§ 228-6. Water quality and quantity.

A. 

Sanitary protection shall be incorporated into the construction of the well and final finishing at grade shall include cement platform large enough to extend at least two feet in all directions from the well casing itself.

B. 

All newly completed wells shall be disinfected in accordance with instructions from United States Environmental Protection Agency Manual of Individual Water Supply Systems.

C. 

Before approval, well log and pump test data shall be submitted to the Board of Health in the form attached to these regulations. It shall include a log of the well, showing depth and type of over-burden, depth of casing installed below ground surface, diameter of casing and diameter of the hole in the rock, static water level, and the pumping rate which can be sustained for four hours. The well (after pump testing) shall recover to within 85% of the original static water level within a twenty-four-hour period. The results of all testing shall be submitted to the Board of Health for approval and the well contractor shall be responsible for all data submitted.

D. 

A chemical, physical and bacteriological analysis of the water, conducted by a Massachusetts certified laboratory, shall be required. Water which does not meet the accepted standards of agencies of the state or federal government for potable water supplies shall be grounds for the rejection of the well. One sample shall be taken from a tap in the dwelling before occupancy. Acceptance of water quality shall also be based on its conformance to the normal characteristics of ground water in the area.

E. 

A bacteriological test to indicate a zero per 100 milliliters coliform density shall be required. A total bacteria count shall also be determined at 35° C.

F. 

Chemical and physical analyses shall be required.

(1) 

Toxicity tests may also be required. Analyses shall be performed for at least pH, color, odor, iron, turbidity, manganese, ammonia nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen, alkalinity, nitrate nitrogen, total hardness, sodium, chlorides and copper. Concentrations shall not exceed the following:

(a) 

Color, 15 units.

(b) 

Turbidity, five sensation units.

(c) 

Manganese, 0.05 milligram per liter.

(d) 

Nitrate nitrogen, 10 milligrams per liter.

(e) 

Chloride, 250 milligrams per liter.

(f) 

Iron, 30 milligrams per liter.

(g) 

Copper, 1.0 milligrams per liter.

(2) 

Sodium content shall be reported to the homeowner if greater than 20 milligrams per liter. Other parameters will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Board of Health to establish the water's suitability as a domestic water supply.

G. 

Where applicable, water quality of semipublic water supplies shall comply with effective regulations of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

H. 

Water conditioning. Permanent disinfection of a polluted supply is prohibited. If the natural water quality does not meet the physical and chemical criteria as listed in Subsection F, water conditioning shall be required. Water softener or other treatment backwash shall not be discharged into the septic system. Treatment units shall be installed with the capability of bypassing such units if necessary or desired.