Temporary Discharge Permits
For Well Rehabilitation

Permits Required
Rehabilitation of public water supply wells to restore pumping capacity often involves the addition of acids, disinfectants, and other chemicals to clean, redevelop, and disinfect the wells. When water containing these treatment chemicals is pumped from the well, the chemicals need to be neutralized before being discharged to the environment. In order to ensure an impact to the environment does not occur, a temporary discharge permit must be obtained from the Water Division of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services before the wastewater generated from rehab activities is discharged.

Applications Available
Applications for temporary discharge permits are available from the Water Division at (603) 271-2858 or online at www.des.nh.gov/dwspp/gwdisch.htm. Note that applications are specific to whether you intend to discharge to groundwater or indirect discharge to surface water.

Procedure for Temporary Discharge Permits

1. Under state law, no discharges are allowed into Class A surface water bodies (e.g. public drinking water supply sources or their tributaries); and DES issues temporary discharge permits, for discharges to Class B surface water bodies only.
2. The applicant submits two copies of the completed permit application—one to the municipality and one to DES.
3. DES issues a temporary discharge permit, with conditions (see below).
4. The discharge may not contain any contaminant concentrations in excess of surface water quality standards or ambient groundwater quality standards, as applicable.
5. For a surface water discharge, the permittee must establish the background pH level in the receiving water.
6. The wastewater will be discharged to a holding tank or settling basin prior to final discharge. In the holding tank or settling basin, the wastewater will be neutralized to a pH between 6.5 and 8.0 (if the ambient pH is less than 6.5, the permittee may neutralize to this pH if no harm will come to the receiving stream). For surface water discharges, chlorine must be completely neutralized prior to discharge.
7. Samples of the holding tank or settling basin water must be collected and analyzed before discharge. More frequent sampling is required at the beginning of a discharge. The permittee must maintain records of sampling times, sampling results and discharges. This information must be submitted to DES after the completion of the project.
8. Before discharging to a stream, the wastewater must be filtered through baled hay, a vegetative filter strip, a vegetated channel, or similar filter to trap sediment. Dependent on the discharge mechanism other erosion control measures may be required.
9. Open pipe direct discharge to surface water is not allowed.

For Additional Information
For more information on temporary discharge permits, please visit the DES Drinking Water Source Protection webpage at www.des.nh.gov/dwspp, or call (603) 271-2858.

For additional information, please contact the Drinking Water and Groundwater Bureau at (603) 271-2513 or dwgbinfo@des.state.nh.us or visit our website at www.des.nh.gov/dwgb. All of the bureau’s fact sheets are on-line at www.des.nh.gov/dwg.htm.

Note: This fact sheet is accurate as of January 2007. Statutory or regulatory changes, or the availability of additional information after this date may render this information inaccurate or incomplete