Washington Administrative Code

(1) Yes. Any person who feels aggrieved by a decision made by a local health district or county under delegated authority may appeal the decision to the department of ecology.(2) The appeal must be made within thirty days of receipt of the decision.(3) An appeal to the department…

The department will, on an annual basis, review each of the local health jurisdictions or counties, interagency agreements. The review shall include an audit of the construction inspections, decommissioning inspections, enforcement activities, variance decisions, training needs, …

The following minimum standards apply to all waterwells constructed and decommissioned in the state of Washington. It is the responsibility and liability of the water well operator who constructs the well, the property owner, and the water well contractor, to take whatever measur…

(1) When strict compliance with the requirements and standards of this chapter are impractical, any person may request a variance to the department from a regulation or regulations. The application for variance must propose a comparable alternative specification that will provide…

(1) "Abandoned well" means a well that is unmaintained or is in such disrepair that it is unusable or is a risk to public health and welfare.(2) "Access port" is a 1/2- to 2-inch tapped hole or tube equipped with a screw cap, which provides access to the inner casing, for measure…

(1) Unless a groundwater withdrawal is exempt from the permit requirements under RCW 90.44.050, a well cannot be drilled without the well owner first obtaining a water right permit from the department authorizing the use of water from the well.(2) The licensed operator must have …

The department may require water users to measure the quantity of water withdrawn from wells, to record water use, and/or to report the water use information to the department. Until the department develops specific metering and reporting requirements, these requirements may be p…

(1) Anyone who constructs or decommissions a well is required to submit a complete report on the construction or decommissioning of the well to the water resources program within thirty days after completion of a well, or after the drilling equipment has left the site. The report…

(1) Yes. The property owner, owner's agent, or water well operator shall notify the department of their intent to begin wellconstruction or decommissioning procedures at least seventy-two hours before starting work.(2) The notice of intent is submitted on forms provided by the de…

Every well must be planned and constructed so that it is:(1) Adapted to those geologic and groundwater conditions known to exist at the well site to insure utilization of any natural protection available;(2) Not a conduit for contaminating the groundwater or surface water nor a m…

(1) The proposed water well shall be located where it is not subject to ponding and is not in the floodway, except as provided in chapter 86.16 RCW.(2) It shall be protected from a one hundred-year flood and from any surface or subsurface drainage capable of impairing the quality…

(1) In constructing a water well, care shall be taken to preserve the natural barriers to groundwater movement between aquifers.(2) Care shall be taken to seal aquifers or strata penetrated during drilling operations which might impair water quality or result in cascading water.(…

(1) You may complete wells with screens, perforated liners or pipe, or open bottom completion. The well driller or designer shall advise the owner or the owner's representative of the most appropriate method of completion.(2) All well components must be of sufficient strength to …

(1) Proper casing must be installed in all water supply wells.(2) The casing shall withstand typical forces which act upon it during and after installation. It shall be resistant to the corrosive effects of the surrounding formations, earth, and water and shall be impervious to a…

TABLE 3Recommended Well Diameters AnticipatedWell Yieldin gpmNominal Sizeof Pump Bowlsin inchesOptimum Sizeof Well Casingin inchesLess than 100 4 6 ID 75 to 175 5 8 ID 150 to 350 6 10 ID 300 to 700 8 12 ID 500 to 1000 10 14 OD 800 to 1800 12 16 OD 1200 to 3000 14 20 OD 2000 to 38…

(1) At no time shall a product contain materials that:(a) Are toxic or polluting;(b) Develop odor or color changes in the water; or(c) Serve as a microbial nutrient.(2) Organic materials which foster or promote undesired organic growth or have the potential to degrade water quali…

(1) All polymers and additives used in any well shall be certified by NSF/ANSI approval standards for use in potable water supply wells, or equivalent standards as approved by the department. The product shall be clearly labeled as meeting these standards.(2) Polymers and additiv…

(1) Bentonite sealant:(a) Bentonite used to prepare slurries for sealing or decommissioning shall be specifically designed for this purpose. All bentonite slurries shall be prepared and installed according to the manufacturer's instructions. Active solids content (bentonite) shal…

(1) All water wells constructed shall have a surface seal which seals the annular space between the bore hole and the permanent surface casing.(a) The seal shall be constructed to prevent surface contaminants from reaching the groundwater.(b) The surface seal must have a minimum …

(1) Unconsolidated formation sealing - Without significant clay beds or other confining formations - Drilled wells that penetrate an aquifer overlain by unconsolidated formations such as sand and gravel without significant clay beds (at least six feet thick) or other confining fo…

(1) When flowing artesian conditions are known or suspected, the operator shall have a written sealing plan prepared prior to initiation of construction. The plan shall identify the type of sealing material that will be used and the method for sealing. The plan shall also contain…

The surface seal of all dug wells shall be constructed to effectively seal the annular space between the undisturbed native material of the upper well hole and the well curbing, which may consist of concrete tile, steel pipe or liner. The seal depth shall be at least eighteen fee…

(1) Driven wells - An upper hole at least four inches greater in diameter than the permanent casing shall extend a minimum of six feet below land surface. The annular space between the upper oversized drill hole and the permanent casing must be kept at least one-half full with be…

Wells must be constructed in accordance with sealing standards under this chapter. In gravel-packed wells, the gravel mixture shall be placed around the screen so that bridging or size separation does not occur. The gravel pack must be clean, and chemically stable. All gravel and…

(1) The watertight casing or curbing of any well shall extend at least six inches above the ground surface. Pit completion is prohibited.(2) Where the site is subject to flooding, the top of the casing must be at least two feet above the estimated water level of a one hundred-yea…

(1) All wells which are not in use, or are temporarily out of service, must be securely capped so that no contamination can enter the well.(2) Capping must be affixed by solid welds or equal seal to prevent unauthorized access to the well.(3) Temporary capping alone will not sati…

(1) It shall be the operator's responsibility to place a well identification tag with a unique identification number on every well that they construct, alter, or reconstruct within thirty days of completion of the well. The original unique identification number shall be used on a…

(1) Well authorized by appropriation permit - Before being put to use, each well shall be test pumped for yield and draw down. Reports of the test pumping shall be submitted as required in chapter 90.44 RCW. The driller shall be familiar with and meet all testing procedures outli…

(1) All tools, drilling equipment and materials shall be free of contaminants prior to beginning well construction. Contaminants include lubricants, fuel, bacteria that will reduce the well efficiency, and any other item(s) that will be harmful to public health and/or the resourc…

All water introduced into a well for drilling purposes and for mixing sealing materials shall be obtained from a potable water source and have a chlorine residual of not more than 1 ppm free chlorine.[Statutory Authority: Chapter 18.104 RCW and RCW 43.21A.080. WSR 98-08-032 (Orde…

All pumps and pumping equipment and materials must be free of contamination and shall be installed in a manner consistent with the intent and purposes of these regulations.[Statutory Authority: Chapter 18.104 RCW and RCW 43.21A.080. WSR 98-08-032 (Order 97-08), § 173-160-351, fil…

Explosives used for developing or reconditioning any water well must be used under the direct supervision of an individual licensed under chapter 70.74 RCW.[Statutory Authority: Chapter 18.104 RCW and RCW 43.21A.080. WSR 98-08-032 (Order 97-08), § 173-160-361, filed 3/23/98, effe…

The use of detergents, chlorine, acids or other chemicals in wells for the purpose of increasing or restoring yield, shall be used according to manufacturer's recommendations. Within a consolidated formation, the placement or use of packers and subsequent pressurization within th…

Any well which is unusable, abandoned, or whose use has been permanently discontinued, or which is in such disrepair that its continued use is impractical or is an environmental, safety or public health hazard shall be decommissioned. The decommissioning procedure (as prescribed …

Approval must be obtained from the department before starting any project related to the artificial recharge of groundwater bodies.[Statutory Authority: Chapter 18.104 RCW and RCW 43.21A.080. WSR 98-08-032 (Order 97-08), § 173-160-390, filed 3/23/98, effective 4/23/98.]

The following minimum standards shall apply to all resource protectionwells and geotechnical soil borings constructed in the state of Washington. It is the responsibility of the resource protection well operator, resource protection well contractor, and the property owner to take…

(1) When strict compliance with the requirements and standards of this chapter are impractical, any person may submit a variance request to the department from a regulation or regulations. The application for variance must propose a comparable alternative specification that will …

This section specifically defines words associated with resource protection wells and geotechnical soil borings. To find the definitions of other words, see WAC 173-160-111.(1) "Confining layer" or "confining formation" means a layer of low hydraulic conductivity material that si…

(1) No resource protection well or soil boring excavation may be used to withdraw or inject water for domestic, industrial, municipal, commercial, or agricultural purposes.(2) No resource protection well or soil boring excavation may interconnect aquifers.(3) Nested resource prot…

(1) The casing may not affect or interfere with the chemical, physical, radiological, or biological constituents of interest. The casing shall be resistant to the corrosive effects of the surrounding formations, earth, and water and shall be impervious to any contaminants encount…

(1) When drilling in known or potential areas of contamination, steam clean the drill rig derrick and all drilling equipment on site before and after well construction. If the equipment is used to drill in radioactive areas, you must develop a decontamination plan and the departm…

(1) At no time shall a product contain materials that:(a) Are toxic or polluting;(b) Develop odor or color changes in the water; or(c) Serve as a microbial nutrient.(2) Organic materials which foster or promote undesired organic growth or have the potential to degrade water quali…

(1) All polymers and additives used in any well shall be certified by NSF/ANSI approval standards for use in potable water supply wells, or equivalent standards as approved by the department. The product shall be clearly labeled as meeting these standards.(2) Polymers and additiv…

(1) All resource protection wells constructed shall have a continuous seal, which seals the annular space between the bore hole and the permanent casing. The seal shall be constructed to prevent interconnection of separate aquifers penetrated by the well, and shall provide casing…

(1) Resource protection wells that are installed using direct push technology shall comply with the applicable standards in these rules for reporting, casing, screening, development, surface protection, cleaning, tagging, and completion.(2) Resource protection wells that are inst…

(1) General requirements.(a) Applicability of minimum standards. The minimum standards set forth herein apply to all ground source heat pump borings as defined in WAC 173-160-111.(b) Prohibition against other uses. Ground source heat pump borings cannot be used for any purpose ot…

(1) Grounding wells (cathodic protection wells or anode wells) must be constructed in accordance with the provisions of Part One—General Requirements for Water Well Construction, chapter 173-160 WAC.(2) Grounding wells shall be designed by an engineer, licensed in Washington stat…

(1) The bore hole containing the vibrating wire piezometers shall have a minimum diameter at least four inches larger than the diameter of the instrument.(2) When sealing with a grout or slurry, the bore hole shall be grouted from the bottom up via a tremie tube. The tremie tube …

(1) Vibrating wire piezometers shall be sealed using materials as allowed in WAC 173-160-450; or sealing materials as designed and recommended by the manufacturer provided that the material, when placed, provides a permeability of 1 x 10-7 cm/sec or less. The licensed driller or …

(1) For resource protection wells and geotechnical soil borings that were not constructed in accordance with these regulations, or for which a drilling report required under this section is missing, remove all debris, accumulated sediment, equipment and obstructions from the well…