Delaware private well rules
In Delaware the DNREC Division of Water licenses Water Well Contractors, Pump Installer Contractors, Well Drillers and Pump Installers. Anyone doing this work in Delaware needs a license.
Who licenses well work in Delaware
Delaware's well and pump licensing program is run under the state's Regulations for Licensing Water Well Contractors, Pump Installer Contractors, Well Drillers, Well Drivers, and Pump Installers.
Delaware's Regulations Governing the Construction and Use of Wells (7301) set minimum rules for the location, design, installation, use, disinfection, modification, repair and sealing of all wells and their pumping equipment, including private drinking water wells.
The DNREC Well Permits Program issues construction and use permits for wells that draw 50,000 gallons a day or less, inspects wells, and keeps records on every permitted well.
Delaware's Water Well Licensing Board advises and assists the DNREC Secretary in running the water well licensing program.
Delaware law (7 Del. C. 6023) says no one may build, drill, remove or repair a water well, or install, maintain or repair pumping equipment in a well, without a license from DNREC.
Sources: DNREC Division of Water licenses well and pump trades; Well construction rule 7301 covers pumps and sealing too; DNREC Well Permits Program; Water Well Licensing Board advises DNREC; State law requires a license for well and pump work
Who may work on a well pump
In Delaware, well pumps and pumping equipment must be installed by, or under the direct on-site supervision of, a licensed pump installer, plumber or well driller.
A well pump may be repaired by a Delaware licensed pump installer or plumber, apart from the farm well exception.
Repairs to the internal parts of a well itself must be done by, or under the direct supervision of, a Delaware licensed well driller or well driver.
Any business that contracts to install, maintain or repair well pumps in Delaware must hold a pump installer contractor or water well contractor license from DNREC.
A person with a Delaware plumbers license, or working under the direct on-site supervision of a Delaware licensed plumber, well driller, well driver or pump installer, does not need a separate pump installer license to work on well pumps.
Delaware does not require a well permit to repair or rehabilitate a well or its equipment, as long as the well's physical dimensions do not change.
Sources: Who may install a well pump; Pump businesses need a contractor license
Does the state require well testing?
Delaware requires bacteria sampling and testing after a drinking water well is repaired or serviced. Disinfection must be repeated until the bacteria results meet the standards.
The Delaware Division of Public Health notes that the EPA and the CDC both recommend testing a private well every year.
Delaware public health advises testing more often than once a year if someone in the home is pregnant or nursing.
DNREC advises sampling a new well before it is put into use and at least once a year after that for bacteria and routine chemicals, with nitrates, iron, sodium and pH the most important.
DNREC may require water quality tests with a well permit application when it has reason to believe groundwater near the site may be contaminated.
Sources: Testing after well or pump repair is required; Annual testing is recommended; Test new wells before use, then yearly
Getting your water tested in Delaware
Delaware's Division of Public Health hands out private well test kits, and testing is free of charge.
The state kit tests for bacteria plus nitrate, nitrite, iron, fluoride, alkalinity, pH, chloride, sulfate, sodium and hardness.
Run the water for 5 minutes, fill the containers at a tap that does not swivel, and return the kit right away to one of the pickup sites.
The free state kits are not tested for chemicals that may have reached your water from a spill or environmental release.
Delaware's guide to well test results lists the nitrate limit as 10 ppm. A result of 10 ppm or less meets drinking water standards.
Delaware's Office of Drinking Water publishes a list of labs approved for drinking water compliance testing. The list is offered as a convenience to public water systems.
Sources: Free test kits for private well owners; Nitrate limit; State approved drinking water labs
Disinfecting a well
Delaware requires disinfection of every newly built or repaired well, apart from the listed exceptions for monitor and dewatering wells.
After any repair or maintenance to the well, pump or piping, those parts must be disinfected. For a home well, the whole plumbing system must be disinfected.
When the installation is done, the driller or pump installer must disinfect the well and pump under the state disinfection rules.
Disinfection uses drinking water grade calcium hypochlorite at a dose of at least 100 milligrams per liter of free chlorine, placed into the well screen.
For a home well, the chlorinated water is pumped through the house until chlorine shows up at each tap.
The chlorine must stay in the well and pipes for at least 24 hours and no more than 48 hours.
Plugging an unused well
In Delaware, only a licensed well driller or well driver may seal a well.
The water well contractor must file a well sealing report with DNREC within 30 days of sealing a well, signed by the driller or driver who supervised the work.
A property owner must have a failed or abandoned well sealed by a licensed well driller, within 15 days of building a replacement well. If it is not sealed in time, DNREC may seal it at the owner's expense.
DNREC may require any well owner to seal a well that has been abandoned or has no beneficial use.
Sealing a well means pulling the pump equipment if present and filling the whole length of the well with grout so it is permanently out of use.
Only concrete, Portland cement, sodium bentonite clay, mixes of these, or other DNREC approved materials may be used to seal a well.
Checking a contractor's license
Every well in Delaware must be built by a water well contractor licensed by DNREC through the Water Well Licensing Board.
The Delaware Open Data Portal publishes a dataset of Water Well Contractors and Pump Installer Contractors.
Licensed water well and pump installer contractors must mark their rigs and service vehicles on each side with the company name and the contractor's license number.
Licensed well drillers, well drivers and pump installers must carry a DNREC identification card while working and show it on request.
The DNREC Well Viewer shows DNREC permits and cleanup projects near a well. You can search by well permit number, address or parcel number.
Sources: Wells must be built by a licensed contractor; Open data list of licensed contractors; Look for the license number on the truck
Common questions
Does Delaware require private well owners to test their water?
Delaware's well rules require a bacteria test after a drinking water well is repaired or serviced. For routine testing, the Division of Public Health points to EPA and CDC advice to test every year, and it hands out free test kits.