Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia
Department 391 - RULES OF GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
Chapter 391-3 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Subject 391-3-2 - GROUNDWATER USE
Rule 391-3-2-.02 - Definitions

(a) "Aquifer" means a geologic formation, group of such formations, or a part of such a formation that is water bearing. An aquifer may consist of a stratum or zone of rock below the surface of the earth capable of containing and producing water as from a well. (Authority O.C.G.A. Section 12-5-92(1))

(b) "Consumptive use" means any use of water withdrawn from the ground other than "nonconsumptive use" as herein defined.

(c) "Nonconsumptive use" means the use of water withdrawn from the ground water system or aquifer in such a manner that it is returned to the ground water system or aquifer from which it was withdrawn without substantial diminution in quantity or substantial impairment in quality at or near the point from which it was withdrawn.

(d) "Farm use" means irrigation of any land used for general farming, forage, aquaculture, pasture, turf production, orchards, or tree and ornamental nurseries; provisions for water supply for farm animals, poultry farming, or any other activity conducted in the course of a farming operation. Farm use shall also include the processing of perishable agricultural products and the irrigation of recreational turf except in Chatham, Effingham, Bryan, and Glynn counties where irrigation of recreational turf shall not be considered a farm use. (Authority O.C.G.A. Section 12-5-92, paragraph 5.1)

(e) "Division" means the Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources.

(f) "Drawdown" means the extent to which the ground water level is being lowered when a well is being pumped or when the water is discharging from a flowing well, and is the difference, in feet, between the static water level and pumping level.

(g) "Geologic Information" means the information relative to the origin, history of the rock, which includes a description of the lithology, age, stratigraphic sequence, structural relationship, areal distribution and thickness of the rock at or be low the surface of the earth, and which is obtained by examination of the rock exposed at the ground surface and from well cuttings, well cores, and geophysical logging from drilled wells.

(h) "Hydrologic information" means information related to water standing or moving in porous media and includes hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity, porosity, storage coefficient, specific capacity, chemical quality of the water, potentiometric surface, water recharge of the rock at or below the surface of the earth, water levels, drawdown, and radius of influence of the cone of depression in areas of ground water withdrawal, and which is obtained by pumping tests, flowmeter, laboratory tests, water surface measurements, observation wells, and accepted mathematical formulas.

(i) "Pumping level" means the distance, in feet, from the land surface or other permanent specified datum, preferably the top of the casing to the water surface (water level) in the well when water is being pumped from the well.

(j) "Rock" means the material that forms the essential part of the earth's solid crust, and includes loose, incoherent masses, such as a bed of sand, gravel, clay or volcanic ash, as well as firm, hard, solid masses of granite, metamorphics, sandstone, limestone, and shale.

(k) "Specific conductance" means the water's capacity to convey an electric current and is related to the total concentration of the ionized substances in the water and the temperature at which the measurement is made and is generally reported as micromhos/cm or microSiemens/cm.

(l) "Static water level" means the distance, in feet, from the land surface or other permanent specified datum, preferably the top of the casing, to the water level in a well or to the pressure head (shut-in head) after the flow is shut off from a flowing well, when no water is being pumped from the well and the water level has reached equilibrium.

(m) "Water table" means the surface of an unconfined water body at which the pressure is atmospheric. It is defined by the levels at which water stands in wells that penetrate the water body far enough to hold standing water.

(n) "Monthly average withdrawal" means the total amount of water pumped by a water source or water system in any one month of the same year in which the "annual average withdrawal" is measured, divided by the number of days in that month. This amount is expressed in gallons per day (gpd).

(o) "Annual average withdrawal" means the total yearly amount of water pumped by a water source or water system divided by the number of days in that year. This amount is expressed in gallons per day (gpd).

(p) "Maximum day withdrawal" means the highest total amount of water pumped by a water source or water system in a 24-hour period. This amount is expressed in gallons per day (gpd).

(q) "Design pumping capacity" means the actual rate that a well pump will produce water at the time the well pump was installed. This rate will vary with the horsepower of the pump motor, total dynamic head, and size of discharge pipe.

(r) "Chemigation" means the injection of chemicals, fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, or nematicides into irrigation water.

(s) "Unaccounted for Water" (UAW) means the difference between the total amount of water pumped into the water system from the source(s) and the amount of metered water use by the customers of the water system expressed as a percentage of the total water pumped into the system. UAW generally includes system leakage and unmetered uses such as fire fighting, flushing, broken water mains, etc.