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From the Chief
- by Liesa Lehmann, Private Water Supply Section Chief
Welcome to the first issue of NewsBits E-newsletter! After a few years off, Wisconsin DNR is bringing NewsBits back to life as an electronic newsletter for Drillers and Pump Installers.
NewsBits will be issued by email several times each year to provide updates, reminders, data and news for Wisconsin's drilling and pump installing industry.
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What's New
Hello, Good-bye and Congrats
 Jared Niewoehner is the newest Private Water Supply Specialist working out of DNR’s Fitchburg office. He will be covering southcentral Wisconsin counties.
Jared grew up in northeast Iowa, studied geoscience at the University of Iowa and worked as a drill rig operator before joining Wisconsin DNR.
Welcome Jared!
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 Steve Janowiak transferred to a hydrogeologist position in DNR’s Remediation and Redevelopment program in late 2017.
Steve worked for 16 years as a Private Water Supply Specialist in Wisconsin Rapids developing strong local relationships and mentoring other DNR staff.
We wish Steve all the best in this new chapter of his DNR career.
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 JaNelle Merry was recently promoted to Public Water Field Supervisor in DNR’s Green Bay office. She will supervise a team of staff who implement safe drinking water requirements for public systems in northeast Wisconsin.
We will miss JaNelle’s work as a private water supply specialist, and wish her well in her new role.
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From the Field
- by Marty Nessman, Private Water Supply Field Supervisor
Private Water Supply Specialists continue to focus on being a resource for well professionals by observing well and pump work in the field.
Field staff have observed that some license holders are using a pre-2014 version of NR 812 as a reference in the field. NR 812 was last revised in October 2014 and included changes to the setback requirements to contamination sources and added new requirements for existing installations and property transfer inspections. Using a current version of NR 812 as a reference can prevent easily avoidable mistakes that could lead to non-compliance and enforcement actions.
If you are not sure about a code requirement, please contact the Private Water Supply Field Contact for your county or contact Policy Coordinator Tom Puchalski.
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Technology Updates
DNR’s new Well Driller Viewer helps well professionals plan construction projects and meet regulatory requirements. The Well Driller Viewer provides a map view of contaminated sites, special well casing areas, dual aquifers and landfill buffers, along with private well construction reports.
By simply clicking where you plan to construct a well you’ll find what approvals or variances are needed, and get links to more information. The Well CD will not be produced after 2018, so try out the Well Driller Viewer and use the Feedback button to let us know what you think.
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By the Numbers
- by Judy Gifford, License Coordinator
Almost 1300 individuals hold an active Wisconsin license as a well driller, heat exchange driller and/or pump installer. Each year some individuals do not renew, and newly-licensed individuals are added. The overall total number of licenses has gradually declined over the past eight years.
Here’s the number of license holders at the end of 2017:
| License/Registration Type |
Number of License /Registration Holders
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| Pump Installer |
1242 |
| Well Driller |
264 |
| Heat Exchange Driller |
36 |
| Well Drilling Rig Operator |
145 |
| Heat Exchange Drilling Rig Operator |
36 |
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Enforcement Activity
- by Tom Puchalski, Policy Coordinator
DNR has identified a list of common code violations occurring around the state. The list is intended to remind you to review your own business practices in these areas. Common violations that may result in a citation include:
- Missing or late well construction reports (WCRs) or electronic well filling and sealing reports.
- Failure to collect a required water sample or failure to submit water test results.
- Drilling or doing pump installing work without a license.
- Failure to purchase a notification prior to drilling.
- Failure to fill and seal an exploration borehole.
- Failure to submit abandonment reports after filling and sealing an exploration borehole.
Reviewing and correcting noncompliant business practices now, can prevent enforcement problems in the future.
| If you are aware of or suspect safe drinking water violations - such as unlicensed work, noncompliant well construction practices or failure to properly sample drinking water - you can confidentially call or text this information to the numbers below, or submit a report online. |
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Final Tidbits
- Driller/Installer Fact Sheets explain key code requirements and help you comply.
- Due to a change in state law, well owners who apply for state well grants can now receive up to $12,000 in state assistance for each eligible Well Compensation or Well Abandonment grant project.
- More than 7,200 Well Filling and Sealing reports have been submitted to DNR electronically since electronic reporting was required on July 1, 2016.
- DNR staff are drafting NR 812 Rule Changes to correct unclear language, streamline procedures and update construction standards. Public hearings are expected to occur in late 2018.
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Year in Review
Coming Soon! Our 2017 Year in Review report will be published in April 2018.
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