You want to know if developers are required to dig test holes to determine the availability and quality of well water when developing residential property.

No Connecticut law or agency regulation requires developers of new residential developments to dig test holes to determine the availability and quality of well water, according to Dr. Gerald Iwan, chief of the Department of Public Health’s (DPH) Drinking Water Supplies Section, Bill Warzecha of the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Remediations Division, and Chris Woods, legislative liaison for the Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association.

Developers must mark the site where a well will be built, but do not need to show if there is sufficient water on the site to support the development, Dr. Iwan stated. The need to dig test wells may not arise in those towns where zoning regulations exclude homes, apartments, and other residential uses in areas where topography and soil conditions suggest that water may not be available or too difficult and expensive to locate, Mr. Woods added.

The Public Health Code requires that local health departments test wells for various contaminants before the water can be used for drinking, bathing, or other domestic purposes. But the code does not require developers to dig test holes in order to analyze the water quality before installing a well.

Attached is OLR Report 2002-R-0759, which provides additional information of testing private wells during new home construction.

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