New Well Drilling in Green Bay and Northeast Wisconsin

Where the well can go

Wisconsin's Well and Pump Code, NR 812, sets minimum distances between a well and anything that could pollute it. The DNR's advice is to put the well upslope and as far as you can from those sources. Common minimums:

• 8 feet from a building sewer pipe, a swimming pool, a culvert or a ditch.
• 25 feet from a septic or holding tank, and from the high-water mark of a lake, pond or stream.
• 50 feet from a septic drain field, a non-watertight privy, or an animal yard, shelter or barn.
• 250 feet from a salvage yard or a salt storage area, and 1,200 feet from a landfill.

That list is not complete, so the driller checks the full code for your lot. A well may not go in a basement or crawl space, and it may not end in a pit.

Before drilling starts

A new private well needs a Well Construction Notification number from the DNR before construction begins. Either you or the driller can get it, and the driller must have a copy of the receipt before starting.

Only a person with a current DNR water well drilling license may build or deepen a drinking water well. An owner may build a well on land they own or lease, but the work still has to meet the code and a report still goes to the DNR.

Drilling, casing and the cap

The casing is the steel pipe that lines the top of the hole and keeps surface water out. Where bedrock sits close to the surface, the casing is set and grouted into solid rock. The top must stand at least 12 inches above the finished ground.

A vermin-proof cap and sealed electrical conduit keep insects and mice out. Any underground line to the house runs through an approved pitless adapter, which seals the joint and lets the pump be pulled for repair.

What you get when the job is done

• Lab results. The driller disinfects the well and sends a sample for bacteria and nitrate to a certified lab, then gives you the results within 10 days of receiving them.
• A Well Construction Report within 30 days. It records how the well was built and gives it a Wisconsin Unique Well Number. Keep it with your house papers.

The same results and report go to the DNR, so a future buyer or driller can look them up.

Questions to ask

• What setbacks apply on my lot, and where would you put the well?
• How deep do nearby wells go, and how much casing do you plan?
• Is the price per foot of drilling, per foot of casing, or both?
• Who sets the pump and pressure tank, and are they in the price?
• Will the old well be filled and sealed, and is that a separate line?