Summary of water district standards
Permit and license requirements
Permits are required for all well destructions. There are no fees for permits. All permit application must have original signatures. Please call (408) 265-2607, extension 2660, for permit applications or download one [PDF].
All well destruction activities must be completed by a California C-57 licensed contractor.
Sealing requirements
All wells must be properly destroyed and backfilled with grout or acceptable sealing materials. No soil cuttings, dirt, or pea gravel should be used for backfilling of the well.
The well shall be completely filled with sealing material from the truc bottom of the well up to the surface.
If the well has a filter pack (non-cable tool), the well casing may be required to be perforated at depths specified by an authorized water district representative. Only neat cement grout (no aggregate) may be used to destroy wells that have filter packs.
In some cases, special sealing requirements will be stipulated on the permit. Be aware that District Well Standards are, in some cases, more stringent than the State of California Well Standards.
All waste generated during destruction activities must be properly managed: this includes but is not limited to, waters generated during debris removal or seal placement. If there is any lubricating (turbine) oil present in the well, the oil muse be removed by pumping or bailing and be properly stored and disposed of.
Water supply well wells should be cut off five feet below the surface grade. After the sealing material has set, compacted native material may be used to backfill the excavation. In some cases this requirement may be waived by an authorized water district representative.
Removal of pump apparatus and debris
All debris and pumping hardware must be removed from the well before it is backfilled.
Acceptable sealing materials
Wells with filter pack materials must be backfilled using neat cement grout only. No aggregate sealing materials may be used.
Cable tool wells (no annular space or filter pack) may be backfilled using neat cement grout, 10-sack sand cement grout, or hydrated high solids 20 percent bentonite slurry. No bentonite chips or pellets are allowed.
Up to 5 percent bentonite clay may be added to a cement mixture.
Placement of sealing materials
A tremie pipe must be used to place the cement sealing material if the well is over 30 feet deep or if more than three feet of water is present in the well.
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