HAND DUG AND BORED WELL ABANDONMENT AND SEALING INSTRUCTIONS
COMAR 26.04.04.34
*Please Note – this document applies to Hand Dug and Bored Wells ONLY. Any type of drilled well must be abandoned by a Maryland Licensed Well Driller and the appropriate Well Abandonment Report must be submitted by the Well Driller to this office for review.
- Prior to abandoning the well, contact the Health Department at 410-877-2300 to schedule an onsite inspection. During this inspection, a Health Department representative shall verify whether the well is a hand dug/bored well or a drilled well.
- If the well is confirmed to be a hand dug or bored well, the Health Department Representative shall gather the following information:
- the person performing the well abandonment (property owner or contractor’s name and contact information)
- the property owner’s information (if different from above)
- the physical address of the property
- the type of casing observed (examples: concrete, stone, brick, etc.)
- the diameter of the well
- the depth of the well
- the type of material planned to fill the well (examples: clean fill dirt, crusher run, gravel, sand, etc.) *Material containing trash or organic matter shall not be used.
- At least twenty-four hours prior to abandoning the well, contact the Health Department at (410)-877-2300 to schedule an appointment for the Health Department to witness the abandonment.
- Remove any obstructions that may interfere with the proper sealing of the well (examples: pumps, steel piping, etc.), and remove as much casing as possible.
- Fill the well with an approved fill material (referenced above) to 5 feet below grade. Be sure to place the fill material in such a way as to prevent the creation of air gaps within the well.
- Once the well has been filled to 5 feet below grade, a layer of concrete at least 2 feet thick shall be poured on top of the fill material.
- Once the concrete has cured, the final 3 feet of the well may then be filled to grade with a site appropriate material.
- Upon completion, the Health Department representative will finalize the Well Abandonment Report, indicating that the well has been properly abandoned and sealed. Please note: the Health Department may request material receipts prior to finalizing the Well Abandonment Report.
*If the abandonment was performed by a licensed well driller, they must submit the required Well Abandonment Report to the Health Department for review.
If you have any specific questions regarding these instructions, please do not hesitate to contact the Health Department at (410)-877-2300 to discuss.
