Guidelines for New and Existing Transient Non-Community Groundwater Sources

MassDEP Drinking Water Program Guidelines for New and Existing Transient Non-Community Groundwater Sources with Approved Yields less than 10,000 Gallons per Day

Appendix G of the Guidelines for Public Water Systems

June 26, 2009

The following criteria apply to all new Transient Non-Community sources with approved yields of less than 10,000 gallons per day (gpd). The submittal shall be certified by a Registered Professional Engineer, geologist skilled in water supply development or a Massachusetts Registered Well Driller that the site, pumping test and water quality meet the criteria set forth in these guidelines and in the Drinking Water Regulations (310 CMR 22.00). Plans for pumping facilities and appurtenances related to the source must be stamped by a Registered Professional Engineer. The permitting process will consist of a pre-submittal meeting with the appropriate MassDEP Regional office and a single submittal (BRPWS37) that shall meet the requirements listed below.

Pre-submittal Meeting

A pre-submittal meeting with the appropriate MassDEP Regional Office is required. Information that should be provided at the time of the pre-submittal meeting includes:

1. An appropriately scaled map of the proposed site that includes the following information (multiple maps may be used):
   1. The approximate well location of the new source and an appropriately sized Zone I based on the requested approval rate. The Zone I is the protective radius around a public water supply well and must be owned or controlled by the water purveyor. Current and/or future land uses within the Zone I are limited to those directly related to the provision of public drinking water or will have no significant adverse impact on water quality. MassDEP presumes that certain other activities defined as passive recreational uses (walking, hiking, cross-country skiing, and bicycling) will have no adverse impacts on water quality and thus will be allowed in the Zone I. For yields under 100,000 gallons per day, the Zone I is based on the approved yield and can be determined by the equation: Zone I (in feet) = (150) x log of pumping rate (in gallons per day) - 350. For yields of 1,000 gallons per day or less, the Zone I radius shall be 100 feet.
   2. A characterization of land uses within the IWPA around the proposed public water supply well. The IWPA is a protective area around the well whose radius is a function of the approved pumping rate. The radius of the IWPA can be determined from the equation: IWPA (in feet) = 32 x pumping rate (in gallons per minute) + 400).
   3. Approved water withdrawals, registered or permitted by MassDEP, and any other private, commercial or industrial wells within the IWPA
   4. Existing and potential sources of contamination within the IWPA.
2. At the time of the pre-submittal meeting, if the well is already installed, water quality results shall be provided.

Additional Resources

Find your Regional Office

Permit Application

The BRPWS37 permit application shall include the following information:

1. A map with the information required at the pre-submittal meeting as well as a surveyed site plan including the Zone I and the well location and elevation;
2. Copies of the water quality analyses for all samples collected during the test;
3. Precipitation and/or recharge events;
4. Selection of the pumping rate;
5. Approvable yield requested;
6. Well recovery data;
7. Stabilization criteria and pumping test data;
8. Copies of, or reference to, all relevant correspondence, if any;
9. Copies of the lithologic log(s) for the well(s);
10. Graphs showing time-drawdown and time-recovery for the well(s).

Pumping Test

1. The pumping test will be conducted for a minimum of 24 hours. The well will be considered stable when water level fluctuation is less than 2 inches over the final 4 hours of the pumping test or using a semi-logarithmic plot extrapolation of the time-drawdown curve derived from the pumping test and projected over a 180-day period, 10% of the water column (or minimally 15 ft.) between the top of the pump and the static water level remain.
2. Drawdown readings shall be taken in the pumping well every minute for the first 10 minutes, every 10 minutes for the first hour and once per hour until shutdown.
3. Recovery readings shall be taken for 8 hours in the pumping well at the same frequency as drawdown readings beginning at t = 1.0 minute after shutdown.
4. A flow measuring device capable of providing accurate flow measurements shall be used.
5. The discharge from the pumping test shall be located to minimize the recirculation of water. To decrease fluctuations in the pumping rate at pump startup, it is recommended that the discharge line be filled with water prior to commencement of the pumping test.
6. Precipitation during the pumping test should be measured on site to the nearest one-hundredth (0.01) of an inch. Precipitation measurements should commence 2 days prior to startup of the pumping test.
7. Pumping tests conducted in or near wetlands or other environmentally sensitive areas may require filing a Notice of Intent with the local Conservation Commission.

Water Quality Sampling

1. Field tests - Water quality sampling in the field at the time of the pumping test will consist of sampling for pH, odor, specific conductance and temperature. Sampling will be conducted at the beginning and end of the pumping test.
2. Laboratory tests - Water quality sample analyses shall be conducted by a MassDEP or EPA certified lab. The following samples must be collected using appropriate sampling equipment and protocols. The laboratory must be certified in all applicable potable water categories using approved testing methods and achieve all required method detection limits (MDLs) set by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
   1. Samples of water for total Coliform bacteria analyses shall be collected at the end of the test.
   2. Samples for radionuclides shall be collected at the end of the test (Gross Alpha, Beta, Radon and Radium - 226/228). Inorganic chemicals and all regulated and unregulated volatile organic compounds shall be collected at the end of the test (Appendix A of Guidelines and Policies for Public Water Systems, Volume I: Guidelines).
   3. Samples for secondary contaminants shall be collected 1 hour after test startup and at the end of the test (Appendix A).
   4. Samples for synthetic organic compounds (SOC) shall be collected at the end of the test (if required).
   5. Microscopic Particulate Analysis will be required after the well has been in use for 6 months if the source fails to meet the Surface Water Treatment Rule exemption criteria. Testing shall be conducted in accordance with EPA's Consensus Method for Ground Waters Under the Influence of Surface Water.
   6. Required analysis for contaminants not described herein shall be at the discretion of the MassDEP regional staff and shall be based on site history, well type, regional water quality and geology/hydrogeology.

Well and Treatment Plans and Specifications

1. Information on pumping curves of the proposed well and a schematic cross section of the proposed well depth, pump setting, screen setting (if applicable), depth of casing, sanitary seal, etc.
2. If treatment is recommended, the unit process shall be discussed (vis., corrosion control. iron and manganese removal and/or control, volatile organic removal, etc. Plans and specifications for the proposed treatment shall be provided.
3. A surveyed plot plan of the necessary protective radius (Zone I)
4. Any additional requirements for well construction and treatment facility, if applicable, as specified in Sections 4.5, 4.6, and 4.20 of Guidelines and Policies for Public Water Systems, Volume I: Guidelines.
5. Submittal of an affidavit to the registry of deeds attesting to the presence of a public water system on the property.