Plumas County Municipal Code Ch. 8 Water Wells

No person, firm, or corporation shall, within any area of the County, construct, repair, reconstruct, destroy or abandon any domestic water well or other boring or excavation in excess of twenty (20) feet in depth and regardless of its purpose or intent unless a written permit has first been obtained from the Plumas County Environmental Health Officer pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.

(§ 43209, P.C.O.C., added by Ord. 786, as amended by § 1, Ord. 91-775, eff. January 16, 1992, § 1, Ord. 95-848, effective June 23, 1995, and § 12, Ord. 02-968, effective April 16, 2002)

Applications for the permits required by the provisions of Section 6-8.01 of this chapter shall be made to the Building Official and shall include, in addition to ownership, site location and well driller information, the following:

(a) A plot plan showing the location of the proposed well with respect to the following items within a radius of 200 feet from the well:

(1) The property lines and existing and potential building sites; and

(2) The sewage disposal systems or works carrying or containing sewage; and

(3) All the intermittent or perennial natural or artificial bodies of water or watercourses; and

(4) The approximate drainage pattern of the property; and

(5) Other wells; and

(b) The proposed use of the well; and

(c) Other information as may be necessary to determine if the underground waters will be adequately protected.

(§ 43209, P.C.O.C., added by Ord. 786, as amended by § 12, Ord. 02-968, effective April 16, 2002)

Each application for the permit required by the provisions of Section 6-8.01 of this chapter shall be accompanied by an appropriate fee as set by the Plumas County Master Fee Resolution.

(§ 43209, P.C.O.C., added by Ord. 786, as amended by § 1, Ord. 91-775, eff. January 16, 1992, and § 12, Ord. 02-968, effective April 16, 2002)

The permits required by the provisions of Section 6-8.01 of this chapter shall be issued subject to compliance with the standards set forth in Section 6-8.05 of this chapter, except that such standards shall be inapplicable or modified as expressly provided by the Director of Environmental Health in such permit upon his finding that such modifications or inapplicability will accomplish the purposes of this chapter. Permits may also include any other condition or requirement found by the Environmental Health Director to be necessary to accomplish the purposes of this chapter.

(§ 43209, P.C.O.C., added by Ord. 786, as amended by § 1, Ord. 91-775, eff. January 16, 1992, and § 12, Ord. 02-968, effective April 16, 2002)

Standards for the construction, repair, reconstruction, destruction or abandonment of wells shall be as set forth in the State Department of Water Resources Bulletin No. 74-90 "California Water Well Standards" with the following modifications:

(a) The minimum domestic well or public water well depth shall be fifty (50') feet, except in those areas where, demonstrated to the Director of Environmental Health, an impervious clay blanket at a lesser depth is sufficient to preclude well contamination from surface waters.

(b) All domestic and public water wells must be located away from known or potential sources of contamination. The minimum required separation distances are set forth in Table I.

Table No. I

Minimum Separation Distances in Feet

* May be reduced to twenty-five (25') feet if the sewer line is constructed of materials approved for use in a building.

(c) In an area of special flood hazard identified by the Federal Insurance Administration of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, all new and replacement water supply wells shall be designed to minimize or eliminate infiltration of flood waters into the system.

(d) Open loop geothermal heat exchange wells are prohibited.

(§ 43209, P.C.O.C., added by Ord. 786, as amended by § 1, Ord. 91-775, eff. January 16, 1992, § 11 (Exh. A), Ord. 98-902, eff. September 10, 1998, § 12, Ord. 02-968, effective April 16, 2002, § 2, Ord. 03-991, adopted May 13, 2003; § 3, Ord. 16-1104, adopted December 6, 2016)

The permittee shall complete the work authorized by the permit within the time and before the date set forth in the permit. The permittee shall notify Environmental Health upon the completion of the work for appropriate inspection and documentation. No work shall be deemed to have been completed until such notification has been received, together with a copy of a completed Water Well Driller's Report and, in the case of wells serving commercial uses or more than two (2) residential units, chemical and biological test results on water from the well. A final inspection of the work shall be made by Environmental Health, unless such inspection is waived. No permittee shall be deemed to have complied with the provisions of this chapter or his permit until such inspection has been performed or waived. No final building or electrical inspection of any residence, for which a water well permit has been issued, shall be made until the work to be done under the well permit has first been completed.

(§ 43209, P.C.O.C., added by Ord. 786, as amended by § 1, Ord. 91-775, eff. January 16, 1992, and § 12, Ord. 02-968, effective April 16, 2002)

The provisions of this chapter shall not be deemed to release any person from compliance with any applicable provisions of the California Water Code.

(§ 43209, P.C.O.C., added by Ord. 786, as amended by § 12, Ord. 02-968, effective April 16, 2002)

In the event a well subject to the provisions of this chapter is constructed or operated contrary to the provisions of this chapter, or to a permit issued under this chapter, the noncompliance shall be deemed to result in a nuisance that is subject to abatement by the Director of Environmental Health in accordance with Chapters 15, 18, and 19 of Title 8 of the Plumas County Code.

(§ 4309, P.C.O.C., added by Ord. 786, as amended by § 1, Ord. 91-775, eff. January 16, 1992, and § 12, Ord. 02-968, effective April 16, 2002)

(a) Any person who does work for which a permit is required by the provisions of this chapter, and who fails to apply for and pay the fee for such permit within five (5) working days after a notice from the Director of Environmental Health to do so, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be subject to punishment as set forth in Section 1-2.01 of this Code.

(b) Any other violation of this chapter is an infraction, subject to punishment as set forth in Section 1-2.01 of this Code. Each day a violation occurs is deemed a separate citable offense.

(§ 43209, P.C.O.C., added by Ord. 786, as amended by § 1, Ord. 91-775, eff. January 16, 1992, and § 12, Ord. 02-968, effective April 16, 2002)

The provisions of this chapter shall be enforced by any peace officer, as defined in the California Penal Code, and by the Director of Environmental Health and employees designated by the Director. Such designated employees are authorized to issue citations for violations of this chapter.

(§ 7, Ord. 90-746, eff. January 17, 1991, as amended by § 1, Ord. 91-775, eff. January 16, 1992, and § 12, Ord. 02-968, effective April 16, 2002)