Connecticut private well rules

Who registers well contractors in Connecticut

In Connecticut, the statutes and regulations on well drilling are under the authority of the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP).

Connecticut has about 342,356 private residential wells, serving about 23% of the state's population, or more than 837,000 people, based on the 2020 census.

The Department of Consumer Protection regulates the construction of private wells through the Connecticut Well Drilling Code, and the Connecticut Public Health Code also has regulations dealing with wells.

DCP's Plumbing and Piping Work Board has twelve members, and one seat is held by a well drilling contractor licensed under section 25-129.

A Connecticut well drilling permit is not valid until all information is filled in and the local Director of Health or an agent has countersigned it.

Sources: Owners test and maintain; local health approves siting; The Connecticut Well Drilling Code; A well drilling contractor sits on the state licensing board; Well drilling permits are countersigned by the local health director

Who may work on a well pump

In Connecticut, all well maintenance, repair, hydrofracturing, development and replacement work must be done by a person holding the right DCP registration under section 25-129, or by a licensed plumber or electrician working within the scope of that license.

Connecticut's well code defines pump installation as placing and preparing pumps and pumping equipment for operation, including the entrances to the well and building, seals, pump piping, valves, wiring, electrical controls and tanks.

Connecticut's J-1 Limited Contractor license allows work limited to domestic water pumps and water conditioning. To qualify for the exam, an applicant needs two years as a journeyperson or equivalent experience and training.

The J-2 Limited Well Pumps and Piping Journeyperson license allows work limited to domestic water pumps and water conditioning, and only while employed by a contractor licensed for that work.

A Connecticut W-2 Water Supply Drilling Journeyperson may construct a well, including installing, repairing and maintaining pumps, pump motors, pump piping, valves, wiring, electric controls and tanks, but only while directly employed by a registered contractor.

Connecticut DPH's guide to the DCP rosters says J1 and J2 licenses are limited to domestic water pumps and water conditioning, and P8 and P9 licenses are limited to gasoline tank, piping and pump work.

Sources: Repairs only by a registered or licensed person; J-1 limited contractor: domestic water pumps; W-2 well drillers may install and repair pumps; Which plumbing licenses cover well pumps

Does the state require well testing?

Connecticut private and semipublic well owners are responsible for their water quality and are typically not required to test, but DPH strongly recommends testing even when no problem is suspected.

Testing is required for all new wells in Connecticut, though the required tests do not cover all contaminants. Tests during a home purchase are usually required by the mortgage lender, not by law.

Under the Public Health Code, a required private well sample must at minimum be analyzed for total coliform, nitrate, nitrite, sodium, chloride, iron, manganese, hardness, turbidity, pH, sulfate, apparent color and odor.

A newly constructed Connecticut well cannot be used for household purposes until the local director of health approves that the lab results meet the standards.

A Connecticut private well fails the total coliform standard if the lab result is positive for total coliform bacteria.

If an existing private well is sampled within six months of the sale of the property, it must be sampled by a qualified individual and analyzed by an approved laboratory.

Sources: Owners are typically not required to test; Minimum tests for a required well sample

Getting your water tested in Connecticut

Connecticut well owners can have their water tested at any state certified water testing laboratory. DPH's Environmental Laboratory Certification Program website keeps the current list of labs certified to test drinking water.

Every commercial lab on DPH's in-state list is approved to test drinking water, but only some of them offer testing for private wells.

In most cases Connecticut well owners can collect tap water samples themselves, though some labs will send a technician to collect them on request.

For the Public Health Code's testing rule, a qualified individual is a licensed sanitarian, the local director of health, a DPH employee, local or state agency staff, or a person, including an owner or general contractor, found qualified by an approved laboratory to collect samples for that lab.

Since October 1, 2022, any lab or firm that tests a private well serving a home must report the results within 30 days to the local health department where the well is located.

Sources: Use a state certified lab; Not every certified lab takes private well samples; Who counts as a qualified sampler; Labs report every private well result within 30 days

Disinfecting a well

Connecticut's well drilling regulations require every well that is serviced, repaired or newly drilled to be disinfected by chlorination.

In Connecticut the pump installer must disinfect each new well system before use, treating the well, storage tank and piping with a 50 milligram per liter chlorine solution so that a residual of 10 milligrams per liter remains after three hours.

Connecticut DPH says to disinfect any time the inside of the well has been exposed, for example after work on the well, repair or replacement of the well pump, or repair or replacement of the well cap.

Connecticut DPH's homeowner procedure calls for a minimum chlorine dose of 50 parts per million.

Connecticut DPH says to let the chlorinated water stand in the well and plumbing for at least six hours, preferably overnight or up to 24 hours.

A bacteria sample cannot be collected and analyzed until no chlorine residual is detected in the water.

Sources: Serviced and repaired wells must be chlorinated; Pump installer disinfects a new well system; Pump work is a reason to disinfect

Plugging an unused well

Connecticut's well drilling statutes and regulations require a Connecticut registered well driller to properly abandon wells using the prescribed methods.

Abandoned and unused wells can carry contamination straight from the surface to groundwater and can be a safety hazard, so Connecticut DPH says they should be properly sealed when no longer in use.

Connecticut DPH tells owners with old unused wells on their property to have them properly abandoned by a registered well driller.

Connecticut's well code defines well abandonment as the steps taken so that a well no longer in use is not a source or conduit for groundwater contamination.

Sources: A registered well driller must abandon wells; Have old wells abandoned by a registered driller; What well abandonment means

Checking a contractor's registration

Lists of registered well drillers and licensed plumbers in Connecticut can be generated on the Department of Consumer Protection's eLicense website.

Connecticut's eLicense roster page offers free downloads of Water Supply and Non-Water Supply Contractors and Drillers and of Well Drilling Licenses.

Connecticut says all data in its eLicense License Lookup is maintained by the state, updated instantly, and considered a primary source of verification.

Connecticut publishes the State Licenses and Credentials data set on data.ct.gov, listing licenses and credentials recorded in the state's eLicensing system.

Under section 25-131, a well drilling contractor must file the well records within 60 days of completing a water supply well, with the owner, DCP and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Sources: Rosters come from DCP's eLicense site; Free well driller roster downloads; eLicense lookup is a primary source; Open data set of state licenses; Well records are filed within 60 days