Well Management Section
Environmental Health Division
P.O. Box 64975
St. Paul, Minnesota 55164-0975
651-201-4600 or 800-383-9808
www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/wells
Request for Proposal (RFP)
Well Management Section
Unused Public Water-Supply Well Sealing Grant
Proposals for this grant program are accepted until
all available funding is awarded.
If you require this document in another format, call 651-201-4600
or email [email protected].
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Introduction
Approximately 70 percent of all Minnesotans rely on groundwater as their primary source of
drinking water. Wells* used for drinking water must be properly sealed (filled with an impervious
material) when removed from service to protect both public health and Minnesota’s invaluable
groundwater resources. Minnesota Department of Health's (MDH) Well Management Section
protects both public health and groundwater by assuring the proper sealing* of unused wells.
Definitions for words noted with an asterisk are found on page 8.
Through the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment (Chapter 2; Article 2; Section 8(c) [2015]),
funding was provided to MDH to provide cost-share assistance to owners of unused private and
public water-supply wells.* This RFP is soliciting applications from well owners to provide costshare funding to seal their unused public water-supply wells.
Grant recipients are reimbursed for up to 50 percent of the cost of sealing an unused public watersupply well. There is a cap of $50,000 per grantee per grant cycle.
Grant applicants must submit a Sealing Unused Public Water-Supply Well Grant Application (Well
Sealing Application); one for each unused public water-supply well they want to seal. Download the
Well Sealing Application at Sealing Unused Public Water-Supply Well Grant Application
(www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/cwl/pwgrantapplication.pdf) or contact MDH grant coordinator
found on page 5 of this RFP.
Grant Eligibility Requirements
The entity responsible for sealing an unused public water-supply well is the current property owner
of where the well is located. The current well owner is responsible for properly sealing the unused
well as specified under Minnesota Statutes, section 103I.301.
Any person, local governmental unit, or organization that meets the definition of the entity
responsible for sealing an unused public water-supply well may apply for funding under this grant
program.
The following criteria must be met in order for a public water-supply well to qualify for sealing
under this grant program:
1. The public water supplier must use its own financial resources, or funding obtained from a
private or federal grant to meet the cost share requirement. No state funds can be used to meet
the grant applicant’s cost share requirement.
2. The public water supplier is not currently subject to administrative penalty action by MDH for
violation of any state or federal public water-supply regulations.
3. The unused public water-supply well must meet at least one of the following criteria:
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be recognized by MDH as meeting the definition of a public water-supply well, as defined on
page 8;
be referenced in one or more MDH public water-supply inspection reports that is completed
after the well is originally constructed;
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be included in MDH’s Minnesota Drinking Water Information System as a public watersupply well; or
have served as an emergency source of potable drinking water through an interconnection
with a public water-supply system or specifically constructed for, but never used as, a public
water-supply well.
If it is uncertain whether it is an unused well or an unused cistern* on the property, an MDH licensed
well contractor must be contacted so it can be determined. This must be done before applying for
grant funds. Costs associated with removing or filling in a cistern are not eligible for funding.
Matching Funds
Grant recipients are reimbursed for up to 50 percent of the cost of sealing an unused public watersupply well. Funds are capped at $50,000 per grantee per grant cycle. Cost sharing is subject to
auditing by MDH and must be allowed. Costs associated with sealing a public water-supply well
must be verifiable.
Grant Proposal Requirements
The following conditions apply for funding under this program.
1. Sealing activities that are eligible for funding are:
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investigative work by an MDH licensed well contractor to determine location and condition
of a well;
mobilization/demobilization;
well reconstruction necessary to enable well sealing;
removing debris and pumping equipment from the well;
removing or perforating the well casing;*
sealing the well with grout,* in accordance with Minnesota Rules, part 4725.3850;
disposal fees associated with the proper disposal of materials associated with sealing the
well; and
the time, labor, and materials directly related to sealing the well.
Note: The following costs are not eligible for grant funding by either the grant recipient or by any
entity hired to conduct activities associated with sealing the well;
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any fees associated with inspections, notifications, or permitting;
administrative costs associated with preparing and submitting:
o a grant application and all associated documentation;
o an MDH Well Sealing Notification and Record;
o an MDH Sealing Public Water-Supply Well Grant Invoice; or
o any other administrative paperwork;
administrative costs associated with writing any reports;
administrative or oversight costs by an consultant;
administrative or oversight costs by a general contractor if the well contractor is
subcontracting;
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costs associated with relandscaping or returning the well site back to its original condition;
costs associated with returning to the well site to add more grout in the well to properly seal
it due to settlement; and
any amount exceeding one half of the actual eligible costs incurred to perform the work.
2. Only a financial cost share may be used by a grant recipient to meet the cost share requirement.
3. MDH makes the final determination whether a grant applicant is to be funded under this
program. MDH also has the prerogative to eliminate itemized activities and their costs if it feels
the activity is not necessary for sealing the well.
Funding Period
All of the funds that are awarded under this program must be expended by June 30, 2018.
Scope of Work
1. The public water-supply well owner must:
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hire an MDH licensed well contractor to seal the well according to Minnesota Rules,
chapter 4725;
contact MDH 48 hours before the contractor starts any well sealing work;
complete an MDH Public Water-Supply Well Sealing Grant (Well Sealing) Invoice, which
itemizes the costs associated with sealing the unused well;
obtain the contractor’s itemized invoice that mimics the costs listed on the Well Sealing
Invoice; and
submit the Well Sealing Invoice and contractors itemized invoice to MDH Well Management
Section within 30 days of completing the well sealing work.
Additional requirements may be listed in the specific grant agreement, based on the description and
nature of the well sealing project described in the grant proposal. It should also be noted that MDH
may require additional information from the grant recipient to meet reporting specifications defined
by the Minnesota Legislature, the Legislative Coordinating Committee, or Minnesota Management
and Budget.
An MDH Well Management Section grant coordinator is responsible for developing and tracking
grants and is the lead person for working with grant recipients. The grant coordinator relies on MDH
Well Management Section staff to determine that grant requirements are met.
Grant Proposal Submittals
The following documents must be completed and submitted to MDH’s grant coordinator.
1. A Contractor’s Well Sealing Bid Worksheet (Worksheet) must be completed from at least
two contractors for each Well Sealing Application submitted. The MDH Worksheet is not
required if the company bid form from the contractor itemizes as much detail as the MDH
Worksheet.
2. A Well Sealing Application(s) must be completed and all associated documentation must
accompany the application as required under the application’s Well Documentation section,
Item 2. A separate Well Sealing Application must be completed and submitted for each unused
public water-supply well proposed for sealing.
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The Well Sealing Application and Worksheet are available by contacting the grant coordinator
listed below or by downloading them at Sealing Unused Drinking Water Wells
(www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/cwl/sealing.html).
3. A signed statement or acknowledgement from an authorized person that states that the grant
applicant has funds to support their cost share.
Grant proposals may be submitted either by mail, hand delivery, or email. Hand delivered proposals
must be dropped off at the loading dock in the back of the Orville L. Freeman building (see address
below).
MDH is not responsible for grant proposals that are lost in the mail.
Questions regarding this grant notice and completing grant proposals must be submitted to:
Grant Coordinator:
Nancy La Plante
Mail:
Nancy La Plante, Grant Coordinator
Well Management Section
Minnesota Department of Health
P.O. Box 64975
St. Paul, Minnesota 55164-0975
Hand Deliver:
Orville L. Freeman Building
Nancy La Plante, Grant Coordinator
Well Management Section
Minnesota Department of Health
625 North Robert Street
St. Paul, Minnesota 55101
Telephone:
Fax:
Email:
651- 201-3651
651- 201-4599
[email protected]
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Grant Proposal Review Process
Grant agreement protocols and processes are defined by the Financial Management Section within
MDH’s Finance and Facilities Management Division. Grant proposals are scored using a standard
set of questions and associated point values. Questions are based on the following conditions that
may increase the likelihood that the unused public water-supply well may become a potential
pathway for contaminants* to enter drinking water. The total score for each grant proposal will be
used to place it on a priority list. Grants will be funded based upon the score and availability of grant
funds.
The Well Sealing Application can score up to 130 points. The scoring of the application is as
follows:
20 points
The well connects two or more aquifers.*
10 points
The well is a flowing artesian well.*
10 points
The well contains contaminants* exceeding federal or state health standards.
15 points
The well is located within the inner wellhead management zone* of a public
water-supply well that uses the same aquifer.
5 points
The well does not meet the isolation distance* from a potential contamination
source as specified in Minnesota Rules, chapter 4725.
5 points
The well is located in a groundwater contamination plume* that is designated
by Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency,
or MDH.
15 points
The well is obstructed or not properly sealed to meet sealing requirements of
Minnesota Rules, chapter 4725.
5 points
The well is located within a Special Well and Boring Construction Area* that is
designated by MDH.
15 points
No grout was placed in the annular space between the bore hole and the
outermost casing,* or between multiple casings.*
10 points
The well is located within a Drinking Water Supply Management Area* and
reaches or penetrates the source water aquifer.
20 points
There is additional information that the unused well is a threat to health, safety,
or groundwater that wasn’t addressed above. (Documentation or an explanation
must be submitted.)
Note: MDH reserves the right to consider the proposal incomplete and to assign zero points if the
applicant has not provided enough information or documentation.
MDH will convene a grant proposal review team made up of the MDH grant coordinator, and Well
Management Section and Drinking Water Protection Section staff. The review team will make the
determination whether a grant proposal is to receive total or partial funding. Team members will sign
an affidavit that certifies they have no conflict of interest in making a decision that awards or denies
a grant.
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Trade Secret Information
Trade secret information is classified as “not public” under the Minnesota Government Data
Practices Act (DPA) (https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=13).
1. Trade secret information is defined as government data, including a formula, pattern,
compilation, program, device, method, technique, or process that:
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was supplied by the affected individual or organization;
is the subject of efforts by the individual or organization that are reasonable under the
circumstances to maintain its secrecy; and
derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to,
and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain
economic value from its disclosure or use.
2. If an individual or organization believes that a document it submits to MDH contains trade secret
information, the individual or organization must do the following:
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clearly mark the information with the words “trade secret”; and
explain in writing how the information meets each of the three requirements in the definition
of trade secret information.
Grant Award Notification Process
Under Minnesota Statute, section 13.599 (www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=13.599), responses to an
RFP are considered nonpublic until they are opened. Once the grant proposals are opened, the name
and address of the grantee and the amount requested are considered public data. All other data is
nonpublic until the negotiation of the grant agreement with the selected grantee is completed. After
the grant agreements are fully executed, the remaining information in the grant proposals becomes
public, except for information defined as trade secret data.
MDH will provide written notification to grant applicants of the scoring results after the applicant is
reviewed.
If awarded a grant, NO work can begin until ALL required signatures are obtained on the grant
agreement and the grantee receives a fully executed and signed copy of the grant agreement. Any
costs associated with work conducted prior to a fully executed grant agreement will not be subject
to the MDH’s 50 percent cost share reimbursement.
Allocation of the Grant Award
Grant recipients will be reimbursed once the project duties and the grant reporting requirements are
successfully met and MDH is satisfied that the project is completed according to the terms of the
grant agreement. The grant recipient has the obligation to pay any third party (contractor) hired for
the purpose of completing the work under the grant agreement before or within 10 days after
receiving payment from MDH.
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Definitions
Aquifer means unconsolidated material or bedrock that is capable of producing water to supply a well.
Casing means the pipe or curbing that is placed into a well to prevent the bore hole wall from collapsing
and to prevent surface water or other fluids from entering except where intended.
Cistern means an artificial reservoir (as an underground tank) for storing liquids; most often water.
Community water system means a water system that serves at least 15 service connections used by
year-around residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-around residents.
Contaminant means a substance that is regulated under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, or a
Health Risk Limit (HRL), a Health Based Value (HBV), or a Risk Assessment Advice (RAA) has been
assigned or developed by MDH.
Note: Visit Health Risk Limits (www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/risk/guidance/hrltype.html) or
Health-Based Values and Risk Assessment Advice for Water
(www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/risk/guidance/hbvraawater.html) to obtain more information
regarding HRLs, HBVs, or RAAs.
Drinking Water Supply Management Area means the surface and subsurface area surrounding a
public water-supply well, including the wellhead protection area that must be managed by the entity
identified in a wellhead protection plan.
Groundwater contamination plume means the underground area where the geographic extent of a
contaminant in groundwater is documented.
Grout means the material used to fill the annular space around a casing* or to seal a well. A well with a
driven casing doesn’t have an annular space.
Inner Wellhead Management Zone means the area within 200 feet of a public water-supply well.
Isolation distance means the distance measured horizontally in feet between the closest part of a
potential contamination source and the closest part of a well.
Noncommunity water system means a water system that serves an average of at least 25 persons daily
at least 60 days a year, at a place other than their home, and that is not a community water system.*
Public water-supply well means a community or noncommunity water system as defined above.
Sealing means the processes of preparing a well to be filled with grout and then filling it with grout.
Special Well and Boring Construction Area means a geographic area of groundwater contamination
where a well or boring cannot be constructed, repaired, or sealed without MDH approval.
Well means an excavation that is drilled, cored, bored, washed, driven, dug, jetted, or otherwise
constructed if it is intended for the location, diversion, artificial recharge, or acquisition of groundwater.
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