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Revoked, Scroll for additional info <br />Clarification of Rule 10 Regarding Proper Sealing <br />and Gravel Packing of Wells <br />17-ITO 010 119111 ki If <br />At its meeting on January 3, 2012 the Board of Examiners of Water Well Construction and Pump <br />Installation Contractors was made aware of an ongoing construction practice that does not <br />ensure the protection of the public health or prevent degradation of the groundwater resource <br />that is the basis for minimum construction standards for water wells (Rule 10). <br />Evidence brought before the Board documented historic and current well completion practices <br />whereby gravel/filter pack materials are emplaced in the annulus between the production <br />casing and borehole and between the production casing and surface casing, filled continuously <br />up to the ground surface, and exposed at the ground surface. The annulus containing <br />gravel/filter pack materials is subsequently left open for future augmentation of additional <br />material when the original filter pack collapses or compacts due to pumping. This practice has <br />frequently included cutting off the surface casing at or close to ground level. <br />This well construction practice provides a direct conduit for potential contaminants to enter the <br />well and migrate directly to the water table. Accidental spills, leaks, and surface runoff can <br />enter the well via the filter -pack -filled annular space. Compaction or collapse of the original <br />filter pack materials also produces a sump condition at the surface that may entrap small <br />animals and collect windblown debris and detritus, which would be subject to biological and <br />chemical decomposition. This construction practice can result in adverse health impacts to the <br />public using groundwater for drinking water supply. <br />DISCUSSION <br />The well construction practice of filling an annular space with permeable material that is <br />exposed at ground surface is in violation of Water Well Construction Rules 10.4.8 and 10.4.11. <br />Rule 10.4.8 requires that wells constructed with an outer (surface casing) and an inner <br />(production) casing that extends above the surface shall be constructed with a watertight <br />mechanical seal or a minimum of ten (10) feet of cement grout between the casings. <br />