440 R.I. Code R. 440-RICR-10-00-6.4

Current through December 3, 2024

Section 440-RICR-10-00-6.4 - Definitions

6.4.1 General Definitions

A. In addition to the terms defined in R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 5-65-1, 5-65.2-2, and § 1.4 of this Subchapter, for the purpose of this Part, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

1. "Abandoned Well" means a well, test well, or borehole that has gone dry, is contaminated, or no longer serves a useful purpose.

2. "Access port" means a minimum 3/4 inch tapped hole and plug, or a 3/4-inch pipe welded onto the casing in the upper portion of a well casing to permit entry of water-level measuring devices into the well.

3. "Adequate protection" means construction methods which assure protection of ambient groundwater from the introduction of contamination.

4. "Air line" means a water level measuring device consisting of a pressure gauge attached to an airtight line or pipe within the well bore extending from land surface to below the pumping level measuring the stable air pressure remaining in the line after completely purging water from within the line.

5. "Alter" means the replacing or repairing of any portion of an existing water supply system and the terms "alteration" and "altering" shall be construed accordingly.

6. "Altering a well" means the deepening, hydro-fracturing, reaming, casing, re-casing, perforation, re-perforating, and installation of liner pipe, packers, seals, and any other material change in the design or construction of a well.

7. "Annular space" means the space between two objects, one of which is surrounded by the other. This includes the space between the wall of an excavation and the wall of a pit; between the wall of an excavation and the casing of a well; or between two casings.

8. "Aquifer" means a geologic formation, group of formations, or part of a formation that contains saturated and permeable material capable of transmitting water in sufficient quantity to supply wells or springs. The terms water-bearing zone or water-bearing stratum are synonymous with the term aquifer.

9. "Artesian sell" means a well in which groundwater is under sufficient head to rise above the level at which it was first encountered whether the water flows at land surface. If the water level stands above land surface, the well is a flowing artesian well.

10. "Bentonite clay grout" means a mixture of bentonite clay and water.

11. "Bored well" means a well, constructed with the use of earth augers turned either by hand or by power equipment.

12. "Buried slab type well" means a dug well in which well casing is used to case the upper hole. A slab, sealed with cement grout, is placed between the upper hole and lower drill hole, and the remainder of the annulus is filled with concrete.

13. "Casing" means the tubing, pipe, or conduit, installed in the borehole during or after drilling. The term "casing" does not include slotted or perforated pipe, well screens, or liner pipe.

14. "Casing seal" means the watertight seal established in the well bore between the well casing and the drill hole wall to prevent the inflow and movement of surface water or shallow ground water in the well annulus, or to prevent the outflow or movement of water under artesian or hydrostatic pressures.

15. "Cement grout" means a mixture of cement, sand, and water.

16. "Cesspool" means a covered pit with open jointed lining for the reception of untreated sewage, the liquid portion of which is disposed of by seepage or leaching into the surrounding soil and the solids or sludge being retained in the pit.

17. "Cistern" means a tank for the reception of rain water, intended for non-potable water supply system.

18. "Clay" means a fine-grained, inorganic material having plastic properties and with a predominant grain size of less than 0.005 mm.

19. "Commercial water-filtration/treatment-system work" means any alteration, installation or repair of water-filtration/treatment systems in which the piping exceeds one and one-half inches (1.5") or the flow rate exceeds eighty (80) gallons per minute.

20. "Confining formation" means the "impermeable" stratum immediately overlying an artesian (confined) aquifer.

21. "Consolidated formation" means materials that have become firm through natural rock-forming processes. It includes such materials as basalt, sandstone, hard claystone, conglomerate, and granite.

22. "Construct" means to build, assemble, or install a new water supply system, water treatment system, or the enlargement or alteration of an existing water supply system.

23. "Contamination" means the presence of sewage, industrial wastes, organisms of the coliform group, or harmful or objectionable material which is in, or may gain access to, potable water.

24. "Decommission" means the act of completely filling a well, test well or bore with sealant from the original depth to the surface, in accordance with this Part, so that it is no longer a conduit to the aquifer.

25. "Disinfection" means the inactivation of harmful organisms presents in water.

26. "Disposal field" means an area consisting of disposal trenches, a disposal bed, or a combination thereof used for dispersion of the liquid portion of sanitary sewage into the ground as close to the surface as feasible.

27. "Disposal trench" means a shallow ditch with vertical sides and flat bottom partially filled with a satisfactory filtering material in which a single distribution line has been laid, covered with top soil and suitable vegetation.

28. "Distribution box" means a watertight structure which receives sanitary sewage effluent from a septic tank and distributes such sewage effluent to two or more pipelines leading to a disposal field.

29. "Distribution lines" means a series of open-jointed or perforated pipes used for dispersion of sewage into a disposal field.

30. "Distribution main" means the pipe for the transmission or conveyance of potable water to more than one structure.

31. "Domestic well" means a well that supplies water to a water supply system for drinking, culinary, or household uses, and which is not used as a public water supply.

32. "Drawdown" means the difference in vertical distance between the pumping level and the static water level in a well or the area outside of the well.

33. "Driven well" means a well, constructed by driving into the ground a wellpoint fitted to the end of a pipe section or series of pipe sections.

34. "Dry well" means a covered pit with open-jointed lining through which drainage from roofs, basement floors or area-ways may seep or leach into the surrounding soil.

35. "Dug well" means a well in which the excavation is made using picks, shovels, spades, or digging equipment, such as backhoes, clam shell buckets, or sand bucket.

36. "Electrical work" means the limited electrical installation, connection, and services from a drop/wall switch, as supplied by a properly licensed electrician for water-supply systems, water-filtration systems, water-treatment systems, and pump installations. Contractors, as defined herein, may perform this limited electrical work. This definition shall not exclude or prevent any properly licensed electrician from performing this work.

37. "Emergency work" means an unexpected event which affects the residents' health, safety, and welfare, which must be corrected or rectified on an immediate need basis. In such instance, the contractor shall within 72 hours of completion of work, have the owner or owner's representative sign an invoice/contract noting the scope of work and the amount of charges as well as obtain any required permits.

38. "Established ground surface" means the permanent elevation of the surface of the ground at the site of the well after completion of grading, excavation; or other land movement.

39. "Filtration system" means water treatment system.

40. "First draw" means a sample from a filter-free, cold water tap that is routinely used for consumption and with a minimum six (6) hour stagnation time.

41. "Gravel packed well" means a well in which the area immediately surrounding the well screen or perforated pipe within the water-producing zone is filled with graded coarser material.

42. "Groundwater" means water encountered below the ground surface of the earth within the zone of saturation that can supply wells and springs.

43. "Grout" means a supple, impervious bonding material which can provide a water tight seal between the casing and the formation throughout the depth required protecting against objectionable matter, and which is essentially free of shrinkage. This shall include but not be limited to neat cement grout, sand clay, bentonite cement grout.

44. "Grout Pipe" means the same as "Tremie Pipe"

45. "Hydraulic conductivity" means the ability of material to transmit fluid, usually described in units of gallons per day per square foot of cross-section area. It is related to the effectiveness with which pore spaces transmit fluids.

46. "Hydro fracturing" means a procedure whereby high-pressure water injection is used in an attempt to fracture or widen existing fractures or propagate limited fractures in a water bearing to increase a well's productivity.

47. "Industrial waste" means liquid or solid waste resulting from the processes employed in industrial establishments.

48. "Jaswell seal" means a type of seal that seals off a portion of the well hole. The Jaswell can seal off just the level of concern or can seal off the entire area from the top to the concern area.

49. "Jetted well" means a well in which the excavation is made using a high velocity jet of water.

50. "Leakage" means leakage of surface and/or subsurface water around the well casing.

51. "Limited plumbing" means the required cutting of a water service/supply pipe, for the purpose of installing a supply and return to connect water-filtration/treatment system, pump equipment and also includes drainage for point of use equipment. Any repair, or re-piping of the water service/supply pipe, to bypass an outdoor faucet, irrigation system, etc., shall be considered "Plumbing Work" which may only be performed by a R.I. Licensed Plumber.

52. "Liner pipe" means pipe that is installed inside a completed and cased well for the purpose of sealing off undesirable water or for repairing ruptured or punctured casing or screens.

53. "Locate" means the designation of the site or place of the sources or other appurtenances of a water supply system, and the term "location" shall be construed accordingly.

54. "Lower drill hole" means that part of the well bore extending below the surface seal interval in a well.

55. "Mineralized water" means any naturally occurring ground water containing an amount of dissolved chemical constituents limiting the beneficial uses to which the water may be applied.

56. "Neat cement grout" means a mixture of not more than six gallons of clear water to one bag of cement.

57. "Non-community water system" means a public water system that is not a community water system. A non-community water system is either a "transient non-community water system (TNC)" or a "non- transient non-community water system (NTNC).

58. "Onsite wastewater treatment system" or "OWTS" means any system of piping, tanks, dispersal areas, alternative toilets or other facilities designed to function as a unit to convey, store, treat or disperse wastewater by means other than discharge into a public wastewater system.

59. "Oversized drill hole" means an excavation which is larger than the outside diameter of the well casing, constructed for the emplacement of a well.

60. "Perched ground water" means ground water held above the regional or main water table by a less permeable underlying earth or rock material.

61. "Petcock valve" means a valve used to contain pressure and when opened, to drain the line or pipe.

62. "Pitless adaptor" means a device fabricated at the job site designed for attachment to one or more openings through a well casing, and so constructed as to prevent the entry of contamination into the well or potable water, conduct water from the well, prevent the water from freezing or extremes of temperature, and provide access to water system components within the well.

63. "pH" means the measurement of the acidity in water.

64. "Point-of-entry treatment" means water treatment that serves the entire house by treating water and reducing contaminants as it enters the structure.

65. "Porosity" means the ratio of the volume of voids in the geologic formation being drilled to the overall volume of the material without regards to size, shape, inter-connection, or arrangement of openings.

66. "Potability" means the determination that water is potable and is safe for consumption.

67. "Potable water" means water that meets human consumption standards of the R.I. Department of Health or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, whichever is more restrictive.

68. "Potentiometric surface" means the level to which water will rise in tightly cased wells.

69. "Pressure grouting" means a process by which a cement grout is confined within the drill hole or casing by the use of retain plugs or packer and by which sufficient pressure applied to drive the grout slurry into the annular space or zone to be grouted.

70. "Private water system" means a system that extracts groundwater from a well or well field (wells on one (1) or more properties), provides potable water for human consumption, and does not meet the requirements to be classified as a public water system. These systems also include commercial - mixed use, multi-family residential, single/duplex residential, and individual private systems.

71. "Private well" means a water well that can serve as a private drinking water system.

72. "Private well water testing report form" means a standardized form for the reporting of certified laboratory results to be disseminated to the well owner or client to determine if the water is potable.

73. "Public health hazard" means a condition whereby there are sufficient types and amounts of biological, chemical, or physical, including radiological, agents in relation to water which are likely to cause human illness, disorders, or disability. These include, but are not limited to pathogenic viruses, bacteria, toxic chemicals, and radioactive isotopes.

75. "Public water system" means a system for the provision to the public of water for human consumption through pipes or constructed conveyances; if such a system has at least fifteen (15) service connections or regularly serves at least twenty-five (25) individuals daily at least sixty (60) days out of the year.

76. "Pump" means mechanical equipment or device used to move, raise, compress, or transfer water.

77. "Pump installation" means the industry, procedure, and all operations engaged in by any person, full-time or part-time, for compensation or otherwise, to connect a pump or pipe to a water system or its appurtenances, or to install a pump or pipe in a well and the procedures for licensing well drillers and pump installers.

78. "Pump test" means the procedure involving pumping water for a specified period to determine the yield characteristics of a well.

79. "Pumping level" means the level of the water surface in a well while it is being pumped or bailed.

80. "Repair" means any work involved in the reaming, sealing, installing, changing of casing depths, perforating, screening, cleaning, acidizing, or other redevelopment of a well, pump or filtration system.

81. "Rough drilling log" means a record kept on the well site of the information needed to complete the well report for the well being constructed.

82. "Sand" means a detrital material having a prevalent grain ranging from 2 millimeters to 0.06 millimeters.

83. "Sand clay or bentonite cement grout" means a mixture of one-part fine sand, one-part clay or bentonite, and one-part cement and five to six gallons of water for every hundred pounds of the mixture.

84. "Sand cement grout" means a mixture of not more than two parts sands to one-part cement, and not more than six gallons of clear water to each bag of cement.

85. "Sanitary sewage" means any liquid waste containing animal or vegetable matter in suspension or solution, or the water-carried wastes resulting from the discharge of water closets, urinals, laundry tubs, washing machines, sinks, dishwashers, or any other source of water-carried waste of human origin or containing putrescible material.

86. "Sanitary sewer" means a pipe which carries sewage and to which storm, surface, and groundwater waters are not intentionally admitted.

87. "Seepage pit" means a covered pit with open-jointed lining material which septic or laundry waste may seep or leach into surrounding soil.

88. "Septic tank" means watertight receptacle which receives the discharge of sanitary sewage and is designed and constructed to permit settling of settleable solids from the liquid, digestion of the organic matter by detention, and discharge of the liquid portion into a disposal field.

89. "Service line" means a pipe for the transmission or conveyance of potable water under pressure either from an individual well or from a distribution main, to a realty improvement.

90. "Shared well" means a common well or well field that provides drinking water to more than one (1) residential unit, commercial enterprise, or any combination that does not meet the definition of public well.

91. "Silt" means unconsolidated elastic sediment composed predominantly of particles between 0.06 and 0.005 millimeters in diameter.

92. "Specific capacity" means the yield of a well expressed in gallons per minute per foot of drawdown, as abbreviated gpm/ft.

93. "Spring" means a natural surface feature where groundwater issues from the rock or soil onto the land or into a body of water.

94. "Static water level" means the depth to the surface of the water in a well measured from the land surface or other convenient, permanent, and specified datum, when no water is being discharged from the well and the water level has reached equilibrium.

95. "Stratum" means a bed or layer of a formation that consists throughout of approximately the same type of consolidated or unconsolidated material.

96. "Subsurface sewage disposal system" means an individual sewage disposal system.

97. "Suction line" means a pipe that conveys water at less than atmospheric pressure from a well to a pump.

98. "Sump" means a hole dug to a depth of ten feet or less with a diameter greater than ten feet in which water is sought or encountered.

99. "Supervision" means the physical presence of a licensee during all work of well-drilling, pump installation, and water-filtration/treatment, including repairs and service.

100. "Surface water" means the water found on the ground surface or contained in a stream, pond, lake, wetland, or other natural watercourse.

101. "Surging" means the use of a solid plunger in an up and down plunging motion to increase well productivity by forcing water into and out of existing fissures.

102. "Temporary removal from service" means to remove a drilling machine from a well site prior to putting the well into service or returning it to service or subsequent to completing or altering a well, or to remove a well form service with the intent of using it in the future.

103. "Test well" means a temporary well installed to obtain data.

104. "Transient non-community water system" or "TNC" means a non-community water system that does not regularly serve at least twenty-five (25) of the same persons over six (6) months per year.

105. "Tremie pipe" means a pipe which is used to place grout at the bottom of the sealing interval of a well.

106. "Unconsolidated formation" means naturally occurring loosely cemented or poorly indurated materials including clay, sand, silt, and gravel.

107. "Undersized hole" means an excavation which is no larger than the internal diameter of the well casing, constructed for the emplacement of a well.

108. "Upper drill hole" means that part of the well bore extending from land surface to the bottom of the surface seal interval.

109. "Water authority" means an entity supplying water and regulated by the Rhode Island Department of Health.

110. "Water bearing formation" means aquifer.

111. "Water table well" means the upper surface of an unconfined water body, the surface of which is at atmospheric pressure and fluctuates seasonally. The water table is defined by the levels at which water stands in wells that penetrate the water body.

112. "Water treatment system" means any apparatus for treating, filtering, or processing water to modify, enhance, or improve its quality or to meet a specific water quality need, desire, or standard in the pipes, fittings, and other components servicing such apparatus.

113. "Well cap" means a watertight sanitary device that covers and encloses the upper termination of a pitless well unit or the well casing and provides watertight connections for electrical power lines and well vents.

114. "Well drilled" means a well, constructed by drilling a hole and inserting a casing to support the sides of the hole.

115. "Well drilling machine" means any power-driven percussion, rotary, boring, digging, or auguring machine used in the construction or alteration of wells.

116. "Well, dug" means a well excavated into a shallow aquifer.

117. "Well, geothermal" means a well that is drilled; bored, augured, or dug to allow piping to be installed to utilize the earth's temperature for heating or cooling purposes.

118. "Well, irrigation" wells of all types of construction for the sole use of irrigation.

119. "Well, monitoring" means a well that is specifically located, designed, constructed, and emplaced to sample groundwater quality and/or measure water table elevations.

120. "Well seal" means an approved arrangement or device used to cap a well or to establish and maintain a junction between the casing and curbing of a well and the pipe or equipment installed therein, the purpose or function of which is to prevent contaminants from entering a well at the upper terminal.

121. "Well unit" a pre-assembled device which extends the upper end of a well casing to above grade, provided with a pitless well cap, and so constructed as to prevent the entry of contamination into the well or potable water, conduct water from the well, protect the water from freezing or extremes of temperature, and provide access to the well and to the water system components within the well.

122. "Well vent" means an outlet at the upper terminal of a well casing to allow equalization of air pressure in a well but at the same time so constructed as to avoid entry of water and foreign material into the well.

123. "Well yield" means the quantity of water per unit of time which may flow or be pumped continuously from a well.

6.4.2 Private Water System Classifications:

A. Commercial/Mixed Use Private Water Systems include, but are not limited to, small multi-unit commercial spaces or mixed-use (commercial/residential) buildings. This type of system provides potable water to tenants as part of some form of rental or lease agreement entered into by the owner of the system as part of a commercial enterprise.

B. Multi-Family Residential/Shared Well Private Water System designed to supply multiple residential units with potable water. These systems may include but are not limited to; small apartment buildings or multiple houses/condominiums on a shared well or private well field.

C. Single/Duplex Residential Private Water System are designed to supply one or two tenants of record with potable water for consumption and use. The residential units (up to 2) associated with this type of system are not owner occupied.

D. Individual Private Water Systems are designed to supply an owner(s) and/or one tenant of record with potable water for consumption and not meeting the definition of a public water system.

440 R.I. Code R. 440-RICR-10-00-6.4

Adopted effective 12/19/2019