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Virginia Administrative Code
Title 12. Health
Agency 5. Department of Health
Chapter 630. Private Well Regulations
11/21/2024

12VAC5-630-400. Materials.

A. General. Materials used in private wells shall be lead free, labeled as approved by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) for water well use, have long-term resistance to corrosion and sufficient strength to withstand hydraulic, lateral, and bearing loads.

B. Drilling Fluids. Materials used for well bore stabilization and well development shall be labeled as meeting NSF/ANSI/CAN Standard 60-2020 environmental specifications.

C. Casing. Materials used for casing shall be watertight and shall consist of wrought iron, concrete tile, clay tile, steel, stainless steel, fiberglass, or plastic, all designed for water well use. Materials used for casing shall be labeled as conforming to NSF/ANSI/CAN 61-2021 (Drinking Water System Components – Health Effects) and NSF/ANSI/CAN 372-2020 (Drinking Water System Components – Lead Content).

1. Driven casings shall consist of ductile iron, steel, or stainless steel and shall be equipped with a suitable drive boot.

2. Casings used for drilled wells shall be steel, stainless steel, plastic, or fiberglass.

3. Casings used for bored Class IIIC and IVC wells shall be concrete.

D. Screens. Where utilized, screens shall be factory manufactured of stainless steel, plastic, or other suitable materials. Screens shall be constructed of materials that will not be damaged by chemical or corrosive action of the groundwater or future cleaning operations. Additionally, screens shall be constructed of materials that will not degrade groundwater quality. Allowable screen types include wire wrap, louvered, bridge slot, and factory slotted and shall be labeled as conforming to NSF/ANSI/CAN 61-2021 (Drinking Water System Components – Health Effects) and NSF/ANSI/CAN 372-2020 (Drinking Water System Components – Lead Content).

E. Grout. The grouting material used shall meet the appropriate specification listed in this subsection.

1. Neat cement grout shall consist of cement and water with not more than six gallons of water per bag (94 pounds) of cement.

2. Bentonite clay may be used in conjunction with neat Portland cement to form a grouting mixture. The bentonite used must be specifically recommended by the manufacturer as being suitable for use as a well grout material and cannot exceed 6.0% by weight of the mixture.

3. Bentonite clay used for grouting shall be sodium bentonite with a minimum of 20% clay solids by weight of water. The bentonite clay shall be specifically recommended by the manufacturer for use as a grouting material.

An exception exists (i) when exceptional conditions require the use of a less fluid grout, to bridge voids, a mixture of cement, sand and water in the proportion of not more than two parts by weight of sand to one part of cement with not more than six gallons of clean water per bag of cement may be used if approved by the district or local health department, or (ii) for bored wells only, a concrete (1-part sand, 1-part cement, 2-parts pea gravel mix with all aggregates passing a 1/2-inch sieve) grout with not more than six gallons of clean water per bag of cement may be used provided a minimum three-inch annular space is available.

4. Other grouting materials may be approved by the division on a case-by-case basis. Review and approval shall be based on whether the proposed material can consistently be expected to meet the intent of grouting expressed in 12VAC5-630-410 F 2. The proposed material must be an industry acceptable material used for the purpose of grouting water wells. Controlled low strength material (flowable fill) or other product incorporating fly ash, other coal combustion byproducts, or other wastes shall not be approved for use as grout.

F. Gravel and sand utilized for filter packed wells shall be uniformly graded, cleaned, washed, disinfected, well rounded, acid resistant, and have a high silica content.

G. Water used during well construction shall be obtained from a suitable source or the well being constructed. A suitable source means a pure water source, or, when a pure water source is not locally available, water taken from another source then disinfected using compounds labeled as meeting NSF/ANSI/CAN Standard 60-2020 environmental specifications.

H. Compounds used in the disinfection of completed wells shall be labeled as meeting NSF/ANSI/CAN Standard 60-2020 environmental specifications.

Statutory Authority

§§ 32.1-12 and 32.1-176.4 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR355-34-100 § 3.6, eff. April 1, 1992; amended, Virginia Register Volume 41, Issue 4, eff. November 6, 2024.

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