The State of Connecticut Department of Public Health produces circulars from time to time which aids in the interpretation of the Connecticut Public Health Code. If you have any questions in regards to the permitting process, please feel free to contact us at (860) 354-9346.
Please take a look at the various State of Connecticut Department of Public Health circulars as it relates to private wells:
Private Well Notices
01 Activated Carbon Treatment of Private Drinking Water Systems
Items included in this letter are:
• How activated carbon treatment works
• Types of units
• Pour-through units
• Faucet mount units
• In-line devices
• Line-bypass units
• Whole house treatment or point-of-entry
• Unit effectiveness
• Maintenance and other considerations
02 Aeration Treatment of Private Drinking Water Systems
Items included in this letter are:
• How aeration works: Typical diffused aeration configuration/typical packed tower aerator configuration
• Maintenance and other considerations
03 Arsenic in Private Drinking Water Wells
Items included in this letter are:
• How arsenic gets into drinking water and how it can be found
• Potential health effects from arsenic
• Safe levels of arsenic to drink
• Places one can have a well tested for arsenic
• What to do if high levels are found/
• What other things is arsenic found in?
• Can a person be medically testes to find arsenic in the body?
04 Bacteria in Private Drinking Water Wells
Items included in this letter are:
• Potential health effects related to bacteria in drinking water
• Signs of having bacteria in drinking water
• Water testing of wells information
• If a well tests positive for Coliform Bacteria, what to do
• Sources of bacteria that can be in drinking water
05 Frequently Asked Questions About Bottled Water
Items included in this letter are:
• Description of different forms of bottled water
• How bottled water is regulated
• Is bottled water safer than tap water?
• How to find out where bottled water comes from
• Other information people should know about bottled water
06 Copper in Private Drinking Water Wells
Items included in this letter are:
• Signs of copper presence in drinking water
• Types of copper that can be found in drinking water
• Testing to find copper in drinking water
• Reading tests results
• What to do if copper is found in drinking water
• Flushing pipes
07 Distillation Treatment System for Private Drinking Water System
Items included in this letter are:
• How distillation works
• Maintenance of water units and other considerations
• Questions to ask before purchasing water treatment devices
• Product certification information
08 Fluoride in Private Drinking Water Wells
Items included in this letter are:
• Potential health effects of fluoride in drinking water
• How to tell if fluoride is in drinking water
• What other things fluoride can be found in
• Reading tests done to find fluoride in drinking water
• Notes about toothpaste, fluoride and little children
• What to do if too much fluoride is in drinking water
09 Hydrogen Sulfide and Sulfate in Private Drinking Water Wells
Items included in this letter are:
• What hydrogen sulfide is
• Vital health effects
• How to tell if drinking water has hydrogen sulfite and sulfate
• Other things hydrogen sulfite and sulfate can be found in
• Testing for this substance
• What to do if this substance is found in private drinking water wells
10 Ion Exchange Treatment of Private Drinking Water Systems
Items included in this letter are:
• Introduction of different forms of ions: Cation (+) Exchange Units and Anion (-) Exchange Units
• How Cation Exchange Units work
• How Anion Exchange Units work
• Types of units and maintenance
• Other considerations: Added sodium at tap, waste ground generated
• Questions to ask before purchasing water treatment devices
11 Iron and Manganese in Private Drinking Water Wells Part 1
Items included in this letter are:
• What iron and manganese are
• How to know if there is a presence of these minerals
• Effects of manganese and iron in water and food
• Testing water for these minerals
• Signs of and causes for the presence of these minerals in water
11 Iron and Manganese in Private Drinking Water Wells Part 2
Items included in this letter are:
• Impact manganese and iron have on a person’s health
• Problems that can occur with wells, water, and pumps
• How to correct certain problems with wells, water, and pumps
• Maintenance of wells
12 Lead in Private Drinking Water Wells
Items included in this letter are:
• What happens with lead getting into water and how this can happen
• What lead can do to a person’s health and the vital organs in the body
• Managing the supply of water that is used for drinking and cooking
• Removing lead
• Home water treatment systems
• Alternatives for drinking and cooking water
13 Man Made Chemicals in Private Drinking Water Wells
• Introduction about man-made chemicals and how they can get into the drinking water
• Potential health effects
• How to know if man-made chemicals (fuels, pesticides and other chemicals that might get spilled onto the ground near a well) are in the drinking water
• Tests that can be performed to determine if a well has been contaminated by man-made chemicals
• Reading test results and taking care of a contaminated well if it is contaminated
14 Micro Filtration Treatment in Private Drinking Water Wells
Items included in this letter are:
• What microfiltration is and how it works
• Types of filters and maintenance
• Other considerations and product certification
15 MTBE in Private Drinking Water Wells
Items included in this letter are:
• Where to find more information on this topic
• Potential health effects of MTBE
• Signs of MTBE in drinking water and other sources it can be found in
• Performing tests or how to get these tests done, reading results of tests and fixing the contamination problems in the drinking water
• Protecting supplies of private drinking water
16 Nitrogen Contamination in Private Drinking Water Wells
Items included in this letter are:
• Where to find more information on this topic
• What nitrogen is and how essential it is to all living beings
• Where nitrogen exists
• Potential health effects
• Signs of nitrate or nitrite: testing
• Nitrite and nitrate cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted
• How to tests for nitrogen and what to know about tests results
17 Ozone Treatment of Private Drinking Water Systems
Items included in this letter are:
• The process of ozone treatment
• Maintenance, cleaning, and replacement of parts related to water supplies for drinking and cooking purposes
• Other considerations
18 pH Acidity of Private Drinking Water Wells
Items included in this letter are:
• What pH acidity means, scale ranges, indications of, and how it gets into water
• Health effects of pH acidity
• Neutralizing filters and neutralizing solutions
• How to find more information on Drinking Water Wells
19 Questions to Ask When Purchasing Water Treatment Equipment for Your Home
Items included in this letter are:
• Shopping for and choosing a water treatment device
• What to do if water tests indicate problems
• Determining tests results and whether further testing should be done or not
• Information to guide someone about water testing device companies
• Resources for further guides related to water and safety of drinking water
20 Flood and Storm Water Concerns for Private Water Systems
Items included in this letter are:
• How to protect and inspect wells regarding floods and storms
• Resources about disinfection procedure for private drinking water wells
• Upgrading wells that are located in well pits
21 Reverse Osmosis Treatment of Private Drinking Water Systems
Items included in this letter are:
• The process of reverse osmosis
• Types of membranes
• Maintenance and other considerations
• Questions to ask before purchasing water treatment devices
• Resources to find more information on water treatment and devices
22 Sodium Chloride in Private Drinking Water Wells
Items included in this letter are:
• Introduction about sodium and chloride and how they occur, naturally, in water, but what to watch for
• Potential health effects and signs of having sodium chloride in drinking water
• Testing for sodium chloride
• What to do if results show that this needs to be corrected
• Further resources regarding distillation of drinking water and reverse osmosis treatment
23 Private Drinking Water Well Standards
Items included in this letter are:
• National primary drinking water standards
• National secondary drinking water standards
• Health advisories
• The process of setting standards
• Serious health effects
• How much is good and how much is not good
• Up to date drinking water standards
• Responsibility of private well owners
• Drinking water standards that are not complete
• Table showing water quality parameters for private drinking wells
24 Residential Drinking Water Well Testing
Items included in this letter are:
• Testing residential wells
• Water supplies that are private
• Water supplies that are public
• Standards for drinking water
• How often should a well be tested?
• Summary table showing water testing recommendations and other important data
• How to obtain a water sample
• Choosing a company that is state certified to test water
• Protecting the well
25 Ultraviolet Radiation Treatment of Private Drinking Water Systems
Items included in this letter are:
• The process of ultraviolet radiation
• Maintenance of water treatment systems and well systems
• Things that affect the disinfection efficiency of a UV system
• Resources regarding questions to ask before purchasing water treatment devices
• Product certification information and advice
26 Private Drinking Water Wells -Types of Construction
Items included in this letter are:
• Where water actually comes from, what happens to it, what the rain does
• Well construction
• Dug wells and construction of them
• Driven (sand point) wells
• Driven well construction
• Drilled wells (artesian)
• Drilled well construction
• Hydrofracting a drilled well
• Locating the well
• Six vital ways to keep your drinking water well protected
27 Disinfection Procedure for Private Drinking Water Wells
Items included in this letter are:
• Disinfection of new or repaired wells
• When should disinfection be done?
• How to disinfect a well
• Comparison between drilled wells and dug wells
• Bacteriological test
• Two tables : Table 1 Volume of water per foot of pipe, Table 2 Dosage of disinfectant for various volumes of water (Example scenarios below tables)
28 Private Well Guidance for Determining Well Safe Yield
Items included in this letter are:
• Information regarding water levels and yield in wells
• Where to learn more about the definition of yield
• Yield testing requirements for certain well types
• Advice and information regarding having water hauled in and poured into wells
29 Hardwater-Softeners Facts and Issues
Items included in this letter are:
• Facts about hard water
• Resolving hard water troubles
• Hints for treatment
• Backwashing of softeners regulatory issues
• Note form the DEP
30 Home Cellar Dwellers
Items included in this letter are:
• Well pressure tank
• Hot water heaters
• Humidifiers and dehumidifiers
31 Geothermal Wells
Items included in this letter are:
• Introduction about geothermal wells
• Types of geothermal wells
• Location of geothermal wells
32 Additives Can Extend Life of Underground Fuel Tanks
Items included in this letter are:
• Protecting the aquifier that might supply the ground water to a homeowner’s and/or neighbors well
• Adding fuel additives
33 Are You Being Double-Crossed by Your Plumbing
Items included in this letter are:
• Cross connections in portable water systems, privately owned and publicly owned
• Backflow
• Backpressure
• Small excerpt about a Hepatitis break out in 1969 and what caused this
34 Case Study in the Control of Iron-Manganese Bacteria
Items included in this letter are:
• The smell of rotten eggs is a sign of iron-manganese bacteria presence
• Treatment systems
• Filter media or softener resin becomes clogged
35 Corrosion of Copper Pipe and Fittings
Items included in this letter are:
• Corrosion of metallic: copper, galvanized, brass, cast iron and other types of pipes and fittings can have many different causes, but it usually the result of what is in the water that runs through the pipes and fittings
• 3 types of hard drawn domestic copper pipe
• Installing pipe
• Other causes for corrosion
• Common forms of corrosion
36 Drought Guidelines for Private Well Users
Items included in this letter are:
• How to know if you have a problem with the well in drought conditions
• How to know how deep a well is
• Conserving water
• Increasing home stored water volumes
• Well water contamination
37 Electrical Grounds – A Controversial Necessity
Items included in this letter are:
• National Electrical Code requirements for a structure’s electrical system and grounding it in connection with the plumbing system
• The reason for the grounding wire
• Well water complaints: hardness, alkalinity, pH, and chlorides
38 Sampling Private Wells for Bacteria
Items included in this letter are:
• Sampling technique
• What tests to ask for
• P-A versus MF Coliform methods
• HPC test, previously known as Standard Plate Count
39 Sampling Private Wells for Chemical Analysis
Items included in this letter are:
• Advice about taking time when doing tests and getting samples
• Standard sanitary chemical and physical tests information
• What to do with results
40 Sanitary Maintenance of School Water Coolers
Items included in this letter are:
• Introduction about the Lead Contamination Control Act of 1988 and electric water coolers that had lead-lined storage tanks in them
• Keep problems with the quality of water from happening
Private Water Supply Overview
Items included in this letter are:
• Hydrologic Cycle
• Water quality regulations
• Water quantity regulations
• Private well jurisdiction
• Private well regulations
• Quality of private wells
• Water quality contaminants with established MCLs for private wells
• Private water supply system
• Private well testing for volatile organic chemicals (VOCs)
• Private well testing for synthetic organic chemicals (SOCs)
• Groundwater supplies
• Types of groundwater sources
• Factors that affect groundwater quality
• Surface water supplies
• MCL (Maximum contaminant level
• Acute versus non-acute contaminants
• How to interpret water test results
• Coliform bacteria
• Total coliform MCL
• Common sources of coliform bacteria
• E. Coli bacteria/Fecal coliforms
• And much more
Radium in Private Drinking Water Wells
Items included in this letter are:
• Fact sheets about radium found in private and public groundwater drinking water wells
• What radium is
• What hazards are associated with radium in drinking water?
• Is there a level that is safe for radium in drinking water?
• How to make sure your well is safe to drink
• How to get more information about radium and testing drinking water
Uranium in Private Drinking Water Wells
Items included in this letter are:
• Fact sheets about uranium and drinking water in private wells
• What natural uranium is
• How to know if there is uranium in your well
• What can uranium do to a person’s health?
• Keep well water safe to drink
• Why people buy point of use reverse osmosis systems
• How to obtain more information about uranium and well water testing and safety
Well Casing Extensions
Items included in this letter are:
• Purpose of regulatory requirements for well casing extensions for drilled well casings for public water supplies
• Requirements for permit
• Authorization to work
• Minimum height requirement for casing
• Protection of well head
• Materials used
• Well casings and couplings
• Pitless adapters
• Building service line connection to pitless adapter
• Well cap
• Testing pitless adapters and couplings
• Water service line, excavation and backfilling
• Figure 1 showing typical pipe bollard detail
• Figure 2 showing popular examples of couplings that are used to extend well casing
• Figure 3 showing pitless adapter and coupling testing apparatus
• Table 1 showing casing pipe weights and dimensions
If you have any questions regarding the interpretation of the above State of Connecticut rules, regulations, and guidelines, or you are interested in working with us on a project, contact us at (860) 354-9346. We look forward to working with you!