NHDESPrivate Well Strategy

Private Well Working Group

February 16, 2011Paul Susca and Cynthia Klevens

Drinking Water and Groundwater BureauN.H. Department of Environmental Services

Private Wells40%

PWS GW23%

PWS GW & Surface

14%

PWS Surface23%

N.H. Domestic Water Supply Sources

Private Wells in N.H. Serve 37 – 44% of residents Water quality not regulated by

State (“unsatisfactory water test” disclosure)

Rarely tested as recommended Exposure to natural contaminants

a significant issue: Est. 33% > 4,000 pCi/L state rec.

action level Rn Est. 95% > 300 pCi/L proposed

fed. MCL Rn Est. 20% > 10 ppb MCL As Est. 7% > 30 ppb MCL U

Yield an issue for 3%-9% of wells Impact of withdrawals a concern in

some areas

Prevalence ofCommon Contaminants in NH Private Wells

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Radon - ProposedEPA MCL (300

piC/L)

Radon - ProposedEPA AMCL (4,000

piC/L)

Arsenic - EPA andDES MCL (10

ug/L)

Uranium - EPAand DES MCL (30

ug/L)

Well Yield

Complaints regarding yield at new homes Water Well Board recommendation

Minimum: 600 gal/2 hours once/day (5 gpm) Optimum: 960 gal/4 hours (4 gpm)

Based on well completion reports: 3% do not supply minimum 9% do not supply optimum

Private Well Testing - Overview

Before 2007 Private Well Working Group, 2007-2009

Membership Process Recommendation

Private Well Testing Bill (2010) Model Ordinance Other activities

Private Well Initiative Before 2007

2000 Strategy Radio PSA Flier and poster (EPA $) distributed thru

Health Officers PSA for town reports

Outreach to towns with high level of contaminants

Presentations Home inspectors Real estate agents

Seminar at DES (2006)

NHDES Private Well Testing Recommendations

When New well Buying a home Repeat every 3-5 yrs Annually (Basic Analysis) Noticeable changes

What Basic Analysis ($30)

• Bacteria (TC, E coli)• Nitrate & nitrite• Chloride

Standard Analysis ($85)• 14 parameters

Radiological ($80)• Radon• Analytical Gross Alpha

VOCs ($120) Others if indicated

Private Well Working Group NH DES NH DHHS US Geological Survey NH Geological Survey Code Enforcement,

Building Inspector UNH Sea Grant &

Cooperative Extension

Home Builders and Remodelers Assoc.

Association of Realtors Water Well Board Well Drillers Plumbing Board Health Officer Assoc. Regional Planning

Commissions

Working Group - Process Part of DES Source Water Protection

Strategy – updated every 7-10 yrs October 2007 meeting

Review of previous efforts, existing programs, issues, available data

Call for more data, white paper March 2008 meeting

Discussion and voting on policy options Report and Recommendations 2009

PWWG White Paper

Private wells serve large and growing portion of population

High levels of natural contaminants affect significant percentage of private wells

Yield of private wells is a health issue Existing state & local programs do not

ensure testing & treatment Eight policy options described

Existing State Programs DES Private Well Initiative (outreach)

Impact difficult to measure, appears short-lived NH Water Well Board

Licenses drillers and pump installers Addresses well construction, etc.

State Plumbing Code Requires “potable water” Standards not clear

Real Estate Statute requires disclosure of known problems

Housing Standards requires “adequate supply of water” Voluntary certification of water treatment technicians

Working Group Recommendations

Require testing and disclosure to prospective buyer at R.E. transfer Standard analysis plus rads Disclose available well yield info Opposed by NHAR & HBRANH

Require testing and disclosure to well owner when new well drilled or existing well deepened

HB 1685 (2010) – The Basics New wells and deepening of existing wells

Pump installer takes sample, sends to lab Lab sends results; pump installed provides results to

owner; owner signs acknowledgement Home sale: prior to executing Purchase & Sale

Seller takes sample, sends to lab• Lab sends results; seller provides results to buyer; buyer

signs acknowledgement OR buyer opts out of testing

Nothing is sent to or filed with DES

HB 1685, continued

Analysis to be done by accredited labs. No need to test again if home with new

well is sold within one year. Well owner, home buyer may opt in to

sharing data with NH Geological Survey. Enforcement by DES in response to

complaints; licensed pump installers appeal to Water Well Board

Parameters of Concern

Problems in more than 1% of wells (except Radium due to cost & delay)

Health-related Non-health-related, but

Can render water un-usable: hardness, Fe, Mn, pH, Na, Cl

Affect choice of treatment Inexpensive as a package

Minority Report N.H. Association of REALTORS

Opposed to point-of-sale mandates due to cost and delay

Notification of known problems already required Standard REALTORS P&S form enables to buyer to

opt into water testing, incl. Radon Concerned about potential fines for sellers Question benefit

Home Builders & Remodelers Assoc. Chilling effect on home sales Shift of responsibility to seller

Both support overall goal; no objection to new well testing

Private Well Analyses - DES Lab

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

July

06

July

07

July

08

July

09

Sam

ples

/Mon

th

StandardSanitaryRadiologicals

Most Private Well Testing Does Not Include Recommended Health-Based Parameters

Private Well Analyses - DES Lab

Standard61%

Sanitary28%

Radiologicals11%

July 2006 – September 2009

American Academy of PediatricsPolicy Statement on Private Wells & Children

Recommendations to government (May 2009) States should require testing when a dwelling is sold,

and results made available to buyer Local governments should provide access to

information about local groundwater conditions and recommendations for testing

Testing should be convenient and free or inexpensive Small community systems should not be routinely

exempted from testing

Meanwhile . . .

Since PWWG HB 1685 introduced January 2010

Commerce and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee recommended killing bill in February,

urging DES to work with NHAR Existing wells:

Attempting to engage NHAR on disclosure form Training session for Realtors in September

New wells Mailing info to new well owners Model ordinance - soon to be released

NHDES Model Ordinance (draft)

Developed for Groundwater Commission – main concerns were adequacy & impact

For building permit or occupancy permit Pumping test (5 hrs) – demonstrate adequacy

(3 gal/min; <150 ft drawdown; <24 hr recovery) Water quality test – disclosure Results to health officer or building inspector

Model OrdinanceWater Quality Testing Parameters

Total Coliform Bacteria E. Coli Bacteria Nitrate Nitrite Chloride pH Hardness Fluoride Iron Manganese

Sodium Arsenic Uranium Radon Analytical Gross Alpha Copper (stagnant and

purged) Lead (stagnant and

purged) Volatile organic

compounds

What’s Next

Model ordinanceFinalize, disseminate, publicize

NHAR disclosure form Continue mailings to new well owners Ground Water Awareness Week

March 6-12