NewsBits - Issue 6, May 2019

- by Liesa Lehmann, Private Water Supply Section Chief

I’m pleased to share the 2018 Annual Report of DNR’s private water supply activities. In addition to the accomplishments shown below, we launched two major technology initiatives last year:

• The Well Driller Viewer provides a map view of well construction reports and contamination-related data to help well professionals plan construction projects and meet regulatory requirements. A mid-year survey of drillers and installers showed that more than 85% are very satisfied with the WD Viewer and use it at least once a month to review well construction reports or prepare for an inspection. We are making enhancements based on your input. Watch for improvements to well construction report locations soon.
• Online WCR is the new electronic system for submitting Well Construction Reports. Online WCR checks for common errors to make sure the report is complete, and submits the data directly to DNR without the need to send in a paper report. More than 40% of WCRs are now submitted using this new system.

The Private Water Supply staff look forward to regular interactions with you, so please keep in touch as we all work toward the common goal of providing safe drinking water and protecting groundwater in Wisconsin. I hope you enjoy this 2018 Annual Report!

Construction 

Figure 1. DNR received 8,807 reports for well construction in 2018. More than 93% were private drinking water wells.

Figure 2. Construction of new or replacement private drinking water wells over the past 10 years shows a steady increase since 2011.

Figure 3. Geothermal projects have significantly declined since 2009, based on approvals and notifications processed by DNR. DNR anticipates these numbers to increase for 2019, as Federal Geothermal Tax Credits were restored in late 2018. 

Figure 4. DNR private water supply specialists inspected wells during construction for 11% of the well notifications received by DNR in 2018. This was slightly lower than the percent inspected each of the prior 4 years, due to 2 staff vacancies for half of the year.

In 2018, private water field specialists increased contacts with pump installers to develop relationships, answer questions and evaluate compliance. 

Well Filling and Sealing

Figure 5. Well Filling and Sealing Reports submitted to DNR over the past 10 years.

406 WARS system users submitted 3,842 filling and sealing reports in 2018. More than 7,200 Well Filling and Sealing reports have been submitted to DNR electronically since electronic reporting was required starting July 1, 2016.

Well Grants

Figure 6. DNR awarded a combined total of over $139,000 in well abandonment and well compensation grants in 2018. Well compensation grants helped nine owners to replace wells due to Arsenic (4), Metals (3), Manganese (1), and Nitrate (1) contamination. Additionally, 56 well abandonment grants were issued around the state.

Licensing

In all, 1,229 individuals held an active Water Well Driller, Heat Exchange Driller and/or Pump Installer license during the 2018 calendar year, a decrease from 1,300 individuals in 2017.

Table 1. The number of licensees or registrants by type at the end of 2018. 

Figure 7. The total number of licensed well drillers and registered rig operators declined in recent years, though the number of Water Well Drilling Rig Operators increased slightly in 2018. The number of licensed pump installers has also declined from 1,396 in 2009 down to 1,237 in 2018.

Enforcement Activity

Private water staff issued 305 notices of noncompliance (NONs) for 400 separate violations in 2018. 

Figure 8. Noncompliance in 2018 covered a broad range of code requirements. Improper or failure to fill and seal was most common, followed by late water samples and other report violations.

DNR issued 5 Notices of Violation (NOVs) to drillers, pump installers or unlicensed individuals in 2018, and held enforcement conferences for each case, as well as a second enforcement conference for one individual. DNR conservation wardens issued 8 citations: four citations to one individual for unlicensed property transfer well inspections, and four cases resulted in one citation each - two for failure to properly submit sample results, one for failure to submit water samples within 30 days of well construction, and one for failure to properly submit a Well Construction Report.

One case referred to the Wisconsin Department of Justice in 2017 resulted in a criminal conviction in 2018. The individual was charged with 25 criminal counts including engaging in well drilling and pump installing without a license, criminal damage to property, theft by fraud and theft by contractor. The final plea deal requires 6 months of jail time, almost $10,000 in restitution and court costs, and a three-year probation during which the individual may not engage in well drilling or pump installing.

NewsBits

NewsBits is published by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater.

Archived issues are available at: dnr.wi.gov/topic/wells/newsbits.html.