Special Well and Boring Construction Areas (SWBCA)

Description: The improper location, construction or sealing of a well or boring in an area of groundwater contamination may allow contaminants to spread to otherwise protected aquifers. The designation as a special well and boring construction area alerts the public, including property owners, drilling contractors, and local officials, to the occurrence of groundwater contamination, and the need to place special controls on the drilling of new wells and the modifications of existing wells. It provides information on the contamination source, contaminants encountered, aquifers affected, and necessary restrictions. It also allows affected parties, including local units of government, to be aware of and to respond to the contamination problem.The rules pertaining to the construction of wells and borings place minimum restrictions on the location, construction, repair, and sealing of wells and borings. Special construction requirements are authorized in rule and statute in areas of known or suspected contamination. In order to provide safe water it may be necessary to require the construction of deeper wells, employ special construction techniques, conduct specialized testing, or require special water treatment procedures. Contractors proposing to drill any well or boring in an advisory area must contact the Minnesota Department of Health, Well Management Section prior to construction. Contractors and property owners must submit a written request and well construction plan to the MDH and must receive written approval before construction, repair, or sealing of a well in the special well and boring construction area. A Special Well and Boring Construction Area is sometimes also called a well advisory. It is a mechanism which provides for controls on the drilling or alteration of public and private water-supply wells, and monitoring wells in an area where groundwater contamination has, or may, result in risks to the public health. The purposes of a Special Well and Boring Construction Area are to inform the public of potential health risks in areas of groundwater contamination, provide for the construction of safe water supplies, and prevent the spread of contamination due to the improper drilling of wells or borings.