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HomeMy WebLinkAboutA-62, Regulating construction and use of WellsORDINANCE A-62 An Ordinance Regulating Construction and use of Wells. WHEREAS,the City of Carmel obtains water for its municipal utility from ground water wells; and WHEREAS, there is an increasingly large number of both qualified and unqualified persons drilling wells into the municipal aquifer; and WHEREAS, there is also an increasing number of Geothermal wells being drilled into the aquifer; and WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the citizens of Carmel to protect the aquifer from which the public water supply is drawn; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED By the Common Council of the City of Cannel, Indiana that: APPLICATION: This Ordinance shall apply to all persons, corporations, partnerships, and other entities which drill wells, are engaged in the business of drilling wells, are the owners of wells which have been or will be drilled in the City of Carmel, Indiana or maintain wells drilled within the municipal corporate boundaries. A. DEFINITIONS: A well is any hole or shaft drilled, augured, sunk, or inserted into the earth for extraction, injection, or disposal of any material. A well shall include all mechanical and plumbing appliances connected thereto. This includes any device inserted into the earth which is intended for geothermal or heat exchange purposes whether or not said device pumps water from or into the earth directly. This definition is included for directional purposes in interpretation of the concept of a well. A well driller is any person, corporation, partnership, or other entity engaged in the business, whether full or part time, or professional or amateur, of placing wells into the surface of the earth. This includes, those persons, business, or partnerships which construct geothermal heat exchange systems, well operated sprinkling or irrigation systems, and wells for domestic or professional use or for the use or disposal of any material. ANDRWELL.RVS Tue Apr 3, 1990 10:56 am II. REQUIREMENTS FOR WELL DRILLERS TO OPERATE WITHIN THE CORPORATE MUNICIPAL BOUNDARIES. A. State licensing: All persons drilling wells must have a current drilling license from the State of Indiana. Bo All well drillers working within the corporate municipal boundaries of the City of Cannel, Indiana, must register their business with the Administrative Office of the Carmel Utilities within 30 days of commencing work with in the Corporate Municipal boundaries. 1. REQUIREMENTS FOR REGISTRATION & PERMITS ao Each business or person registering a business shall retain a copy of the specifications and regulations of the utility regarding well drilling, and shall comply with those standards and specifications. b. Shall fill out a registration information form provided by the Cannel Municipal Utility. c. Obtain from the utility a permit, which shall be valid for one year, from date of issue, unless otherwise revoked. 2. All wells must comply with the City of Carmel's specifications as revised from time-to-time and be inspected and certified by the utility department, prior to being placed into service. III. WELL AND SITE APPROVAL: Within a reasonable time after an application is presented to the City Utility, but before drilling is started, the owner, or his agent shall request well site approval from the utility department. The owner or his agent shall make this request on a from provided by Carmel Utilities. IV. WELL INSPECTIONS: A. All wells require (TWO INSPECTIONS) 1. During the grouting procedure and 2. A final inspection made after all appurtenances are installed and just prior to placing the well in service. No well shall be placed in service prior to passing final inspection ANDRWELL.RVS 2 Tue Apr 3, 1990 10:56 am All inspection requests shall be in writing to the Cannel Utility Department at least 24 hours prior to the inspection taking place include the following information: and 1. Address of property, lot number, phone number; and 2. Land owners name, address, telephone number;, and 3. Well drillers name, address, phone number; and 4. Date and time the inspection is requested. C. INSPECTION FEES: 1. All fees shall be paid to the Carmel Utilities prior to the actual inspection taking place. 2. All inspection and reinspection fees under this Ordinance are established at $35.00 each. a. The grouting inspection and b. The final inspection fee. 3. Inspection after normal business hours. Normal business hours for the Cannel Utilities to conduct inspections are from 8:15 A.M. to 4:00 .M. Monday-Friday, not including major holidays. In the event that an inspection is requested during a holiday or after hours, the following requirements shall apply. If an inspector is available: An inspection will be made; and In addition to the inspection fee, the requesting parties shall reimburse the Cannel Utility for any overtime expense which the utility will incur to accommodate the requesting party for the extraordinaE~ inspection. Co If an inspector can not be scheduled, THE DRILLING SHALL NOT BE DONE. D. FAILURE TO REQUEST WELL INSPECTIONS If a well is drilled and no inspection is requested or made in accordance with this Ordinance, that well must be abandon and sealed off according to City and State specifications. A new well must be drilled unless otherwise excepted in writing by the manager of the Carmel Utilities Department and inspection occur in accordance with this Ordinance. ANDRWELL.RVS 3 Tue Apr 3, 1990 10:56 am 2. If any plumbing or system violates the standards, schedules, or requirements of the City of Carmel, or State of Indiana, those violations must be corrected within a time set by the inspector and an inspection rescheduled. V. WELL AND PERMIT APPLICATION. Ao Prior to the drilling of a new well an application must be completed, approved and on file at the Cannel Utilities Office. A copy of the approved application shall be maintained at the well site during drilling operations. Both a well application and inspection request must be made prior to the drilling procedure, otherwise the well drilling operation shall be stopped until arrangements satisfactory with Cannel Utilities can be established. Well permit application fee shall be $25.00. Well application procedure; Each applicant shall submit to the Carmel Utilities, on forms provided by the utility, the following information at the time a well permit is applied for. 1. Address of the well location; and 2. A drawing showing the proposed location of the well on the subject property, including the relationship to permanent structures; and 3. The name, address and phone number of the land owner;, and 4. The intended use for the well; and 5. The name, address, and phone number of the well driller. 6. Required inspection information for site approval. ANDRWELL.RVS 4 Tue Apr 3, 1990 10:56 am Well Permit: 1. Prior to the issuing of a final well permit and upon completion of drilling the well, the following information shall be provided to the Carmel Utility: a. Piping Schematic Diagram. This shall show all piping starting at the well and all places to which the pipe goes from the well. If the well is geothermal, the schematics shall show all parts of the geothermal system and its related piping. bo A copy of the well permit application. A copy of the well site approval. Copies of all construction and drilling inspection report. A well Log which shall include the following information: (1) Purpose of the well. (2) If geothermal the type. (3) A drawing showing the side view of the well indicating depth, thickness, and type of each material drilled through. (4) Depth of the screen placed. (5) Length of screen. (6) Screen slot size. (7) Bowl setting. (8) Motor horsepower. (9) Measured GPM output of the well after completion. (10) Pump depth setting, (if submergible). (11) Static level. (12) well pumping level. (13) well diameter . (14) total well depth ANDRWELL.RVS 5 Tue Apr 3, 1990 10:56 am VI. GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS. Only (CLOSED LOOP) geothermal well systems shall be allowed. At any time and for as long as a geothermal system is in use, when a leak develops in the system the City of Carmel Utilities must be notified and an inspection made of the repairs. C. If a leak develops in the horizontal piping of a geothermal system, it must be cut out and the system replaced. If the leak is in the vertical piping of the geothermal well, the well must be abandoned, and sealed. D. The City of Carmel Utilities shall be notified of any intent to abandon any well and an inspection shall be made during the sealing procedure when abandoning any well. VII. FINES AND PENALTIES Co Any person, corporation, partnership, or other legal entity, violating this ordinance shall be subject to citation by the Carmel Metxopolitan Police and subject to a fine up to $2,500.00, but not less than $500 for each occurrence. Each day the violation of this Ordinance occurs, shall be considered by the Court a separate occurrence. In the case of actual damage incurred by the aquifer, the fine shall, unless it exceed statutory limits, be a sum sufficient to compensate for the actual costs of correcting the damage including, but not limited to overtime costs and personnel costs incurred by the City in correcting the damages or making repairs. The Cannel City Court is authorized to hear all citations issued pursuant to this Ordinance. D. A well owner, driller or user may be subject to the emergency provisions of Ordinance A-60 in the event of a water emergency. ANDRWELL.RVS 6 Tue Apr 3, 1990 10:56 am VIII.PROHIBITED CONNECTIONS OF WELLS: Ao No well of any type, or for any reason, shall be cross connected to the City Water Supply. No well shall be connected to any City Water Main, or pipes in buildings that are connected to the City Water Supply. Geothermal well connections that are approved by Carmel Utilities may be connected to buildings served by the City public water supply. There shall not be any interconnection of the well to any plumbing that is connected to the City water supply. IX. MISCELLANEOUS Ao In the event any Court of competent jurisdiction declares any portion of this Ordinance to be unenforceable, the remaining portions of this Ordinance shall remain in full force and effect so long as the intent of this Ordinance maybe fulfilled. For purposes of notification of the Carmel City Utility, the following address shall be used unless otherwise directed by the utilities management: The City of Carmel Utilities 1 Civic Square Carmel, Indiana 46032 The Common Council of the City of Carmel, Indiana, declares that an emergency exists and this Ordinance shall be in full force and effect at the time of its passage and appropriate publication. ANDRWELL.RVS 7 Tue Apr 3, 1990 10:56 am