Chapter 6.6
WELLS
Sections:
6.6.02 Well drilling prohibition.
6.6.03.1 Supply well use requirements.
6.6.03.2 Water recharge charges.
6.6.04 Water well construction and destruction of water wells.
6.6.05 Use of sewers and gutters prohibited.
6.6.07 Proximity to public water supply system.
6.6.08 Bacteriological reports.
6.6.09 Compliance with State and interstate laws.
6.6.10 Approval of refrigerants.
6.6.11 Sealing against surface or drainage water.
6.6.01 Definitions.
(a) For the purposes of this chapter, “supply well” shall mean a well by means of which water is removed to the surface from its natural position in the ground below; and
(b) “Drainage well” shall mean a well whereby water is returned from the surface to the underground water reservoir. (§ 1, Ord. 446, eff. April 17, 1968)
6.6.02 Well drilling prohibition.
(a) The drilling or digging of new wells within the City, except by the City, is hereby prohibited; provided, however, the Building Official may issue a permit for the drilling of a supply well for domestic, commercial, or industrial purposes, for temporary use only, under the following conditions:
(1) City water mains are not in place adjacent to the property involved;
(2) The City Engineer has determined that it is not economically feasible or desirable to extend the City’s water mains to serve the property at the time the request for service is made by the owner or lessee; and
(3) The owner of the property has executed an agreement for the discontinuance of the use of the well and the capping of the same upon notice by the City Engineer. Such notice shall be given immediately following the installation of water mains adjacent to the property on which the well has been drilled.
(b) The deepening of an existing water well in the City shall be for domestic or agricultural purposes, for temporary use only, under the following conditions:
(1) City water mains are or are not in place adjacent to the property involved; and
(2) This is only for the deepening of an existing domestic water system and not drilling of a new water well; and
(3) The City Engineer has determined the property can deepen their existing water well without any detrimental effect to the City public water supply system; and
(4) If a water main is available along the property frontage, the property owner shall install a City standard water service from the main to the existing property line with the building permit to deepen the existing water well; and
(5) If a water main is not available along the property frontage, the property owner shall enter into a deferment agreement to construct a City standard water service from the main to the existing property line within fifteen (15) days after the water main becomes available; and
(6) The property owner shall enter into a deferment agreement to connect to City water mains and pay applicable City development fees for the connection thereof when the property ownership changes or the property comes in for an entitlement, whichever comes first.
(c) The issuance of a permit for a temporary well shall in no way nullify or affect any provisions of Chapter 5 of this title nor Chapter 2 of Title 9 of this code, which provide methods for the installation of water mains and the payment therefor, and regulations pertaining to the installation of water systems in subdivisions.
(d) The permit and examination fee referred to in Section 6.6.03 of this chapter shall not be required in connection with the issuance of a permit for a temporary well.
(e) Notwithstanding other provisions in this chapter to the contrary, the Building Official shall issue a permit for the drilling and completion of a well for the furnishing of water to a single-family residence where it appears to the satisfaction of the City Engineer that an existing well which heretofore has served such purpose has become impaired, unusable and shall be permanently capped and closed, and where such new well will not pose a threat to public health or the public water supply, and:
(1) Where ownership of the property on which the residence and the well is located has not changed from and after January 1, 1993; or
(2)Where the property on which the residence and well is located was not annexed to the City as of January 1, 1993, and has not changed ownership since the date of annexation.
For the purpose of this subsection, “change of ownership” shall have the same meaning as that term has in California Revenue and Taxation Code Sections 60—69.5. (§ 1, Ord. 446, eff. April 17, 1968; as amended by § 1, Ord. 93-2, eff. March 3, 1993; Ord. 94-6, eff. March 24, 1994; § 2, Ord. 04-39, eff. October 7, 2004)
6.6.03 Permits required.
No well shall be drilled within the City by any person without first securing approval from the City Engineer and a permit therefor from the Building Official. Before the drilling of any well shall have been commenced, the person desiring to drill such well shall deposit the sum of fifty and no/100ths dollars ($50.00) with the Planning and Development Services Department and file a verified statement setting forth the location of the well, the purpose for which the water from such well will be used, and a detailed sketch of the proposed installation. The City Engineer shall thereupon investigate the proposed drilling of such well to determine whether such drilling will pollute or imperil the public water supply of the City and will conform to the requirements of this code. If the City Engineer finds that the drilling of such well as proposed will not pollute or imperil the water supply of the City, and the location of the proposed well meets the requirements set forth in Section 6.6.07, he shall issue a permit to drill the well, but otherwise he shall withhold the permit. The fee so deposited shall cover the cost of such investigation and shall not be returned to the applicant, whether the permit is granted or refused. The permit fee shall be waived for governmental agencies, including the County, school districts, and other special districts. (§ 1, Ord. 446, eff. April 17, 1968; as amended by Ord. 94-6, eff. March 24, 1994; Ord. 96-20, amended, 12/16/1996; § 3, Ord. 04-39, eff. October 7, 2004)
6.6.03.1 Supply well use requirements.
(a) When private supply wells are approved for use by the City Engineer either for temporary or permanent use, except for existing water wells that are only deepened, a meter approved by the City Engineer shall be provided and installed by the applicant prior to use. The meter shall measure the total amount of water produced by the well.
(b) The applicant shall be responsible for the maintenance of the meter. It shall be maintained in good repair and free from leakage. Failure to maintain said meter in good working order shall be cause for revocation of well permit.
(c) Applicants for supply well utilization shall apply for service prior to well use in accordance with Section 6.5.102.
(d) The applicant shall provide access to City personnel to inspect and read supply well meters. The City will cooperate with the customer to minimize the need for City personnel to have access to private property. Cooperative measures may include, but are not limited to, allowing the customer to provide meter readings to the City with periodic verification by City personnel, or by permitting the customer to provide a remote reading meter accessible to City personnel from a public right-of-way. (§ 2, Ord. 93-2 eff. March 3, 1993; Ord. 96-20, amended, 12/18/1996; § 4, Ord. 04-39, eff. October 7, 2004)
6.6.03.2 Water recharge charges.
Each customer who begins use of a private supply well after the effective date of the ordinance codified in this section shall pay as a condition of use ten cents ($0.10) per one thousand (1,000) gallons pumped by said well, except water wells that are only deepened. (§ 2, Ord. 93-2, eff. March 3, 1993; as amended by § 5, Ord. 04-39, eff. October 7, 2004)
6.6.04 Water well construction and destruction of water wells.
(a) Any water well construction or destruction of a water well shall be carried out in accordance with the standards established by the Department of Water Resources of the State in its Bulletin No. 74-81, Water Well Standards.
(b) Any construction or destruction of a cathodic protection well shall be carried out in accordance within the standards established by the Department of Water Resources of the State in its Bulletin No. 74-1, Cathodic Well Standards.
(c) In the event the City Engineer issues a permit, as provided in Section 6.6.03 of this chapter, he shall immediately notify the Health Officer of the applicant’s name and the location of the proposed well, and such well shall be drilled under the supervision of the Health Officer and shall conform to all the regulations made by the Health Officer to prevent the pollution or imperiling of the public water supply of the City. (§ 1, Ord. 446, eff. April 17, 1968; as amended by § 1, Ord. 73-42, eff. January 2, 1974; § 1, Ord. 83-16, eff. September 1, 1983; Ord. 94-6, eff. March 24, 1994)
6.6.05 Use of sewers and gutters prohibited.
No well shall be drilled in the City for the purpose of furnishing in whole or in part water for refrigeration or air-conditioning purposes or for the purpose of furnishing water to cool any refrigeration or air-conditioning system or unit where the water or any portion thereof from such well is returned to the sewer system of the City or to the gutter of any street thereof. (§ 1, Ord. 446, eff. April 17, 1968)
6.6.06 Drainage well use.
No drainage well shall be drilled in the City for any use or purpose except as directed by the City Engineer. (§ 1, Ord. 446, eff. April 17, 1968; as amended by § 6, Ord. 04-39, eff. October 7, 2004)
6.6.07 Proximity to public water supply system.
No supply well or drainage well hereafter drilled in the City shall be drilled closer than three hundred feet (300′) to the nearest well of the public water supply system of the City, and no drainage well shall hereafter be drilled closer than three hundred feet (300′) to any well used to furnish water for human consumption. Such drainage well may be installed in connection with the refrigeration or air-conditioning unit or system in accordance with subsections (1) and (3) of subsection (a) of Section 6.5.403. Drainage wells shall be of sufficient size and construction to provide for the efficient disposal of the water discharged therein. Drainage wells constructed to comply with the alternative allowed by subsection (3) of subsection (a) of said Section 6.5.403 shall receive the approval of the City Engineer and be constructed according to plans approved by him at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the drilling of the well. (§ 1, Ord. 446, eff. April 17, 1968; as amended by Ord. 94-6, eff. March 24, 1994; § 7, Ord. 04-39, eff. October 7, 2004)
6.6.08 Bacteriological reports.
(a) In the event the City Engineer issues a permit for a drainage well, any person obtaining such permit shall submit to the Health Officer every ninety (90) days a report of a bacteriologist acceptable to the Health Officer on a sample of water entering such drainage well. The samples shall be taken by such bacteriologist or under the direction of the bacteriologist. In the event any such reports submitted show that the water contains bacteria or chemical, mineral or oily contamination or pollution of such a nature that, in the opinion of the Health Officer, the water supply of the City or any private water supply used for human consumption might be polluted or contaminated by the continued use of such well, the City Engineer shall have the right to order the discontinuance of the use thereof until such time as the Health Officer shall determine that the water of such well has been purified and approves the use thereof.
(b) The Health Officer shall file a written report quarterly with the City Engineer covering all drainage wells for which a permit has been issued pursuant to the provisions of this chapter and for such other drainage wells heretofore installed. (§ 1, Ord. 446, eff. April 17, 1968; as amended by Ord. 94-6, eff. March 24, 1994)
6.6.09 Compliance with State and interstate laws.
Any person using water for refrigeration or air-conditioning purposes as provided for in this chapter shall also comply with all provisions of any State law or interstate commerce regulation relating to wells and drainage wells. (§ 1, Ord. 446, eff. April 17, 1968)
6.6.10 Approval of refrigerants.
No refrigerant, unless first approved by the Health Officer, shall be used in any refrigeration or air-conditioning system in the City which refrigerant is cooled by means of water from any public or private water supply which is also used for human consumption or from which water is returned to the ground through a drainage well. (§ 1, Ord. 446, eff. April 17, 1968)
6.6.11 Sealing against surface or drainage water.
All drainage wells for water used in air-conditioning or refrigeration system and all wells used for the supplying of water to refrigeration or cooling systems in the City shall be sealed against surface water or other drainage seeping or filtering into such drainage or supply wells. (§ 1, Ord. 446, eff. April 17, 1968)