Environmental Wells and Temporary Borings

Announcements and news

• Maintenance Permit Ownership Transfer (PDF)
• Submittal of Temporary Boring Notifications and Construction Records Memo (PDF)
• Identifying Environmental Wells/Temporary Borings and Determining Administrative Requirements (PDF)

Environmental wells

An environmental well is an excavation that is:

• 15 feet, or more, in depth;
• Drilled, cored, bored, washed, driven, dug, jetted, or otherwise constructed; and
• Used for remediation, groundwater sampling, groundwater level monitoring, or testing or measuring groundwater or earth properties.

Environmental wells include monitoring wells, observation wells, remedial wells, piezometers, soil-vapor wells, slope stability monitoring borings (e.g., extensometers and inclinometers), and vibrating wire piezometers. An environmental well must be constructed by either a licensed well contractor or a licensed environmental well contractor. Changes to Minnesota Statutes, chapter 103I, effective July 1, 2017, replaced the term monitoring well with environmental well and expanded the definition to include installations beyond those that are designed to access groundwater.

Environmental well notifications

A licensed well contractor, licensed environmental well contractor, or a delegated well program with environmental well authority (Bloomington, Dakota, Olmsted, Minneapolis, and Winona) must submit an environmental well construction notification and fee ($275) to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) prior to beginning construction of an environmental well. Multiple environmental wells may be listed on a single construction notification and submitted with a single fee, if the environmental wells are constructed on a single property. The construction notification form is available in the upper right-hand corner of this page. A site map identifying the location of all environmental wells related to the site must be included with the notification. A construction record is required for each environmental well. A sealing notification and fee ($75) must be submitted to MDH prior to beginning sealing of each environmental well. A sealing record is required for each environmental well.

• Environmental Well Construction Notification Form (PDF)
• Environmental Well Construction Notification: Additional Wells Form (PDF)
• At-Grade Environmental Well Construction Requirements (PDF)

Environmental well maintenance permits

Environmental wells (previously referred to as monitoring wells) that are not sealed by a licensed well contractor within 14 months must be permitted through an environmental well maintenance permit. Property owners must renew the environmental well maintenance permit and fee ($175) annually. An environmental well maintenance permit is required for all environmental wells, and environmental wells that are constructed on a single property may be permitted under a single maintenance permit. Effective July 1, 2017, federal, state, and local governmental units are exempt from maintenance permit fees, but will need to annually renew maintenance permits until the well(s) permitted are sealed. Temporary borings do not need a maintenance permit, because they must be sealed within 72 hours.

• Maintenance Permit Ownership Transfer (PDF)

Temporary borings

A temporary boring is an excavation that is:

• 15 feet, or more, in depth;
• Will be sealed within 72 hours of the start of construction;
• Drilled, cored, bored, washed, driven, dug, jetted, or otherwise constructed; and
• Used for groundwater testing, monitoring or measuring earth materials or earth fluids, measuring groundwater levels or determining groundwater flow direction or velocity.

Temporary borings may include geotechnical borings, test holes for remedial site assessment, groundwater sampling points, and some test holes constructed to determine whether a location is suitable for a water-supply well.

Temporary boring notifications

A licensed well contractor or licensed environmental well contractor must submit a sealing notification and fee ($75) to MDH prior to beginning construction of a temporary boring 25 feet, or more, in depth. Notifications are not required for temporary borings less than 25 feet deep. A sealing record is required for all temporary borings regardless of depth.

Multiple temporary borings on a single property may be listed on a single notification and submitted with a single fee and may be reported on a single sealing record. Sealing records need to be submitted within 60 days after sealing the last temporary boring and all work done under a single notification must be completed not later than 18 months after the sealing notification is submitted. If multiple temporary borings are listed on a single notification on a single property, but have different location description or encounter substantially different geologic materials, additional pages with the additional location and geologic information may be attached to the sealing record. Submission of a site map with the sealing record is encouraged.

Questions

Well Management Section
651-201-4600 or 800-383-9808
health.wells@state.mn.us

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