NewsBits - Issue 10, April 2021

Editors Note: This edition of NewsBits is being resent to correct errors in content and formatting. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.

From the Chief

- by Marty Nessman, Private Water Supply Section Chief

The last year has been challenging for everyone (to say the least). Throughout these challenging times, I have been struck by the dedication of the well drillers and pump installers that continued to provide an essential service to the people of Wisconsin. In 2020, over 9,000 wells were drilled in Wisconsin, and thousands of more pumps were serviced. These efforts came at no small risk to you and your families. For your sacrifices, I would like to extend my gratitude to your professionalism, dedication and perseverance.

For those of you who may not have heard, Liesa Lehmann retired in August (see the next item below), and I was appointed as Section Chief in January. I am honored to be leading a program that affects millions of Wisconsinites that rely on wells to obtain their drinking water. I have been in the Private Water Supply program for almost 15 years and have seen firsthand the hard work and dedication of the water supply professionals in Wisconsin.

I look forward to working with all of you as we continue to improve the existing driller and pump installer resources and create new tools that I hope you will find useful as you do your significant work.

Retirement Congratulations To Liesa Lehmann

In August 2020, Liesa Lehmann retired from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) after more than 30 years of public service. During Liesa’s time as Section Chief, she helped implement the property transfer and heat exchange driller licensing rule changes.

In addition, Liesa helped write and implement the revisions to NR 812 that took effect in July 2020. She also created the Well Driller Viewer, an online license renewal system and a new electronic well construction report submittal tool. Liesa’s contributions also include many other well and water data management improvements and enhancements.

Best wishes to Liesa in her retirement!

Welcome Sarah Scroggins

Sarah Scroggins started as a DNR Private Water Environmental Program Associate limited-term employee in March. Sarah has degrees in Biology and Environmental Studies. She has experience in natural resource conservation through her work for an ecosystem restoration company and two different conservation districts on the western border of Illinois.

Sarah is reviewing well construction and well abandonment reports for compliance with NR 812 requirements in addition to other compliance reporting reviews.

Welcome Sarah!

January 1, 2023, is the date that Well Construction Reports (WCRs) need to be submitted electronically using the Online Well Construction Reporting System (Online WCR). Please consider signing up sooner!

 Advantages of using Online WCR:

• Request and receive Wisconsin Unique Well Numbers (WUWNs) by email
• Your WCRs are reviewed more quickly by DNR staff statewide
• If there is an error in a WCR, you will be able to fix it before submitting
• You have direct access to the Well Driller Viewer

Sign up for access to Online WCR:

• Email your request to this mailbox:  DNRDGPrivateWaterWebSupport@wisconsin.gov
• If you already do Well Filling and Sealing (WAR) forms online, it will just be a ‘flip of the switch’ to give you access
• WUWNs will be assigned to use right away

You can watch short videos that walk you through submitting a WCR step-by-step

• Online at the link here or click on the links below to access the videos

How to use online WCR:

• Getting Started with Online WCR [PDF]
• Quick Look at Online WCR (2:00)
• Basic Intro to WCR Online Entry (12:43)
• Keying Owner Section of WCR (4:43)
• Keying Section 1: Location (6:54)
• Keying Sections 2, 3, 4: Type-Separations (5:13)
• Keying Sections 5, 6, 7, 8: Hole-Geology (5:15)
• Keying Sections 9, 10, 11, 12, 13: Static-Pump-Signature (3:57)
• Keying Beyond section 13: Comments (4:55)
• Edits and Errors (5:37)
• Help with PLSS Locations (3:53)
• Help with PLSS non-standard sections (9:17)
• Using Well Driller Viewer for Lat/Long and PLSS (6:02)

If you have any questions about online well construction reporting, contact Deb Lyons-Roehl, DNR Natural Resources Program Specialist, at Deborah.LyonsRoehl@wisconsin.gov

NR 812

We are about to enter the next stage in the next revision of NR 812. After five meetings of the “PVC Study Group,” DNR Drinking Water staff generated a summary document with suggestions that would expand the allowable use of thermoplastic (PVC) casing in Wisconsin.

Visit the DNR webpage here for more information on the PVC Study Group’s meetings and the summary document.

The next step in the process is for public input on the draft of the Economic Impact Analysis (EIA). Stay tuned for an announcement for the public input process in the next couple of weeks.

The draft EIA currently estimates a one-time total cost of $62,500 statewide to those well drillers who do not currently construct PVC wells but would like to do so and need to purchase additional equipment. The estimated cost savings to new well owners per year is $893,095.

The DNR Private Drinking Water Section will send out GovDelivery announcements soon. There will be an open comment period for those wishing to comment on the EIA of the new code revision to a dedicated email address. 

Both the EIA and the Board Order (the draft changes to NR 812) will be posted on the DNR’s Proposed Permanent Administrative Rules webpage for review.

A public hearing and comment period on the proposed rule language will come later.

NR146

Revisions to NR 146 are underway, allowing for third-party administration of licensing exams developed by the DNR.

The DNR has historically provided approximately 1,500 license and certification exams per year to Wisconsin drillers, pump installers and certified operators. Exams have been administered in person to large groups at several locations across the state.

Due to the COVID-19 health protocols, exam administration has been limited to small groups at one location. It is unclear when examinations will be safely provided in-person to large groups.

It is important that license exams are made available to all applicants and that properly licensed drillers and pump installers continue to provide their essential services to Wisconsinites. This has prompted a move to online license exam availability through a third-party organization under contract with the DNR.

Online availability significantly expands the number of testing locations and offers flexibility to the applicant regarding when, where and how an exam is taken. Drillers and pump installers taking online exams will pay a fee of $90.00 to the proctoring organization in addition to the DNR’s exam/license application fee.

Savings should offset the additional cost in travel expenses and labor costs. Testing from a home computer will be available where there is reliable internet access and webcam availability. In-person proctored exams will continue to be available for special situations and on a very limited basis. 

Compliance

Continuing Education Attendance Records Now Available Online

Access to attendance records on file with the DNR is now available online from the department’s website. Only attendance submitted to the DNR by your provider is listed.

If a session was recently attended and not listed, allow time for attendance verification to be sent to the DNR by the provider or call your provider and request that the attendance record be sent. Providers have up to 30 days to submit verification of attendance from the date of session completion.

Check your record now by visiting the DNR webpage here.

Annual Report for Well Drillers and Pump Installers coming soon!

After a two-year gap, annual reports for well drillers and pump installers should soon arrive in mailboxes. Due to staffing shortages and the COVID-19 pandemic, annual reports haven’t been sent out since 2019 (for the calendar year 2018).

That will soon change, as annual reports for two years (2019 and 2020) will be sent out in the next few weeks.

Well construction report data for 2020 are being finalized and should be complete soon. Once all of 2020 data are in the system and verified, annual reports will be mailed to each registered well drilling and pump installing business.

Once you receive your annual report, check the report information with your records, and if you find inconsistencies, contact the DNR Private Drinking Water section as soon as possible. Things to look for are sample data from a particular license holder in your company that is not showing up in the report, missing well construction reports or sampling data that should be listed.

Next year’s annual report (for 2021) should be arriving earlier in the year, as it has in the past.

Final Tidbits

• The DNR recently provided six hours of training to rig operators seeking to fulfill NR 146.04(2)(h)4 requirements on “The Well Codes.” This training was broken into three recorded sessions and will be available on-demand for rig operators seeking to meet these training requirements in the future. The sessions are expected to be available from the DNR’s website starting in June of 2021.
• The updated Property Transfer Well Inspection form has more precise wording in the list of noncomplying features, a new check-box in the Comments section and three options for the Compliance Determination. Use the November 2019 version of Form #3300-221 for your inspections.
• Two new Property Transfer Well Inspection fact sheets explain the inspection process: “Property Transfer Well Inspections: A fact sheet for buyers and sellers.” and “Understanding your Property Transfer Well Inspection Results: A fact sheet for buyers and sellers.”

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.