10- 144 C.M.R. ch. 232, § 1-101.0
Abandonment: The complete sealing of a well or borehole with grout or other impermeable material to prevent contamination of the aquifer.
Apprentice pump installer: A person who is engaged to work at and learn the trade of water well pump installation, repair and maintenance under the direct supervision of a master or journeyman pump installer. A person who is licensed under chapter 49 as a master plumber is not required to register with the commission as a pump installer.
Apprentice well driller: A person who is engaged to work at and learn the trade of well drilling under the direct supervision of a master or journeyman well driller.
Bentonite: A clay which consists of a majority of montmorillonite and expands by absorbing water. It is commercially available in a variety of forms designed to add viscosity to drilling fluids or to create a seal of low hydraulic conductivity.
Borehole: See well or water well.
Casing: Any pipe installed in the excavated borehole to prevent the collapse of the walls of the borehole through unconsolidated formations.
Closed loop geothermal company: A person, firm, partnership or corporation that owns or otherwise operates any mechanical equipment used to drill, drive or bore closed loop geothermal heat exchange wells.
Closed loop geothermal heat exchange well: A geothermal heat exchange well with a sealed and pressurized loop of pipe containing a heat exchange solution, which is circulated below the earth's surface and utilizes the earth for the purpose of heat transfer.
Closed loop geothermal installer: A person, firm or corporation engaged in the work of installing closed loop geothermal heat exchange wells.
Coastal Zone: The land area bounded by the medium high water mark along all ocean front property and all saltwater or brackish marshes or inland rivers, extending 600 feet inland.
Commission: Maine Water Well Commission
Department: The Department of Health and Human Services
Development: The act of flushing or pressurizing the aquifer to increase the efficiency, and clean the well.
Disposal field: Any system designed to dispose of waste or waste water on or beneath the surface of the earth; includes, but is not limited to: crushed rock or chambered disposal fields; grandfathered cesspools; or any other fixture, mechanism, or apparatus used for those purposes.
Drilling rig: A mechanical device used to drill, drive, or bore water wells.
Drive shoe: A hardened steel cylinder designed to be welded or threaded onto the end of the steel casing and manufactured to provide a seal to the bedrock surface.
Geothermal heat exchange well: A hole drilled, driven or bored into the earth for the purpose of using the heat exchange capacity of the earth for heating and cooling.
Geothermal heat exchange well driller: A person, firm or corporation engaged in the work of drilling, driving or boring geothermal heat exchange wells.
Geothermal heat exchange well pump installer: A person who is engaged to work at and learn the trade of geothermal heat exchange well pump installations.
Gravel packed well: A type of gravel well in which filter material is placed in the annular space to increase the effective diameter of the well, and to prevent fine-grained sediments from entering the well.
Gravel well: A well drilled and completed in unconsolidated surficial deposits of sand, gravel or till.
Ground water: The water contained within the interconnected pores, cracks or fractures located below the water table of a confined or unconfined aquifer.
Grout: A fluid mixture of neat cement and water, bentonite and water or both, possibly with additives, of a consistency which can be forced through a pipe and which is designed to provide a seal.
Holding tank: A closed watertight structure designed and used to receive and store waste water or septic tank effluent. A holding tank does not discharge waste water or septic tank effluent to surface or ground water or onto the surface of the ground. Holding tanks are designed and constructed to facilitate ultimate disposal of waste water at another site.
Hydrofracturing: A process of putting hydraulic pressure on the bedrock surrounding the borehole that has been drilled for the purpose of enhancing the quantity of water.
IGSHPA: International Ground Source Heat Pump Association. Address: 374 Cordell South, Stillwater Oklahoma, 74078. IGSHPA Certification as required in these rules shall mean either IGSHPA certification as an "Installer" by successfully completing the "Accredited Drillers Training" or as an "Accredited Vertical Loop Installer" by successfully completing the "Accredited Installers Workshop".
Jaswell type seal: A flexible rubber like collar with circular rings designed to provide a water tight seal between the well casing or liner and a larger diameter hole. Although one such seal is manufactured by the Jaswell Corporation, in these rules the term means all similar products of other manufacturers.
Journeyman pump installer: A person doing the work of pump installation, repair or replacement who is in the employment of a master pump installer. A person who is licensed under chapter 49 as a master plumber is not required to register with the commission as a pump installer.
Journeyman well driller: A person doing the work of drilling, driving or boring wells who is in the employment of a master well driller.
Lift Station: A closed, water tight structure equipped with a sewage pump and designed and used to receive and store waste water or septic tank effluent and then pump the waste water or effluent to a disposal field.
Liner: Any pipe installed after the installation of the casing, which is used to prevent the collapse of the walls of the boreholes, to exclude pollutants or undesirable water from entering the water source at the well, or to provide a channel for conveying the water to the surface.
License endorsement: Additional authorities granted to existing Journeymen or Master licensees upon satisfying relevant knowledge and experience requirements established by the Commission.
Master pump installer: A person firm or corporation engaged in the installation, repair or replacement of a pump in a water well. The licensure of a master pump installer under this chapter must specify the name of the person licensed. In the case of a firm, the person registered as a master pump installer must be a member or employee of the firm. In the case of a corporation, the person registered as a master pump installer must be an employee of the corporation or an officer of the corporation.
Master well driller: A person, firm or corporation engaged in the business of drilling, driving or boring wells. The licensure of a master well driller under this chapter must specify the name of the person licensed. In the case of a firm, the person licensed as a master well driller must be a member or employee of the firm. In the case of a corporation, the person licensed as a master well driller must be an employee of the corporation or an officer of the corporation.
Modified concentric well: A closed loop geothermal heat exchange well that utilizes two concentric pipes, consisting of smaller diameter pipe inside larger diameter pipe, to circulate the heat exchange solution through the borehole in a sealed and pressurized loop.
Non-submersible pump: Mechanical device that is used to move water from the well to higher elevation and the pump and motor are installed outside the well.
Open end casing: Casing terminated in a gravel aquifer without a screen.
Open hole setting: Installing casing when the overburden is stable enough to remain free of impediments.
Open loop geothermal heat exchange well: Any geothermal heat exchange well that utilizes groundwater pumped from a well as a heat exchange medium whether water pumped from the well is returned to the well or disposed of elsewhere.
Overburden: The loose soil, silt, sand, gravel, or other unconsolidated material overlaying bedrock.
Packer: Down-hole equipment consisting essentially of a sealing device, a holding or settling device, and an inside passage for fluids. It is used to block the flow of fluids through the annular space between the tubing and the wall of the well-bore, or between the tubing and the casing, by sealing off the space between them.
Perforated casing: A series of openings in a well casing, made either before or after installation of the casing to permit the entrance of water into the well.
Permanent structure: A building, constructed to house people, vehicles, or equipment and supplies, of sufficient size and weight, or anchored to the ground in such a way, that it is unreasonable to relocate it for the purpose of drilling a water well.
Potable: Water suitable for drinking.
Public water supply: A water system which serves 25 or more people for at least 60 days per year or which has at least 15 service connections. Examples include water districts, mobile home parks, campgrounds, restaurants, apartment buildings, and hotels.
Pump installation company: A person, firm, partnership or corporation that is engaged in the trade of water well pump installation, repair or replacement.
Pump installer: An apprentice pump installer, journeyman pump installer or master pump installer. A person who is licensed under 32 M.R.S.A. chapter 49 as a master plumber is not required to register with the commission as a pump installer.
Pump or pump system: For the purpose of a water well, "pump" or "pump system" means mechanical equipment or a device used to remove water from a well including all piping and wiring up to the existing equipment in the structure. For the purpose of a geothermal heat exchange well, "pump" or "pump system" means the mechanical equipment or devices used to move fluid from the geothermal heat exchange well, including all piping and wiring, up to the existing equipment in the structure.
Road box: A covered box of adequate size and strength to provide protection for the top of a well that has been terminated below the surface of the ground, from foot and vehicle traffic.
Rules: Means these rules.
Sealed vault privies: See "Septic Tank"
Septic tank: A watertight receptacle which receives the discharge of a drainage system or part thereof, designed and constructed so as to retain solids, digest organic matter through a period of detention and allow the liquids to discharge into the soil outside of the tank through a system approved by the Administrative Authority. Sealed vault privies are considered "septic tanks" for the purpose of setback distances.
Shale packer: A flexible rubber like cone collar designed to fit between a well casing or liner and a larger diameter hole. The collar prevents material placed above it from passing by it and into the well below.
Submersible pump: Mechanical device that is used to move water from the well to higher elevation and is completely submerged in the well.
Surface water: Water occurring above the ground water table.
Underreamer: Method of drilling borehole, and installing casing at the same time. The underreamer bit extends to drill a slightly larger bore than the O.D. of the casing, then it is retracted after the borehole is drilled.
Well driller: An apprentice well driller, journeyman well driller or master well driller.
Well drilling company: A person, firm, partnership or corporation that owns or otherwise operates any mechanical equipment used to drill, drive or bore water wells or geothermal heat exchange wells.
Well, water well or borehole: Any hole drilled, driven or bored into the earth used to extract drinking water. The terms "well" and "water well" do not include:
Well screen: The intake section of the well that obtains water from an aquifer of unconsolidated materials such as sand.
Yield: The volume of water discharged from a well in gallons per minute.
10- 144 C.M.R. ch. 232, § 1-101.0