Just completed my onsite DD and found the park used to be on well water. The owner hooked up to public water some time ago because of the hassle of maintaining them. Is there any DD needed on an abandoned well? There are 3 pump stations and they mentioned it could be put back into service at anytime; it would obviously need to be inspected.
But if I don’t plan to use it, can I just let it be?
You will need to check with your local laws. Normally any abandoned well is required to be filed in below ground level and the well head removed for safety reasons
Rules are very state specific regarding well abondonment. Some allow you to keep the well provided the aquifer is not contaminated if you “plan” on using it in the future. Contact a local well driller and or appropriate regulatory authority. Do not abandon it yourself or allow the owner to do it themselves if you choose to abandon it. There are lots reasons the keep it but only if it works and provides decent quantity of good quality water. The only way to know that would be to hire a professional to come test it for quality and quantity.
Im suprised the city did not make the owner abandon the well as a condition of connecting to city water. Generally a well is considered a potential source of contamination and either must be abandoned or the park would have to have a reduced pressure backflow assembly. I would check with the city to verify. You may get stuck with the bill to abandon the well if the owner was suppose to but just never got around to it.
Thanks guys. Checking into this now
Above is true, but if you hook up a few sprinklers to it you can most likely call it an irrigation well. These usually have completely different regulations.