Environmental Issues

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has Regulations that pertain to noise, dust and air pollution. 310 CMR 7 can be obtained from the State Book Store in Boston or downloaded from the MADEP website.

The City of Leominster operated a Landfill at the end of Mechanic Street to the east of the Route 2 Connector until 1982. In 1985 the landfill was covered with impervious materials (capped) to prevent rain and surface water from passing through the buried waste and contaminating groundwater. In 2000 a landfill gas collection and disposal system was installed to prevent landfill gases from migrating through the soil to abutting properties. The gas collection system provides a vacuum to remove gases through wells that are connected to a manifold. The manifold passes beneath the Route 2 Connector and draws the gases to a gas burning flare system which is located to the north of the Leominster Sewage Treatment Plant. All of the wells in the landfill are periodically tested and adjusted to provide optimum performance of the flare. Environmental consultants provide quarterly testing of each well, surface air quality, and groundwater sampling for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for their continual review. Copies of these reports are kept in the Health Department archives.

If a neighbor is discharging water from their property and it is impacting your property, please contact the Leominster Building Department for an explanation of the regulations that govern this. They can be reached at 978-534-7517.

If your neighbor's dog is leaving waste on your property we recommend talking with the dog's owner directly as your first action. If the dog is still not controlled in accordance with the City of Leominster Ordinance 6-2 (a), please contact the Animal Control Officer at 978-514-2381.

• State Guidance
• Leominster Board of Health Regulations
• Application to drill a well in the City of Leominster

State Guidance

Leominster Board of Health Regulations for Development and use of Private and Semi-Public Water Supply Wells: Adopted June 18, 2003

The Board of Health of the City of Leominster, acting under the authority of Chapter 111, Section 31 of the General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and amendments and additions thereto, and any other power thereto enabling, and acting there under and in accordance therewith G.L. c 111, and 127A and G.L. c. 111, and 31, and in the interest of and for the preservation of the public health and safety ensuring that wells are constructed in a manner which will protect the quality of groundwater derived from private wells, duly make and adopt the following rule and regulation.

Definitions

• Applicant: Any person who intends to have a private well constructed.
• Aquifer: Water bearing geologic formation or group of formations that contains sufficient saturated permeable material to yield a significant quantity of water to wells and or surface water body. Aquifers can be consolidated (rock) or unconsolidated (soils).
• Board: The Leominster Board of Health or the duly appointed employees in the Health Department.
• Certified Laboratory: A business that is certified by the EPA and MADEP to perform water quality analyses in accordance with all applicable procedures and methodology.
• Department: The Leominster Board of Health or the duly appointed employees in the Health Department.
• Director: The Director of Leominster Health Department.
• MADEP: Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
• Private Well: Any dug, driven, augured or drilled hole with a depth greater than its largest surface diameter developed to supply water intended and/or used for human consumption.
• Private Water Supply: Any system serving water for human consumption for domestic uses on one lot. The system shall include all of the sources, treatment works and transmission lines to the point where distribution takes place with in the building. Shared wells are considered under semi-public water supply below.
• Pumping Test: A procedure used to determine the characteristic yield of a well and the adjacent water bearing formation (aquifer). For residential applications a four hour sustained yield test will be required. Other applications may require longer testing depending on the proposed use and flow requirements.
• Licensed Well Driller: Any person registered with the Department of Environmental Management, Division of Water Resources to drill wells in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
• Semi-Public Water Supply: Any water system serving water for human consumption of for other uses or purposes, to multiple dwellings or two of two or more units, or to more than one multiple dwelling under a single ownership and located on the same lot and shall include home parks, bottling plants, campgrounds, recreational camps, beaches, and parks.

Well Construction Permit

A well construction permit shall be obtained from the Health Department prior to the advancement or destruction of any water well or system (except those regulated by the MADEP under 310 CMR 22 et seq.).

The applicant (if not the owner of record) must have permission of the property owner prior to obtaining a permit to construct a well. The application shall include:

• The applicant's name, address, telephone number.
• The location of the well to be advanced.
• The Well Drillers name, address, phone number and license registration number as issued under MGL c. 21 Section 16.
• The proper permit fee must be submitted.
• The signature of the owner (if not the applicant) that signifies approval of the proposed well on their property.
• A well clearance plan that is prepared by a Massachusetts Professional Land Surveyor, Professional Engineer or Registered Sanitarian. Please see the well clearance plan requirements described below.

Well Clearance Plans

Each well clearance plan shall show or reference all septic systems, cesspools, wells, wetlands, water bodies, drainage systems underground storage tanks, or any other potential source of pollution within 200 feet of the proposed well. The plan will show the property lines and the off-set to the proposed well. The consultant shall provide a statement on the plan or on an attached document that reads:

Based on a review of all available information and a field investigation I certify that there are no septic systems, cesspools, wells, wetlands, water bodies, drainage systems or underground storage tanks within 100' of the proposed well as shown on this plan. I also certify that I have reviewed the MADEP CERO BWSC list of Disposal Sites and there are no listed disposal sites within one half mile of the proposed well.

If the well locus is within one half mile of a MADEP listed disposal site the proposed well site will need further review with the Director. Additional analyses may be warranted. The Central Region MADEP can be reached at 508-792-7650.

Required Distances

Description Setback (feet)

• Property Line: 10
• Roadway (Public or Private Ways): 30 from layout, not edge of pavement
• Soil Absorption System: 100
• Septic Tank: 50
• Dry Well: 100
• Building (Including Overhang): 15
• Surface Water or Wetland: 100
• Underground Storage Tank: 100

Where in the opinion of the Director, adverse conditions could exist, the above distances may be increased. In certain cases, special mitigating methods may be provided. Where possible, wells should be up-gradient from possible sources of contamination.

All other criteria listed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Resource Protection Division of Water Supply "Private Well Guidelines" and the latest edition of the Manual of Individual Water Supply, United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), Water Division (exception: a surface spring shall not be used for a potable water supply) shall apply to any well within the City of Leominster.

Required Water Quality Analysis

Any well that is to be used for human consumption must have a water sample collected and analyzed by a MADEP/USEPA certified testing laboratory. The results must be reviewed and accepted by the Department prior to consumption.

The following analytical parameters are required.

EPA Primary & Secondary Parameters

Total Coliform, Fecal Coliform, Arsenic, Calcium, Copper, Iron, Lead, Magnesium, Manganese, Potassium, Sodium, Alkalinity, Ammonia, Chloride, Chlorine, Color, Conductivity, Fluoride, Hardness, Nitrate, Nitrite, Odor, pH, Sulphate, Turbidity, Sediment, Volatile Organic Compounds via EPA Method 524.2

General Construction Requirements

The annular space between the well casing and the wall of the drilled hole shall be sealed to protect against surface contamination. Casings on wells that are drilled in locations that may have adverse conditions may require pressure grouting. Well casings shall be covered with a sanitary well seal. Casings shall extend a minimum of 24 inches above the highest flood elevation or 18 inches above the ground surface. All non-vent openings shall be sealed to block contaminants. Vent openings shall be properly screened.

Wells shall be developed and tested to ensure that the water supply is adequate for the intended purpose. For single family homes a minimum sustained yield of 5 gallons per minute for 4 hours is required. Other uses and applications may require longer yield testing depending on the required daily needs. The driller or technician will provide the Department with a written description of the test including the drawdown and elapsed times.

All wells shall be disinfected following construction, rehabilitation and well or pump repair before the sell is placed in service. The well shall be pumped to waste (not into a septic system) until the water is clear. Thereafter the well and the pumping equipment shall be disinfected with a solution containing at least 50 parts per million (ppm) chlorine solutions for a minimum of 24 hours before the well is pumped to waste (not into a septic system) and the water is found to be free of residual chlorine compounds.

Suction lines must be a minimum of 100 feet to a septic system and 50 feet to a septic tank (per 310 CMR 15).

All connections made to a well casing made below ground shall be protected by pitless adaptor or pitless unit that complies with the most recent revision of the National Sanitation Foundation Standard 56, ventilated pitless well adaptors.

The construction of underground injection wells is prohibited within the City of Leominster.

Completed Inspection Form

A well completion log, pumping test data with a sustained 4 hour yield (or greater as needed) and a water quality analysis must be submitted for review by the Department. If all criteria are met a Notice of Completed Inspection form will be finished and submitted to the applicant and the Building Department.

Disclaimer

The issuance of a private well certificate shall not be construed as a guarantee by the Department that the water supply system will function satisfactorily or that the water supply will be of sufficient quantity or quality for its intended use.

Severability

If any provision of these regulations or the application thereof is held to be invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the invalidity shall be limited to said provisions, and the remainder of these regulations shall remain valid and effective. Any part of these regulations subsequently invalidated by any state law shall automatically be brought into conformity with the new or amended law and shall be deemed to be effective immediately.

Enforcement

Any person that does not comply with these regulations shall be subject to the following fines:

• First Violation: $100
• Second Violation: $200
• Third and Subsequent Violations $300

Each day of non-compliance will be considered and additional and separate violation.