License Scope, Permit, and Missing Report
A licensed Illinois water well driller is hired to replace a failed well at a rural residence. He drills a new 150-ft well, installs a submersible pump and pressure tank, and abandons the old well by filling it with gravel. He does not obtain a local health department permit because the owner says the last driller never did. The new well is 45 ft from the septic tank and 60 ft from the drainfield. He submits no well construction report. The county health department discovers the work during a complaint about muddy water. The driller says his license covers everything from hole to tap.
1. Identify the licensing and permit issues. Does an Illinois well driller license authorize pump installation and abandonment?
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The driller's statement is too broad. Illinois separates water-well drilling from pump installation: a well driller license does not automatically authorize pump installation, which requires the appropriate pump installation contractor licensing. The driller may perform well abandonment as part of well construction, but he must do it according to the Code. The local health department permit is a separate requirement in this county; the fact that a prior driller may have skipped it is not a defense. The driller also failed to submit the well construction report, which is required so the state and local health authority have a record of the well location, depth, casing, screen, grout, and abandonment. The muddy-water complaint makes the missing report and improper seal a public-health issue, not just paperwork. The driller should stop work and resolve the permit, license scope, and reporting deficiencies before continuing.
2. Evaluate the setbacks and the abandonment. What corrections are needed?
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The new well at 45 ft from the septic tank fails the 50-ft minimum, and 60 ft from the drainfield fails the 75-ft minimum. The well cannot be approved at that location. The driller must relocate the well or obtain a proper variance from the authority having jurisdiction if one is available. The old well abandonment by gravel fill alone is also inadequate: gravel is permeable and does not seal the borehole against vertical movement of contamination. The old well should be cleared of debris, disinfected, and sealed with a continuous low-permeability grout or an approved fill-and-seal method, with the top mounded to shed water. Because the new well is also too close to the septic features, correcting only the old well would not make the new well acceptable.
3. What corrective actions and consequences should the driller expect?
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The driller should expect a stop-work or compliance order, a requirement to obtain the local permit, submission of the missing well construction and abandonment reports, and correction of the setbacks and seal. If the new well cannot be relocated, it may have to be abandoned and replaced. The driller may face disciplinary action against the license, including fines or license conditions, depending on the violations and prior history. The owner should be told not to use the well until it is approved and sampled. The case also shows why the driller must verify local permit requirements and license scope before starting: a valid state license does not override local permits, setback rules, or the separate pump-installation license.