DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Water and Water Supply Section will conduct a public hearing Monday, Feb. 1 regarding proposed amendments to 7 DE Admin. Code 7301, Regulations Governing the Construction and Use of Wells. The hearing will be held at 6 p.m. in the DNREC Auditorium of the Richardson & Robbins Building, located at 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE, 19901.
DNREC’s Water Supply Section intends to modernize well construction regulations which have not been modified since 1997, and to streamline the process for addressing well construction and well siting problems. DNREC has held four workshops ahead of the hearing to gather public input and for fostering discussion about the proposed changes to the well construction regulations. In addition, the Department participated on several committees (both internal and external) that provided suggested revisions to the regulations while also reviewing the proposed revisions.
Major changes in the proposed amendments to Delaware’s well regulations are:
- The addition of new water well types
- Technology changes,
- Incorporation of online permit application and related electronic options
- Aligning with related regulations
- Clarification of special permit requirements such as for emergencies
- Updating regulatory language to meet several legislative bills regarding advertising and issuance of well permits within water service areas (Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity), and
- Incorporation of guidelines and policies to account for industry modernization and practices.
The proposed amendments to Delaware’s Regulations Governing the Construction and Use of Wells were published in the Delaware Registrar of Regulations on Jan. 1, 2016, and are available for public review at http://regulations.delaware.gov/register/january2016/index.shtml. For more information or to make an appointment to inspect the proposed regulation amendments in person at our Dover office, please contact the Water Supply Section at 302-739-9944.
Comment about the proposed regulatory amendments for wells may be made by via email to lisa.vest@delaware.gov or through USPS sending to: Lisa Vest, Hearing Officer, DNREC, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901. Comments may be made any time prior to the hearing, or either orally or in writing at the Feb. 1 hearing. Comments must be limited to the proposed amendments to 7 DE Admin. Code 7301, as noted above.
Media Contact: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902
Vol. 46, No. 22