health and environmental quality.
B. 
Every request for a variance shall be made in writing and shall state the specific variance requested and the reasons therefor. Any variance granted by the Board of Health shall be in writing. Any denial of a variance shall also be in writing and shall state the reasons for the denial. A copy of any variance granted shall be available to the public at all reasonable hours in the office of the Town Clerk or the Board of Health while it is in effect.
C. 
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 in 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 in conformity with the requirements of 310 CMR 11.00 for orders and hearings.
D. 
As a condition of granting a variance, the Board of Health may require a restriction to be recorded at the Registry of Deeds when, in the opinion of the Board of Health, knowledge that the well does not meet minimum standards would benefit future potential consumers of water supplied by the well.
E. 
The provisions of Title 1 of the State Environmental Code (310 CMR 11.00) shall govern the enforcement of these regulations.
Each section of these rules and regulations shall be construed as separate. If any section, regulation, paragraph, sentence, clause, phrase or word of these rules and regulations shall be declared invalid for any reason, the remainder of these rules and regulations shall remain in full force and effect.