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Individual on-site wells serve as the potable water supply for residences located on properties not served by public water supplies in Carroll County. Most well construction today is done by drilling a 10 " bore hole 100 feet or more below land surface until a sufficient quantity of water is encountered. The hole is then cased with plastic or metal pipe (casing) which must be seated at least 2 feet into bedrock and extend a minimum of 8 inches above finished grade. Well construction is completed by grouting the space between the bore hole and the casing to prevent contamination of groundwater from surface sources. A sealed and vented well cap is placed on the well head, a pitless adapter is installed through the casing, and a well identification numbered tag is installed on the casing. The well yield is verified by a pump test performed by the driller. This testing procedure lasts from three to six hours, depending on the yield and requires well drillers to record the pumping rate and water every fifteen minutes. A minimum yield of one gallon per minute for six hours and five hundred gallons available (including yield and storage) in a two hour period is required to obtain a residential building permit. Copies of the yield tests are submitted to this bureau for approval and are available to the public upon request. Applications for a permit to drill a well must be submitted to the Carroll Health Department by a licensed well driller. A site plan is also required to be submitted by the applicant. Proposed well locations must be:

• At least ten feet from property lines.
• At least fifteen from roads or dedicated rights-of-way.
• At least thirty feet from a building foundation.
• At least one hundred feet from sources of contamination (sewage disposal areas, petroleum product storage, etc.).
• At a higher elevation than the sewage disposal area/system.

This Department must be contacted to conduct a final construction inspection and approve the well prior to it being placed into service as a private potable on-site water supply.