NR 812 Revisions – NR 812.11 and NR 812.12: Well Construction Equipment and Materials Requirements

To all licensed drillers and pump installers,

Changes to NR 812 – Wisconsin’s well and pump code - are coming soon!

Revisions to chapter NR 812, Wisconsin Administrative Code are expected to go into effect on July 1, 2020. DNR is sending weekly email communications on specific topics to all drillers and pump installers. This week, we focus on Well Construction Equipment and Materials and General Well Requirements.

A short training module on this subject is now available at:

https://p.widencdn.net/jbk4pj/Well-Construction-Equipment--Materials--General-Well-Requirements

Key changes to Well Construction Equipment and Materials and General Well Requirements:

1. Casing specifications – Specifications for steel and thermoplastic (PVC) casing pipe will be moved to NR 812.11. The current section NR 812.17 containing requirements for well casing and heat exchange pipe, liner pipe and materials will be deleted. Liner material requirements are moved to NR 812.21. 
2. New assembly methods for thermoplastic (PVC) casing and liners – NR 812.11 will include non-metallic restrained joints (spline joints) as an allowable method for joining PVC casing.

3. Defective pipe – NR 812.11 will contain new language about defective pipe. Examples of defective pipe include:
   • Pipe with girth-welded joints or welded patches
   • Pipes with nonconforming marking
   • Pipes with any defects, such as cracks, open welds, open seams, and non-compliant wall thickness.

4. Grouting and Sealing Materials - NR 812.11 will list materials that may be used for grouting an annular space or filling and sealing a well. The list will include coated bentonite pellets as an allowable material.

5. Drive shoes and casing shoes - NR 812.11 will require shoes to be manufactured and constructed of steel or iron. Drive shoes must contain a beveled cutting edge. Casing shoes must have carbide studs. Pipe couplings and home-made shoes or collars are not allowed for driving casing.

6. Geologic samples – NR 812.12 will include reduced requirements for collecting and submitting drill cuttings to the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey. All potable school wells still require geologic drill cuttings to be collected and submitted. High capacity potable and nonpotable wells will require cuttings collection and submission only when required in a written DNR approval for the well construction.

7. Wells near quarries – NR 812.12 language will be clarified. A well may be constructed within 500 feet of a quarry without a variance if the bottom of the quarry is above the ground level of the well, or the quarry is no longer used and is permanently filled with water. Also, a well may be also be constructed within 500 feet of a quarry without a variance if all the following requirements are met:

• The well casing pipe and upper enlarged drillhole depth requirements must be referenced from the permitted bottom of the quarry.
• An additional 20 feet of upper enlarged drillhole and well casing pipe must be installed over the amount required for the bedrock formation in which the well is completed.
• Finally, the annular space must be grouted with neat cement.

Note that these requirements apply to hard rock quarries only, and do not apply to gravel pits.

Make plans now to adjust your construction practices to meet the new requirements. Contact your local DNR Private Water Supply Specialist with any questions.

Where can I get more information?

DNR will post weekly email communications, links to training modules, publications, forms and fact sheets as they become available. This information will be posted on DNR’s NR 812 rule changes web page.