Volume 32, No. 1
Spring/Summer 2012
State of Emergency Declared for Minnesota Flooding
On June 18, 2012, heavy rains caused severe flooding
in portions of northeastern and southeastern
Minnesota. On June 20, 2012, Minnesota Governor
Mark Dayton issued an executive order declaring a
State of Emergency in the counties of Aitkin, Carlton,
Cook, Lake, and St. Louis in northern Minnesota and
the counties of Dakota, Goodhue, and Rice in southern
Minnesota. Significant damage to homes, businesses,
and public infrastructure occurred.
Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) staff
provided assistance to restaurant owners, public water
suppliers, private well owners and the public. MDH
also provided staff at question and answer booths at
Flooding in the Fond du Lac neighborhood, Duluth,
Disaster Relief Centers (DRCs) in cities of Duluth,
Minnesota, June 2012. (Photo courtesy of the Minnesota
Department
of Transportation.)
Barnum, and Willow River from July 9-13, 2012. The
most common questions asked of MDH staff at the
DRCs were: “How do you clean up flooded homes?,” “How do you disinfect private wells?,” and “How
do you test the water from private wells to assure that it is safe for use and consumption?”
The MDH is recommending that persons, who had flood water come within 50 feet of their wells, flush
their wells, collect a water sample, and have it tested for coliform bacteria. If the results are positive for
coliform bacteria, the well owner should have the well disinfected with chlorine, then resample. For
persons whose wells were submerged in floodwater, the MDH is recommending that the well owner hire
INSIDE:
Betty McCollum Receives Groundwater Award
2012 Legislation
Hydrofracking
Continuing Education Videoconference
Grout Settlement
New Health Guidance for Manganese
Disturbing Grout in a Sealed Well
Advisory Council News
Update on “Well Drilling – A Dangerous Industry”
Continuing Education Calendar
New Contractor Certifications
a licensed well contractor to remove the pump, blow all the silt and floodwater out of the well with an
air compressor, scrub the pump and drop-pipe with a chlorine disinfectant solution, reinstall the pump,
chlorinate the well, and then, after appropriate contact time, the owner can flush the well and collect a
water sample for analysis. The MDH is providing free water sample bottles and free water analysis for
total coliform bacteria and E. coli to persons in the affected counties. Sample bottles can be picked up
from the local authorities. The MDH laboratory in St. Paul, Minnesota, will do the bacterial analysis for
free, but residents must assure that the sample is delivered to the laboratory in St. Paul, during normal
business hours Monday through Friday, within 30 hours of collecting the sample. Samples can be
dropped off at the lab directly, or well owners can send the sample through the mail. If the sample is
mailed, well owners should send via express mail/overnight delivery to assure that it reaches the lab
within 30 hours.
Well contractors are asked to make responses to requests for service from flood victims a top priority.
The MDH has shipped over 1,950 water sample bottles to Aitkin, Carlton, Lake, Pine, and St. Louis
Counties. Approximately 36 percent of the samples tested so far have been positive for coliform
bacteria. Seven percent of the samples have been positive for E. coli, indicating contamination from
fecal waste.
Persons with well disinfection and water sampling questions can call the MDH at 651-201-4600 or
800-383-9808 for assistance.
United States Representative Betty McCollum of Minnesota Receives
Groundwater Protector Award from National Ground Water Association
On February 27, 2012, in Westerville, Ohio, U.S.
Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-Minnesota) received the
2012 Groundwater Protector Award from the National Ground
Water Association (NGWA). The Groundwater Protector
Award honors people in government, industry, and the private
sector for their public service efforts in conjunction with
groundwater conservation, protection, and use.
McCollum is being recognized for her leadership in
championing a National Ground Water Monitoring Network to
provide information on the source of water supply for nearly
130 million Americans and approximately 40 percent of the
nation’s irrigation water. “Every day, millions of Americans
rely on groundwater sources for their drinking water, including
nearly 80 percent of Minnesotans. The National Groundwater
Monitoring Network is a critical resource,” said McCollum.
“Looking ahead, Congress must continue to do everything
possible to ensure our nation’s drinking water remains a safe
and plentiful resource. I’m honored to receive this award. I look
forward to continuing our work on protecting and preserving
our national resources.”
Congresswoman Betty McCollum,
U.S. Representative for Minnesota’s
4th Congressional District.
NGWA Executive Director Kevin McCray, CAE, lauded
McCollum as a visionary regarding groundwater and its importance to America.
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“Representative McCollum’s commitment to protecting groundwater is important and farsighted. She
understands how vital groundwater is to our country’s future, from drinking water supplies and cropland
irrigation to energy production and the health of our ecosystems,” said McCray. “It is no exaggeration to
say that groundwater is part of the lifeblood of our country. Representative McCollum’s support of the
National Ground Water Monitoring Network is most worthy of our 2012 Groundwater Protector
Award.”
2012 Legislation
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) did
not request any new or amended legislation
concerning wells or borings during the 2012
legislative session. Legislation which may affect
wells, borings, or groundwater was introduced by
others.
Bored Geothermal
Vertical heat exchangers, which are vertically
drilled closed-loop geothermal heating and cooling
systems, have been regulated by the MDH since
1984. The MDH requested a law change in 2011 to
Minnesota State Capitol.
regulate horizontal and angle-drilled closed-loop
geothermal systems in the same way that vertical heat exchangers are regulated. The bill was introduced
and heard, but did not pass out of the legislature. During the 2012 legislative session, the Minnesota
Water Well Association modified the 2011 MDH bill and worked with legislators to introduce the bill in
the House of Representatives. The bill was heard and referred to committee, but did not pass out of
committee. Discussions will be held this year about introducing the bill again in 2013.
Legacy Amendment
In 2008, the Minnesota Constitution was amended by Minnesota voters to add the Clean Water, Land
and Legacy Amendment. The amendment increased the state sales tax by three-eighths of one percent
beginning on July 1, 2009 and ending in 2034. The funds generated are used to protect drinking water
sources; protect, enhance, and restore wetlands, prairies, forests, and fish, game, and wildlife habitat;
preserve arts and cultural heritage; support parks and trails; and protect, enhance, and restore lakes,
rivers, streams, and groundwater. The MDH received funds during the 2011 legislative session for the
biennium (July 2011-June 2013) to: (1) address public health concerns about contaminants of emerging
concern in drinking water, including pharmaceuticals and personal care products; (2) expand the county
well index database of well information; (3) provide cost-share money for sealing unused wells; and
(4) protect drinking water sources through source water protection grants. Legacy funds are primarily
appropriated once every two years. Limited funds were allocated during the 2012 legislative session and
the MDH did not receive additional water-related appropriations.
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The Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) received additional Legacy appropriations in 2012
related to wells, borings, or associated groundwater programs, which include:
• $1.6 million (in addition to $13.75 million previously appropriated) for pollution reduction and
restoration grants to local government units and joint powers organizations of local government units
to protect surface water and drinking water; to keep water on the land; to protect, enhance, and
restore water quality in lakes, rivers, and streams; and to protect groundwater and drinking water,
including feedlot water quality and subsurface sewage treatment system (SSTS) projects and stream
bank, stream channel, and shoreline restoration projects;
• $0.6 million (in addition to$3.0 million previously appropriated) for targeted local resource
protection and enhancement grants which include protecting groundwater from degradation; and
• $1.0 million (in addition to $1.3 million previously appropriated) for permanent conservation
easements in wellhead protection areas, giving priority to drinking water supplies which are highly
or very highly vulnerable, and to the Decorah and St. Lawrence edge areas of Winona, Goodhue,
Olmsted, and Wabasha Counties. These are areas where the Decorah and St. Lawrence confining
layers end, and without the protection of these confining layers, contaminants can more easily enter
the groundwater.
Conservation Rate Structure
Prior to the 2012 legislative session, existing Minnesota law required public water suppliers serving
more than 1,000 people in the Metropolitan Twin Cities area to use a conservation rate structure to
encourage conservation of water. The law required suppliers serving more than 1,000 people outside the
metropolitan area to comply with the law starting January 1, 2013. A “conservation rate structure” is
designed to encourage conservation of water by requiring one or more financial methods, such as
charging more per gallon as water use increases. It was reported that because of the law, some water
suppliers increased water rates. In some cases this led to some water-users drilling their own nonpotable
wells, some cities losing revenue, and some cities proposing to ban private (nonpotable) wells.
Minnesota Session Laws, 2012, Chapter 150, passed and was signed by the Governor. The law
eliminates the requirement for a conservation rate structure if the public water supplier has a uniform
rate structure and a water conservation program that reduces water demand, water loss, peak water
demand, and nonessential water use.
Hydraulic Fracturing
Hydraulic fracturing, also known as hydrofracturing, hydrofracking, and fracking, is a procedure
performed on oil, gas, and water-supply wells to widen and/or extend existing fractures in a geologic
bedrock formation, (and in some cases create new fractures) to increase the yield of the well. The
procedure was first used commercially to stimulate oil and gas wells in 1947. It is now used in tens of
thousands of oil and gas wells worldwide every year, and to a lesser extent in water wells. While the
processes are similar, there are very significant differences between hydrofracturing of oil and gas wells,
and hydrofracturing of water wells.
Hydraulic fracturing as used for oil and gas production involves the injection of water, sand, or other
“proppants,” and various chemicals including acids, surfactants, and lubricants, at pressures sometimes
exceeding 15,000 pounds per square inch (psi) and at depths of often many miles. The hydraulic
pressure of the water and action of the chemical mixture widens the existing smaller, naturally occurring
fractures, which are then held open by the proppant. Proppants are commonly sand, but may be ceramic
beads or other materials. Hydrofracking allows for the extraction of gas and petroleum from tight
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formations, such as shales, that otherwise do not readily yield gas and petroleum. There has recently
been a significant increase in the use of this process in the United States. In fact, estimates are that over
1 million oil and gas wells have been hydrofractured in the United States. The Bakken Shale oil field,
primarily located in northwest North Dakota, is being developed so rapidly that there is a shortage of
housing for the industry’s workers. It has been estimated by the United States Geological Survey that
between 3.0 and 4.3 billion barrels of oil are recoverable from this field using the hydraulic fracturing
process along with horizontal drilling technology.
Hydraulic fracturing of water wells is
considerably different than hydraulic
fracturing of oil and gas wells. The
fracking intervals are much shallower
and the frack pressures are much less.
It typically involves setting one or two
inflatable packers in the open bore
hole section of a well to isolate the
target interval for fracking; usually
somewhere between 300 and
1,000 feet in depth. Once the packers
have been inflated, water is injected at
pressures of 500-1,500 psi in the
target fracking interval in between the
McKeever Well Drilling, Inc. with packers set in well, ready to inject
packers. The pressure will rise in the
high pressure water to fracture an igneous bedrock formation on the
fracking interval as long as the rock
North Shore of Lake Superior, near Grand Marais, Minnesota.
resists expansion. A drop in pressure
(Photo courtesy of McKeever Well Drilling.)
indicates success, as small fractures in
the rock begin to open up and accept the pressurized water. In Minnesota, only igneous or crystalline
rocks like granite may be hydrofractured. Proppants are rarely used for water well hydrofracking.
Minnesota only allows potable water containing a chlorine residual to be used as the hyrdrofracking
fluid. If additives are used (which is rare) they must meet health standards, and be removed from the
well when the hydrofracking process is complete.
Hydraulic fracturing is being used in Minnesota and elsewhere in hopes of increasing the yield of
water-supply wells with a low yield. Hydrofracturing will not turn a dry hole into a producer. However,
hydrofracturing may turn a well that produces a gallon per minute or less, into a well which will provide
adequate water for a residence.
Roger “Bill” McKeever of McKeever Well in Schroeder, Minnesota, and Norville Peterson of Petersen
Well Drilling, Inc. of Mountain Iron, Minnesota; two contractors with extensive experience in
hydrofracturing, both stress the need for thorough investigation and planning before fracturing begins.
Reviewing well records, water quality, and pumping information from the well to be fractured and
neighboring wells, geological information including reported intervals of water yield, fractures or
formation change, and down-hole television and gamma logs, all make the difference between success
and failure. Both Bill and Norville report success rates typically near 90 percent if careful evaluation is
undertaken before fracturing is done. Yield increases of 300 percent are considered successful. This can
make the difference between a well which pumps dry, and a well which can supply enough water to
serve a home. In some cases, when a well is hydrofracked, neighbors have reported improved yields
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from their wells. Bill and Norville do point out that when hydrofracturing is done incorrectly, it can have
negative impacts. In some situations, hydrofracturing can induce flow from saline or other mineralized
aquifers and adversely affect the water quality in the well being fractured or other nearby wells.
To protect the environment and the people that utilize Minnesota’s aquifers, the Minnesota Department
of Health (MDH) has set regulations to help ensure that hydrofracturing does not adversely affect the
well and aquifers being hydrofractured and other aquifers adjacent to the hydrofracturing zone.
Hydrofracking rule requirements include:
1. Licensure is required in Minnesota to hydrofracture water-supply wells.
2. Water used for hydofracturing must be potable and contain a chlorine residual.
3. All additives must meet requirements of ANSI/NSF STD 60 and be removed.
4. Proppants used must be inert, clean, and nontoxic. Sand must be washed, chlorinated, and
noncalcareous.
5. The upper packer must be a minimum of 50 feet below the ground surface.
6. Hydrofracturing must not occur inside of a casing and the upper packer must be a minimum of
ten feet below the termination of the casing.
7. Hydrofracturing must only be done in igneous and metamorphic bedrock.
8. The well must meet the contamination source isolation distance requirements in Minnesota Rules,
Chapter 4725.
9. The well must be disinfected after hydrofracturing is completed. A water sample must be collected
and submitted for analysis, and the well record and the water sample results must be submitted to the
MDH.
A complete list of rules for hydrofracturing can be found in Minnesota Rules, Chapter 4725; or the
MDH’s “Rules Handbook – A Guide to the Rules Relating to Wells and Borings.” Both documents can
be viewed at: www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/wells.
The oil and gas hydrofracturing process raises some environmental and health issues. Some of the
concerns include: contamination of drinking water supplies by the chemicals used in the process;
migration of the oil or gas into drinking water aquifers; depletion of drinking water supplies (since large
volumes of water are used in the process); and small earthquakes induced when fault zones are
lubricated and pressurized. In addition to the unique concerns for hydrofracturing, all oil and gas drilling
poses concerns for disposal of drilling fluids, release of hydrocarbons or other contaminants into
freshwater aquifers, the integrity of casings and cements, and the issues of abandoned, unsealed bore
holes.
The rapid expansion of oil and gas development in recent years has created high demand for silica sand,
which is used as a proppant in the hydrofracking process, and also in grout mixes for the construction of
water wells and geothermal borings. Wisconsin has been a major producer of industrial sand for the past
100 years, and of frack sand for the past 30 years. Mining companies target sand from the Cambrian Era
Jordan and Wonewoc sandstone formations. The roundness and crush strength properties of these sand
grains make them ideal proppants. Several mining operations have recently opened in southeastern
Minnesota in an attempt to catch up with demand. The demand for frack sand from the oil and gas
industry is so great that well contractors and geothermal contractors are having difficulty obtaining it for
use in grout mixes. While some are pleased because the mines bring jobs to the state, others are
concerned about mining noise, truck traffic and noise, decrease in property values, dewatering, and
possible health issues which may be associated with the mining of the sand, specifically, the inhalation
of silica dust which may cause silicosis, a disease of the lungs.
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Continuing Education Videoconference
December 6, 2012
The Well Management Section will be offering a videoconference on Thursday, December 6, 2012,
from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. for certified representatives who did not attend one of the meetings during
spring 2012, and still need to obtain two hours of MDH-provided or MDH-sponsored continuing
education in order to renew their 2013 certification. The videoconference will cover the same topics
addressed during the spring meetings. It will be broadcast from Room B-107 at the Freeman Building at
625 Robert Street North, St. Paul, and may be viewed in Room B-107 and at the MDH district offices in
Bemidji, Duluth, Fergus Falls, Mankato, Marshall, Rochester, and St. Cloud. No preregistration is
required for attending the videoconference. An informational announcement with more details will be
mailed in early November 2012 to all certified representatives.
Certified representatives of well and boring and monitoring well contractors must obtain 6 hours of
continuing education credits annually, two of which must be from MDH-provided or MDH-sponsored
events. Limited well contractor representatives and elevator boring contractor representatives must
obtain 2 hours of continuing education credits annually from MDH-provided or MDH-sponsored
continuing education events. (These requirements do not apply to responsible individuals for exploration
contractors.)
Grout Settlement
For years, Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Well Management Section field staff have observed
and reported on the settlement of grout in the annular space surrounding the casing for newly
constructed wells and borings, in borings for vertical heat exchanger systems, and inside the casing of
wells and borings that have been permanently sealed. We have observed grout settlement problems
when cement grout is used, particularly when wells are finished in fractured or cavernous (limestone)
formations, and to a greater extent when bentonite grout is used.
The reasons for grout settlement are varied and include grout loss to the geologic formation, particularly
above the static water level or in formations with large void spaces, improper grout mixtures (often too
much water), excessive shearing of the grout during mixing, failure to keep grout pipe submerged during
the grouting process, failure to create turbulent flow and remove the drilling fluid and cuttings from the
bore hole, and failure of drill cuttings below the grout.
In the past, when MDH field staff became aware of grout settlement, they simply notified the contractor
that the grout had settled and requested that the contractor return to the site and “top-off” the grout. Field
staff continue to see far too many instances of grout settlement.
It is the well contractor’s responsibility to assure that the grout is within 2 feet of the surface for wells
that are permanently sealed; and within 2 feet of the surface or the base of the pitless unit/adapter for
new wells and borings. In the coming months, the MDH will be making grouting inspections a priority
to assure that well contractors are topping off grout that has settled, and to identify grout products and
methods that have minimal settlement. The MDH asks that contractors adhere closely to grout
manufacturer’s mixing and placement specifications.
Grouting is a critical procedure in the construction and permanent sealing of wells and borings. It should
not be taken lightly. Good, competent grout seals protect public health and the water quality in our
precious drinking water aquifers!
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MDH Establishes Risk Assessment Advice for Manganese
On May 15, 2012, the Minnesota Department of Health’s (MDH’s) Health Risk Assessment Unit issued
new Risk Assessment Advice (RAA) for manganese. Manganese is a naturally occurring, abundant
elemental metal mineral that is present in groundwater. Manganese will usually be apparent as black or
brown particles or discoloration in the water; however, testing should be done to confirm the presence
and concentration. Manganese is an essential nutrient and occurs in soil, air, water, and food.
Manganese, in high enough doses, can be toxic to infants by causing adverse effects on neurological
development. The RAA for manganese is two-tiered and establishes a 100 microgram per liter (µg/L)
level for infants less than 1 year of age, and a 300 µg/L level for older children and adults. In addition,
infants should not be provided infant formula made with water that contains manganese exceeding
100 µg/L. For more information about the two-tiered RAA, you may visit:
www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/risk/guidance/gw/manganese.html.
There are approximately ten laboratories in Minnesota that are certified to do manganese testing on
drinking water samples. For a list of certified labs, go to: www.health.state.mn.us/labsearch.
Several water treatment devices are effective at removing manganese including ion exchange water
softeners, carbon filters with lead scavenging units, greensand filters, and oxidizing/sediment filters.
Please check with the manufacturer; and independent water treatment device certification organizations,
for manganese removal efficiency.
Disturbing the Grout Seal on a Previously Sealed Well
Well contractors should be very careful about
well owners who call and ask to have grout
drilled out of a well because they are not sure if
the well has been properly sealed, and because
they don’t have a sealing record for it.
Contractors should always check with Minnesota
Department of Health (MDH) Well Management
Section field staff before drilling into grout
inside a well casing to determine if a well has
been properly sealed. MDH field staff can check
the well sealing database to see if there is a well
sealing record on file for the well.
Searching databases for records can be tricky. If
a street name is spelled wrong, or the house
Disturbed grout seal for a 4-inch diameter well that was
previously sealed by a licensed well contractor, Hennepin
numbers are transposed, you may not find the
County, Minnesota.
record searching by the street address. It may be
necessary to search using other information including the property owner name at the time the well was
sealed, legal description, or well contractor license number. We have also had success finding missing
well sealing records by contacting former property owners, realtors, title companies, well contractors in
the area, or by searching city records.
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The MDH has been involved in several cases where a previous well owner had a well properly sealed by
a licensed well contractor, then the property sold, sometimes multiple times, and the new owner, who
doesn’t have a copy of the well sealing record and who does not know the well was properly sealed,
hires a well contractor to take care of the well. In some cases, the well sealing record was not found until
the grout in the well had been completely drilled out and the well resealed.
Both the MDH and the well drilling industry in Minnesota want to avoid situations where the proper
sealing of a well cannot be verified because a well sealing record cannot be found, or because the well
contractor who sealed the well did not file a well sealing record. We must do all we can to assure that
when wells are sealed, a well sealing record is filed with MDH, and accurate spellings of the well
owner’s name and an accurate address and sketch map is included on the sealing record. The last thing
we want to see is grout drilled out of a properly sealed well in order to reseal it because the original well
sealing record could not be found.
Well contractors who disturb the seal of a well that was already properly sealed by a licensed well
contractor may be subject to enforcement actions and will likely be required to refill the well with grout.
2012 Appointments to Advisory Council on Wells and Borings
On March 2, 2012, Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Commissioner Edward Ehlinger, M.D.,
M.S.P.H., appointed three new members; Dennis Koepp, Haden Shipman, and Dave Kill to the
Advisory Council on Wells and Borings; and reappointed Michael Steffl, Brian Stangret, and Greg
Scallon. State agency representatives reappointed by their respective commissioners include Kevin
Mustonen, Michael Liljegren, and Charles Howe.
The current advisory council members are:
Well Contractors:
David Henrich, Bergerson-Caswell, Inc., Maple Plain, MN
Dennis Koepp, Denny’s Drilling, Inc., Saginaw, MN
Danny Nubbe, Mineral Service Plus, LLC, Green Isle, MN
Roger Renner, E.H. Renner and Sons, Inc., Elk River, MN
Haden Shipman, Antonsen Well Drilling, Inc., Dent, MN
Michael Steffl, Steffl Drilling and Pump, Inc., Wilmar, MN
Vertical Heat Exchanger Contractor:
Rick Nash, Unaffiliated, Waverly, MN
Public Members:
David Kill, P.E., Shoreview, MN
Steve Lawrence, Glenwood, MN
State Agency Members:
Eric Mohring, MN Board of Water and Soil Resources
Chris Elvrum, P.G., MN Department of Health
Michael Liljegren, MN Department of Natural Resources
Charles Howe, P.G., MN Department of Transportation
Bruce Bloomgren, MN Geological Survey
Kevin Mustonen, MN Pollution Control Agency
Elevator Boring Contractor:
Brian Stangret, Midwest Elevator and Drilling, Inc.,
Waconia, MN
Explorer:
Daniel England, P.G., Eveleth Fee Office, Eveleth, MN
Monitoring Well Contractor:
Greg Scallon, Braun Intertec, Corp., Bloomington, MN
The council advises the Commissioner and the department on issues regarding the regulation of wells
and borings. The council assists in the examination of well contractor license applicants; makes
recommendations on Well Management Section policies, rule-making, and statutory initiatives; and
provides technical review and information to the Section. The council also provides a forum for all well
and boring contractors to raise industry concerns.
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Summary of March 7, 2012, Advisory Council Meeting
The Advisory Council on Wells and Borings met on March 7, 2012. The major topics discussed at the
meeting include:
• 2012 Legislative Session: Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) did not introduce legislation for
this session. The Minnesota Water Well Association introduced legislation to regulate all bored
geothermal heat exchanger systems. The legislation did not progress through the legislature before
the close of session.
• Bored Geothermal Heat Exchangers: The council and MDH staff discussed problems identified with
some horizontal systems, including lack of grouting, use of toxic heat transfer fluids, piping
extending under neighboring properties, piping installed too close to water-supply wells and to
utilities, lack of permanent record of system installation, and poor work quality. Well contractors are
sometimes called out to a site with a poorly performing horizontal system to help make corrections
or to supplement the horizontal system with a vertical system. Since MDH does not regulate these
systems, MDH staff only learn of problems through second-hand accounts or when called in by
system owners, local government officials, or well contractors.
• Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment Fund: MDH received approximately $6 million for
four initiatives.
o Evaluation of Contaminants of Emerging Concern ($2.04 million);
o Source Water Protection Grants and Assistance ($2.83 million) to local governments and public
water supplies, which include activities such as new public well construction, well upgrades, and
well sealing;
o County Well Index (CWI) Enhancements ($668,000) for updating and improving features and
applications for CWI; and
o Well Sealing Grants ($500,000) for expanding local cost-share assistance programs for well
sealing and for sealing wells within wellhead protection areas of public water-supply wells.
• Elevator Leg/Fertilizer Pit Dewatering Sump: Elevator legs or load out pits can fill with water and
as such may have various sump or dewatering systems. In some cases, an external sump is installed
that may meet the definition of a dewatering well. However; the sump is a part of the design of the
pit installation. The council recommended that these installations should be evaluated and controlled
and suggested that MDH and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture discuss how best to
administrate.
Please note, that the December 7, 2011, meeting of the council was cancelled because of a limited
agenda and no well contractor license applicants.
MINNESOTA WELL MANAGEMENT NEWS
Published twice per year by the Well Management Section, Minnesota Department of Health
www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/wells
Editor: Patrick Sarafolean, 651-201-3962
Contributors: Well Management Section Staff unless otherwise noted.
To request this document in another format, call 651-201-4600
Deaf and hard-of-hearing: TTY 651-201-5797
Reprinting of articles in this newsletter is encouraged. Please give credit to the Minnesota Department of Health
or noted source.
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Update on “Well Drilling – A Dangerous Industry”
In the last issue of “Minnesota Well Management News” we highlighted several stories warning of some
of the dangers in the well drilling industry. One story reported on the death of a 19 year old young man
from River Falls, Wisconsin, who was buried in a water service pipe trench collapse in Gilman,
Wisconsin.
As a follow up to this story, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is
recommending fines in the amount of $137,000 for Gordy’s Pumping Service, the company implicated
in the trench collapse accident. A total of five citations were issued including one for failing to take
proper precautions to prevent a trench collapse. Gordy’s Pumping Service had up to 15 days from the
date the citations were issued, to comply, contest the fines, or request a conference with OSHA.
Continuing Education Calendar
The Internet link to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), Well Management Section’s,
Continuing Education Calendar is: www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/wells/lwcinfo/training.html.
This calendar lists the upcoming continuing education courses that have been approved for renewal of
certification for representatives of Minnesota licensed and registered well and boring contractors. The
calendar also lists the number of credits available for each course. The calendar is updated monthly and,
if you subscribe, you will be notified by email when this page changes (new classes added, changes to
existing classes).
For additional information about any of these training opportunities, call the contact person listed for the
program of interest. For general information about continuing education, more current CEU listings, or
to request approval for other continuing education activities not listed, contact Mike Convery,
Minnesota Department of Health, Well Management Section Operations Unit Supervisor, at
651-201-4586, or [email protected].
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Minnesota
Well Management News
MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
WELL MANAGEMENT SECTION
625 ROBERT ST N
PO BOX 64975
ST PAUL MN 55164-0975
651-201-4600 or 800-383-9808
New Contractor Certifications
Explorer
Cara J. Leitheisser
Twin Metals Minnesota, LLC
Ely, Minnesota
Vertical Heat Exchanger Contractor
Daniel R. Gibbs
Geothermal Eco Options, Inc.
Lime Springs, Iowa
Gabriel J. Sweet
DMC USA, LLC
Duluth, Minnesota
Greg L. Nash
Nash Drilling, LLC
Dent, Minnesota
James E. Tieberg
Polymet Mining Corp.
Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota
Pump Installer
Mathew C. Anderson
Center City, Minnesota
Michael L. Totenhagen
ArcelorMittal Minorca Mine, Inc.
Virginia, Minnesota
Lonnie L. Sather
H.G. Swarthout and Sons
Pine Island, Minnesota
Pitless/Screen Contractor
Mathew C. Anderson
Center City, Minnesota
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