Connecticut Well Drilling Regulations and Licensing
The Connecticut Well Drilling Regulations and Licensing domain tests the paper trail: who may drill, what must be permitted first, what has to be filed afterward, and what happens when a well is abandoned.
Who may drill
CGS 25-128 et seq. and the well drilling regulations require a DEEP-issued well drilling license. Work is performed under a licensed well drilling contractor with a licensed driller responsible for the job. Holding the license is not a substitute for local approval of the site.
Before drilling
- Application to the local director of health for a well permit, with a site plan showing the proposed location and setbacks, intended depth and use.
- Verify the property line, the sewage disposal area and any wetland or watercourse buffers on the plan.
- Call Before You Dig before the rig is spotted.
After drilling
- Well completion report filed with DEEP recording depth, casing, grout, screen, static level, yield and formations; this is the record buyers, lenders and regulators rely on.
- Copy of the log and water test results to the owner.
- Abandoned wells must be sealed by a licensed driller under permit: remove obstructions, disinfect, and fill from the bottom up with approved grout or clean fill and grout to grade. Never fill with drill cuttings or loose gravel, which leave a vertical path for contamination.
Worked example
A homeowner's 60-year-old dug well yields 0.4 gpm and a replacement is planned. Sequence: confirm the driller and contractor licenses; submit the health department application with a site plan placing the new well 50-plus ft from the disposal system, 25-plus ft from the line and 10-plus ft from the foundation; receive the permit; drill and grout; file the completion report with DEEP; shock-chlorinate and test; obtain a separate permit and seal the old well; hand the owner the log, test results and contact information.
Traps that cost marks
- Drilling on a verbal OK before the permit is issued.
- Assuming the DEEP license satisfies local siting review.
- Filing estimated rather than actual depths and grout quantities.
- Abandoning a well with cuttings, rocks or a loose board cover.