New Jersey Administrative Code
Title 7 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Chapter 9D - WELL CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE; SEALING OF ABANDONED WELLS
Subchapter 2 - REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES FOR THE CONSTRUCTION, INSTALLATION, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF WELLS
Section 7:9D-2.3 - Specific requirements for the construction and maintenance of Category 1 and Category 2 wells

Universal Citation: NJ Admin Code 7:9D-2.3

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024

(a) In addition to the well permitting requirements in N.J.A.C. 7:9D-1 and the well construction standards in N.J.A.C. 7:9D-2.2 , the following requirements shall also apply to all Category 1 wells:

1. All parts of the well system shall be tested, installed, designed, located, and constructed in accordance with all applicable sections of N.J.A.C. 7:10-11 or 12;

2. All wells shall be disinfected pursuant to the applicable requirements of N.J.A.C. 7:10-11 or 12 following installation, redevelopment, maintenance, well repair, and/or pump repair;

3. For potable water supply wells installed in unconsolidated formations:

4. For potable water supply wells installed in consolidated formations, the well casing shall not be less than six inches in inner diameter; and

5. All well systems that may require water treatment pursuant to (a)1 above shall conform with all applicable requirements set forth in N.J.A.C. 7:10-11 or 12.

(b) In addition to the well permitting requirements in N.J.A.C. 7:9D-1 and the well construction standards in N.J.A.C. 7:9D-2.2 , the following requirements shall also apply to all Category 1 and 2 wells:

1. No new or replacement Category 1 or Category 2 well shall be located or enclosed in a basement or cellar of a building;

2. All well casings shall extend a minimum of 12 inches above grade and shall be equipped with pitless adapters or pitless well units. The pitless adapter or pitless well unit requirement does not apply to wells equipped with a turbine pump or to irrigation wells.
i. Exceptions to this 12-inch requirement are: those well casings located in a well pit or pump house where adequate protection from surface drainage or contamination is provided and those located in driveways as flush mount installations provided with a water tight lid; and

ii. All wells shall be equipped with a down-facing casing vent, screened to prevent the entry of insects and located at least 12 inches above the grade, except for:
(1) Wells located within the 100-year flood elevation, which shall be: installed with a watertight cap, where feasible; or equipped with a down-facing vent, screened to prevent the entry of insects and located at least 12 inches above the 100-year flood elevation; and

(2) Flowing wells, which shall be capped in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:9D-2.2(a) 16;

3. Any repairs made to existing wells or pump systems, where the well head terminates below ground, shall include extending the well casing above grade and installing a pitless adapter. Extending the well casing above grade shall be accomplished by either welding additional casing on the existing casing, or the use of a gasketed, water-tight casing adapter which complies with the standards for pitless adapters set forth at (b)6ii below;

4. The annular space between the casing and the oversized borehole shall be sealed in accordance with the requirements set forth in 7:9D-2.9 and 2.10;

5. All annular space between any well casings shall be sealed, excluding the annular space between a maintenance casing and any permanent casing; and

6. All permanent well pumping equipment, well pump controls, pitless well adapters and pitless well units for Category 1 and 2 wells shall be installed as follows:
i. A pitless well installation shall consist of either a pitless well unit or pitless well adapter, and a pitless well cap or a sanitary well seal;

ii. Pitless well units, pitless well adapters and pitless well caps shall be manufactured and installed in accordance with the Water Systems Council Performance Standards and Recommended Installation Procedures for Sanitary Water Well Pitless Adapters, Pitless Units, and Well Caps (PAS-97(04)), incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented. The standard may be obtained from the Water Systems Council, National Programs Office, 1101 30th Street, N.W., Suite 500, Washington, DC 20007, Phone: (202) 625-4387, www.watersystemscouncil.org;

iii. The lateral discharge line from the well shall be covered with a minimum of three feet of earth and well pumps and appurtenant equipment shall be designed and installed to ensure adequate protection of the water supply and protection against freezing of the water;

iv. The hole used to install the lateral discharge line into the well casing shall be made in such a manner as to provide a watertight connection;

v. The exterior connection between the adapter and the well casing shall be a water tight seal either welded, threaded, or of a clamp-on gasket type. A clamp-on gasketed adapter shall be installed only on a well casing with a smooth, clean surface;

vi. At the point of attachment to the well casing, a pitless well unit shall be field-welded, threaded, or of the slip-on type with "O-ring" gasket, and shall be of watertight construction;

vii. If the connection is by means of a field-weld, the pitless well unit shall be of a type specifically designed for a welded connection;

viii. If the connection is of the slip-on type with "O-ring" gasket, the surface of the well casing shall be smooth and clean;

ix. The field connection between the pitless well unit and the lateral discharge line shall be either threaded, flanged, welded, or a mechanical joint, and shall be constructed and installed so as to be watertight;

x. Each well pump system shall have a foot-valve or a check valve;

xi. Each well pump shall have a foot-valve or a check valve;

xii. Any well with a yield of less than five gpm shall be equipped with a low water level cut-off device;

xiii. Any well with a yield of less than five gallons per minute (gpm) shall be equipped with a low water level cut-off device;

xiv. Any well with a pump capacity greater than the yield of the well shall be equipped with a low water level cut-off device;

xv. The pumping equipment shall be located so as to allow convenient access for the removal and repair of the pump and related appurtenances;

xvi. The pumping equipment shall be located so as to permit convenient access for the removal and repair of the pump and related appurtenances;

xvii. A pressure sensing device, for example, a switch, transducer, or relay, and a thermal overload switch shall be included on all pump installations in accordance with manufacturer's specifications;

xviii. A pressure relief device, such as a valve, is required on all pumping systems; and

xix. Pump controls and accessories shall be housed outside of the well casing and either in a secured and protected building or otherwise secured and protected in accordance with manufacturer's specifications.

(c) Category 1 and 2 wells installed in unconsolidated formations shall be constructed as follows:

1. When used, all well screens shall be properly sized to produce water free of sand and silt at the well head to the extent that the sand and silt will not interfere with the intended use and operation of the well system. For domestic wells, the well screen shall be properly sized to produce water free of sand and silt of five ppm or less.

(d) Category 1 and 2 wells installed in consolidated formations shall be constructed as follows:

1. All well casing shall be steel and shall conform to the minimum specifications and requirements set forth in Table 2 of (e)4 below;

2. In accordance with one of the following:
i. Each well shall have a minimum of 50 feet of casing and be constructed with a minimum of 20 feet of casing set into unweathered rock. All wells shall have a minimum length of 50 feet of grout seal extending from the bottom of the casing; or

ii. Each well shall be constructed by drilling an oversized borehole at least four inches larger than the casing diameter to a minimum depth of at least 80 feet, provided rock is not encountered. Prior to inserting the casing, the borehole shall be filled with bentonite grout and then the casing shall be driven until refusal as a result of encountering competent rock. The remaining annular space shall be grouted under pressure using a tremie pipe; and

3. If geologic conditions, for example, broken rock, mud seams, etc., are encountered when drilling below the base of the permanent casing, which prevent the driller from constructing the well in accordance with this subchapter, a deviation from the construction standards shall be requested in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:9D-2.8, before proceeding any further with the well installation.

(e) All materials used for the maintenance, replacement, repair, or modification of any Category 1 or 2 well shall meet the following requirements:

1. All well casing shall be approved for its intended use by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) and either the American Water Works Association (AWWA) or the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM);

2. Outer casings and liners shall be of the same weight and thickness as the permanent casings;

3. Plastic well casing shall conform to the following requirements:
i. Plastic well casing shall be limited to use in unconsolidated formations;

ii. Plastic well casing or screen shall not be driven;

iii. Plastic well casing shall meet the requirements specified in the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard F480-12, "Standard Specification for Thermoplastic Well Casing Pipe and Couplings Made in Standard Dimension Ratios (SDR), SCH 40 and SCH 80," incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented, which is available at www.astm.org;

iv. Plastic well casing shall also meet the requirements of the NSF International Standard Number 14; "Plastics Piping System Components and Related Materials," incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented, which is available at www.nsf.org;

v. Plastic well casing shall also meet the requirements of the National Sanitation Foundation Standard Number 14; "Plastic Piping System Components and Related Materials," incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented. The Foundation's address is P.O. Box 130140, 789 Dixboro Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48113-0140;

vi. Each length of plastic casing shall be marked in accordance with the ASTM marking specifications noted in ASTM Standard F480 (see (c)3iii above); and

4. Standard steel casing shall be manufactured and installed to conform to ASTM designation A-53/A53M, which is available at www.astm.org, or American Petroleum Institute (API) standard Specifications API 5CT and API 5D-1999, or API 5CT and API 5D, incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented. The latter are available from API at www.api.org. All steel casing shall be manufactured to conform to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) dimensions and shall conform to the minimum specifications and requirements listed in Table 2 below:

TABLE 2

Minimum Steel Casing Pipe Weights and Dimensions

NominalWeight (lb. per foot) *
(inches)Threads reamed/
sizePlainThreads &recessed & driftedThicknessDiameter
(inches)endcouplingscouplingsinchesOutsideInside
410.7910.8911.00.2374.5004.026
514.6214.8115.00.2585.5635.047
618.9719.1819.45.2806.6256.065
824.7025.55.2778.6258.071
1040.4841.85.36510.75010.020
1243.7745.45.33012.75012.090
1454.5757.00.37514.00013.250
1662.5865.30.37516.00015.250
1870.5973.00.37518.00017.250
2078.6081.00.37520.00019.250

* Nominal weight based on length of 20 feet including coupling.

5. Stainless steel casing shall be manufactured and installed to conform to ASTM standard A778-01, A312/A312M-11 and A409/A409M-09, which is incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented, which is available at www.astm.org.

6. Well screens other than those commercially manufactured shall be constructed by creating slots or openings in approved casing materials as specified at (e) above.

(f) All gravel or filter packs installed in Category 1 or 2 wells shall conform to the following requirements:

1. All gravel or filter pack placed between the borehole and the well screen shall be clean, washed with potable water, and disinfected prior to emplacement, or provisions made for performing disinfection in place. Gravel pack shall be disinfected in accordance with American Water Works Association (AWWA) standard for disinfection of wells ANSI/AWWA-C654, which is incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented, and available at www.awwa.org and may include the introduction of granular chlorine or chlorine tablets during the gravel pack operation;

2. The grain size and gradation of the filter material shall be selected to stabilize the aquifer material during well development;

3. The gravel pack shall not extend into any confining layer above the screen:
i. For well screens less than or equal to 20 feet in length, the filter pack shall not extend more than 10 feet above the top of the well screen;

ii. For well screens greater than 20 feet in length, the filter pack shall not extend above the top of the well screen by more than 50 percent of the length of the well screen;
(1) For single cased wells, the filter pack shall not extend more than 50 feet above the top of any well screen; and

(2) For multiple cased wells constructed with ungrouted maintenance casings, the filter pack shall not extend more than 75 feet above the top of the well screen.

4. Gravel refill pipes may be installed if they terminate above the ground surface, are sealed in place, are provided with water tight caps and the well casings are eight inches or greater in diameter; and

5. The filter-pack or gravel shall be placed around each screen in a manner that will enhance well production and assist in preventing sand and silt infiltration through the well screen following well development. Filter materials may be introduced into a well provided that:
i. For gravity placement, the filter material shall be poured into the annular space around the screen at a measured and uniform rate; and

ii. For tremie pipe placement, the filter material shall be placed through a tremie pipe that has been lowered to the bottom of the well.

(g) In addition to the general well permitting requirements in N.J.A.C. 7:9D-1 and the construction requirements in N.J.A.C. 7:9D-2.2 and 2.3, the following specific requirements shall apply to all open loop geothermal wells constructed for heating and cooling:

1. Unless otherwise approved by the Department, all return water shall be through a return well to the originating water bearing unit. No flowing wells may be used as part of an open loop geothermal system unless the flowing water is captured and returned to the originating water bearing unit;

2. All water returned to the originating aquifer shall, except for a difference in temperature and oxygen content, have the same physical and chemical characteristics as were present prior to withdrawal. No corrosion inhibitors, water softeners or other additives shall be added to water that will be returned to the originating aquifer;

3. The annular space between the casing and the oversized borehole shall be sealed in accordance with the requirements in 7:9D-2.9 and 2.10; and

4. Wells that also provide a potable water supply shall be constructed according to the requirements specified for Category 1 wells.

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