Water Well Standards and Contractors' Licensing Program
What the program covers
The Nebraska Water Well Standards and Contractors' Licensing Program is administered by the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) under the Water Well Standards and Contractors' Licensing Act and Title 178 NAC 10. The exam tests who must be licensed, how contractor and supervisor licenses relate, construction and decommissioning standards, and enforcement.
License structure
- A water well contractor license is held by the business or person contracting to drill; a licensed drilling supervisor must be responsible for the work.
- Pump installation is separately licensed: a pump installation contractor and a pump installation supervisor.
- Licenses are not interchangeable; a driller cannot borrow another contractor's license or supervise more operations than the rules allow.
- Renewal depends on continuing education and compliance; the DNR can suspend, revoke, or refuse renewal for violations.
Construction standards
Title 178 NAC 10 sets casing, grouting, annular seal, disinfection, and abandonment requirements. The purpose is to prevent surface contamination, cross-connection between aquifers, and loss of artesian pressure. A driller must keep records and submit a well log.
Worked example
A farm partnership wants to drill irrigation wells and install the pumps. It cannot simply hire a driller with a supervisor card. The partnership needs a water well contractor license with a qualified drilling supervisor, plus a pump installation contractor license with a qualified pump installation supervisor. If the same individual qualifies for both, the business still must hold both contractor licenses and document the supervisor relationship. Reasoning: the exam separates the business license from the individual supervisor credential and separates drilling from pump installation.
Traps
- Treating a supervisor license as a contractor license.
- Assuming pump installation is covered by a drilling license.
- Skipping the well log or abandonment record.
- Ignoring continuing education or enforcement history at renewal.