One of the goals of Iowa's Groundwater Protection Act of 1987 was to prevent further contamination of the state's groundwater. Un-needed, un-wanted or abandoned wells can be a direct contributor to groundwater contamination.
Abandoned wells pose a concern to our drinking water because they can be a direct pathway for poor quality contaminated water to enter our drinking water aquifers. Abandoned wells that are not properly plugged allow surface water and shallow groundwater and any contaminants either water source carries to enter the deeper, more protected groundwater that we need to use as our drinking supplies.
As aquifers become contaminated, the private well owners will need to install deeper, more costly wells or use expensive water treatment systems to ensure a safe supply of drinking water.
Well plugging is an important tool in ensuring that you are doing all that you can to protect this valuable resource. in addition, some wells, especially large diameter wells or cisterns, can also be a safety hazard to people or animals who can fall into the structures. Abandoned wells can also impact the value of a property due to on-going liabilities that have not been fully addressed. All water supply wells, including abandoned wells must be disclosed on the Groundwater Hazard Statement Form that is required at the time of recording during property transfers.
Any water supply well that is no longer in use, or is in such poor physical condition that it cannot be repaired and safely used, must be plugged. This applies to all wells, including private and public drinking water wells, monitoring wells, commercial water supply wells, irrigation wells, and also borings or test wells used to gather information on groundwater.
It is the responsibility of every property owner to ensure that their properties do have any wells that pose a hazard to person or groundwater. Abandoned wells can pose a real safety hazard to people, animals and vehicles.
There are three options that can be applied to an abandoned wells. All services performed on the well requires conforming materials and labor to ensure the groundwater (you and your neighbors' drinking water) remains protected. Wells can be properly plugged; adequately renovated, rehabilitated, or serviced and repaired to good operational condition; or tightly sealed at the well head and placed in standby condition.
1. Well plugging is done by filling a well with fill and sealing materials and removal of the upper 4 feet of well casing. Once a well is properly plugged, there should be no further well safety issues or future threat to groundwater.
2. Well rehabilitation or renovation can include lining a well to repair a defective casing, renovating the well head to improve the surface protections, eliminating a frost pit that contains a well, or other repairs and modifications that improve the quality of the drinking water and add groundwater protections.
3. A well in standby status means that the well is in overall good condition, maintains a sanitary condition, and does not exhibit any defects that places the groundwater at risk. Standby wells must have their pumps removed and an air and water tight cap installed to prevent possible localized contamination. This type of well not only protects the groundwater, but can be placed back in service once again with minimal work if needed in the future.
Any one of these options can normally allow the well to meet the goals of protecting the groundwater from contamination and remove the safety issues.
Sometimes the decision on what to do with an un-needed well is based on the economic fact that keeping the well is not cost effective. Renovating the well or placing the well in standby condition will cost money that will never be recovered any future well use. Under these circumstances the well must be properly plugged within 90 days of noting the well's condition.
When performing a well service like well plugging, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources requires that a certified water well contractor perform all plugging activity if the property owner does not do the work themselves. Under this condition, the property owner can not hire any labor for filling and sealing of the well or modifying the well casing. The work must be performed by the homeowner themselves.
The requirements for properly plugging an abandoned well are found in the Iowa Administrative Code, Environmental Protection (567), Chapter 39 "Requirements for Properly Plugging Abandoned Wells" and the Iowa Administrative Code 455B.190 "Abandoned wells properly plugged". You can view the law and rules regarding well plugging on the private well resources page.
There is a grant program that may provide cost share reimbursement to help pay some of the cost associated with plugging your abandoned well(s). The Grants-to-Counties Program is a program funded by the Groundwater Protection Act and administered by the Iowa Department of Public Health. Your local county environmental health office can provide additional information on how to qualify for this funding opportunity. All qualifying well services funded by the Grants-to-Counties cost share program must be approved by the county before any well services are initiated. Contact your local county environmental health office for additional information.
When plugging a well, the property owner must complete and submit IDNR Form 542-1226 "Abandoned Water Well Plugging Record" to the local county environmental health office. This information will be logged into Iowa's Private Well Tracking System (PWTS) for future reference. Form 542-1226 can be found on the "Forms and Guidance" web page.
- For more information contact -
Russell Tell, Environmental Specialist Senior