Three sections of the Department of Environmental Services provide assistance to citizens with privately owned spring problems. These sections are the DES's Laboratory Services Unit, the Water Supply Engineering Bureau and the New Hampshire Water Well Board. Their addresses and telephone numbers appear at the end of this document.

Though the definition of a "spring" varies widely, most authorities would describe a spring as a dug well in which the static (no pumped) water level rises above the top of the general ground level. For this reason many spring features are similar to those for dug wells. Dug well construction is discussed in fact sheet WD-WSEB-1-4. For information concerning the proper abandonment of springs, see the DES fact sheet WD-WSEB-1-7.

There are statewide design criteria rules for all well construction and placement. These rules (We 602.03), which apply to springs, were originally adopted by the Board in 1983 and revised in 1997. The rules of the Water Well Board are numbered We 100-900. There are no state requirements concerning minimum water quality or quantity for privately owned wells.

Finally RSA 477:4-c requires, when selling a home with an on-site water system, disclosure of the water system's location, malfunctions, date of installation, date of the most recent water test and whether or not the seller has experienced a problem such as an unsatisfactory water test.

Local Regulations: Some towns may have local permit requirements relative to the placement, construction, water quantity or quality for private spring water sources. Please contact your local health officer or code enforcement officer for particulars.

Large non-pressurized storage tank(s) installed in the basement can serve this same function of accumulating water during periods of non-use. However, a pump will be necessary to pressurize this stored water. Taste and odor caused by stagnant water also need to be considered.

The NHDES has published a document entitled "Well Yield, How Much Water is Enough?" which is available for $2.00 through the Water Well Board. The United States Department of Agriculture, Farmers Home Administration Guidelines require a minimum well yield of 1200 gallons for a four-hour period (an average rate of 5 gallons per minute) for home use.

Springs can be thought of as a water source with spontaneous overflow above the ambient ground level. Spring flow can be subject to drought limitation. The best time to construct a spring is in the late summer or early fall when low water tables facilitate construction. This will allow a deep spring while minimizing muddy conditions and excavation cave-in. The outlet pipe should be set as low as possible and also must be "laid to grade".

Examples of chemical hazards to a spring include the application or inadvertent spillage of fertilizer, pesticides, and inappropriate disposal of crankcase oil, anti-freeze or solvents, or salt brine from water softeners. Thus, the use of chemicals near by or uphill may negatively affect the quality of the water in a spring.

Tests for many of these modern chemical contaminants involve complex and costly laboratory procedures. Thus the best and least costly approach to protecting the water quality of a spring is prevention of pollution rather than treatment after the fact. Be careful with respect to the use and disposal of chemicals near and upstream of a well.

The following protective distances are required or recommended when choosing a location for a spring water supply for a private single family home:

a) Surface water and drainage culverts should not pass within 25 feet of a spring; 50 feet + is recommended.
b) Animals should not be penned or tied within a minimum of 20 feet of a spring. DES recommends a 75 foot separation.
c) Leach fields and septic tanks shall not be located within 75 feet of a spring.
d) Springs should not be developed if they are within 50 feet of the right-of-way line of roads. An even greater distance is preferred.
e) Springs shall not be developed if they are within 75 feet of adjacent property boundary. (Se e RSA 485-A:30-b). If placement is made necessary within 75 feet, a "standard release form" is required to be signed by the spring owner and given to DES, the town health officer and the county registry of deeds. Since most zoning codes require a 10 foot setback from adjoining property lines, this distance is effectively 65 feet. See fact sheet WD-WSEB-21-4.
f) A spring should not be developed in locations subject to ANY flooding unless the immediate 25 feet radius of the spring is built up above the highest flood level possible.

Try to prevent an accumulation of fine silt in the bottom of the excavation. An accumulation of silt may form an impervious layer reducing the entry of water into the completed excavation. When placing the crushed stone base and spring well casing, break-up this fine sediment layer. At least 5 feet of soil backfill should cover the highest level of crushed stone, if crushed stone is used.

The cover shape shown in the diagram is not regularly available in New Hampshire. However, DES urges concrete precasters to adopt this shape in order to solve the "underside" leakage problem. The underside of the cover may not be totally flat. It is suggested that reference marks be placed on the cover and vertical casing to ensure the same alignment each time the cover is replaced. Cement mortar or sealants can then be placed on the vertical sidewall to match cover irregularities on the underside. This filler material however, tends to break off.

Another approach to minimize the space between the underside of the cover and the top of the casing is to grind or chip the top edge of the vertical casing to achieve a more precise fit with the under side of the cover. Drag a pencil along the underside of the cover so that it indicates the amount of grinding that needs to be done on the top edge of the casing. Use a rotary saw or abrasive wheel and breathing protection. DES suggests that the cover overhang the casing by at least 3 inches. This may help keep the soils next to the well casing dry which in turn may reduce the incidents of frost heaving (lifting) of the top casing.

If you feel there is need for an inspection port in the cover we recommend the fabrication of a second lightweight, easily removable shield to fit over the entire concrete cover. This shield should be lockable to prevent vandalism and could be made from welded steel, aluminum, or sheet metal. Plastic sheeting will deteriorate in sunlight and thus is not recommended. We do not recommend the concept of using sealants to prevent leakage between the large and small cover.

- Resistant to vandalism.
- Have the elevation of the spring casing sufficiently high to achieve an approximate 1 foot "free fall" of the excess water from the overflow pipe to the ground.
- Use 1/2 inch or less hardware wire screen covered by typical household screening at the end of the overflow pipe to prevent animal or insect entry back into the spring.
- Place stones "riprap" below the overflow spill point to prevent soil erosion.

- The reverse flow of contaminated surface water back into the spring during snow melt and heavy rain; or
- The use of the overflow pipe by small animals as a nesting area or walkway.

Conduct at least an annual maintenance inspection of the spring. Remove leaves, repair aging materials and replace damage cause by vandalism.

The spring can be disinfected by adding liquid chlorine. One gallon of 5.25 percent sodium hypochlorite (i.e. common store bleach, such as Clorox) in 1,000 gallons of water will provide a good disinfecting solution of 50 parts per million (ppm). The quantity of water inside the spring well casing is shown below:
 

The volume of water inside the spring casing does not include the volume of water readily available in the crushed stone that normally surrounds the base of the spring casing. As a rough rule of thumb, we suggest doubling the calculated volume.

The procedure outlined below should be followed when disinfecting a spring. Add the chlorine directly to the spring plus an extra amount for the water in the crushed stone beyond the casing. Run each faucet in the home until a chlorine smell is detectable. Close the faucets and allow the chlorine to stay in the conveyance piping and the plumbing 12-24 hours. If the spring is flowing, much of the chlorine will naturally wash out through the overflow pipe. After 12-24 hours, flush chlorine from the plumbing system. Do not flush into a septic system. Flush the chlorinated water onto the ground but not into a stream or pond, as chlorine will injure the environment.

For persons desiring to use the DES laboratory, the Legislature has established an $10 fee for a bacterial test and an $75 fee for the "standard analysis" test. Only agency sampling containers can be used. The time to process the standard samples is approximately three weeks during the summer and two weeks otherwise. Different containers are required for sampling radon gas, industrial solvents and hydrogen sulfide odor.

Sampling containers can be obtained from the Laboratory Services Unit. See DES fact sheet WD-WSEB-2-1 for a discussion of which water quality factors to test for in a private spring. We recommend that a bacterial sample be taken on an annual basis for springs in view of their shallow construction and nonprecise building materials.

Existing springs, especially those built of field-stone, are frequently subject to construction deficiencies which allow surface run-off, carrying bacteria and virus, to enter the spring filtered. To prevent this problem, all joints between the field stone should be mortared and then the entire outside surface of the spring should be uniformly coated with cement mortar and wire so as to provide a smooth, one piece exterior surface. This sealing should extend down below the ground surface to the extent that conditions permit. Where concrete or vitrified clay tile is used, the top two joints between pipe sections should be sealed if possible.

Typically in older wells, the backfill around the well casing has settled. Once structural improvements to the casing are completed the backfill soil should be mounded up around the outside of the spring as shown. This backfill soil should be fine grained soils.

Wood covers are another common deficiency of older springs in that they are susceptible to rotting. Further, water and debris can fall between the wood slats and into the spring. We recommend a solid one-piece concrete cover. The cover should extend beyond the well casing. The backfill next to the spring casing should be mounded. To achieve reliable bacterial quality, the spring construction MUST exclude ALL dust, dirt, surface water, and animals. If the spring construction is not tight and if there is not effective filtration of every drop of water entering the spring, it is NOT a safe water supply source.

The "overflow" pipe of most springs can be a major passage way for bacteria and small animals. Typical problems include the reverse flow of contaminated surface water back into the spring, or use of the overflow pipe as a walkway for small animals such as mice. This pipe must be screened and have a "free fall" at the end of the pipe to the ground below.

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