Section 230.8 - Obtaining Site-Specific Groundwater Data(a) Applicability of section. This section is applicable only if the proposed method of water distribution for the proposed subdivision is individual water wells on individual lots. If expansion of an existing public water supply system or installation of a new public water supply system is the proposed method of water distribution for the proposed subdivision, site-specific groundwater data shall be developed under the requirements of Chapter 290, Subchapter D of this title (relating to Rules and Regulations for Public Water Systems) and the information developed in meeting these requirements shall be attached to the form required under § 230.3 of this title (relating to Certification of Groundwater Availability for Platting).(b) Location of existing wells. All known existing, abandoned, and inoperative wells within the proposed subdivision shall be identified, located, and mapped by on-site surveys. Existing well locations shall be illustrated on the plat required by the municipal or county authority.(c) Aquifer testing. Utilizing the information considered under § 230.7(b) of this title (relating to General Groundwater Resource Information), an aquifer test shall be conducted to characterize the aquifer(s) underlying the proposed subdivision. The aquifer test must provide sufficient information to allow evaluation of each aquifer that is being considered as a source of residential and non-residential water supply for the proposed subdivision. Appropriate aquifer testing shall be based on typical well completions. An aquifer test conducted under this section utilizing established methods shall be reported as specified in § 230.3(c) of this title and shall include, but not be limited to, the following items. (1) Test well and observation well(s). At a minimum, one test well (i.e., pumping well) and one observation well, shall be required to conduct an adequate aquifer test under this section. Additional observation wells shall be used for the aquifer test if it is practical or necessary to confirm the results of the test. The observation well(s) shall be completed in the same aquifer or aquifer production zone as the test well. The locations of the test and observation well(s) shall be shown on the plat required by the municipal or county authority.(2) Location of wells. The test and observation well(s) must be placed within the proposed subdivision and shall be located by latitude and longitude. The observation well(s) shall be located at a radial distance such that the time-drawdown data collected during the planned pumping period fall on a type curve of unique curvature. In general, observation wells in unconfined aquifers should be placed no farther than 300 feet from the test well, and no farther than 700 feet in thick, confined aquifers. The observation well should also be placed no closer to the test well than two times the thickness of the aquifer's production zone. The optimal location for the observation well(s) can be determined by best professional judgement after completion and evaluation of the test well as provided in paragraph (4) of this subsection.(3) Lithologic and geophysical logs. The test and observation wells shall be lithologically and geophysically logged to map and characterize the geologic formation(s) and the aquifer(s) in which the aquifer test(s) is to be performed.(A) A lithologic log shall be prepared showing the depth of the strata, their thickness and lithology (including size, range, and shape of constituent particles as well as smoothness), occurrence of water bearing strata, and any other special notes that are relevant to the drilling process and to the understanding of subsurface conditions.(B) Geophysical logs shall be prepared which provide qualitative information on aquifer characteristics and groundwater quality. At a minimum, the geophysical logs shall include an electrical log with shallow and deep-investigative curves (e.g., 16-inch short normal/64-inch long normal resistivity curves or induction log) with a spontaneous potential curve.(C) The municipal or county authority may, on a case-by-case basis, waive the requirement of geophysical logs as required under this section if it can be adequately demonstrated that the logs are not necessary to characterize the aquifer(s) for testing purposes.(4) Well development and performance. The test and observation well(s) shall be developed prior to conducting the aquifer test to repair damage done to the aquifer(s) during the drilling operation. Development shall insure that the hydraulic properties of the aquifer(s) are restored as much as practical to their natural state.(A) Well development procedures applied to the well(s) may vary depending on the drilling method used and the extent of the damage done to the aquifer(s).(B) During well development, the test well shall be pumped for several hours to determine the specific capacity of the well, the maximum anticipated drawdown, the volume of water produced at certain pump speeds and drawdown, and to determine if the observation well(s) are suitably located to provide useful data.(C) Water pumped out of the well during well development shall not be allowed to influence initial well performance results.(D) Aquifer testing required by this section shall be performed before any acidization or other flow-capacity enhancement procedures are applied to the test well.(5) Protection of groundwater. All reasonably necessary precautions shall be taken during construction of test and observation wells to ensure that surface contaminants do not reach the subsurface environment and that undesirable groundwater (water that is injurious to human health and the environment or water that can cause pollution to land or other waters) if encountered, is sealed off and confined to the zone(s) of origin.(6) Duration of aquifer test and recovery. The duration of the aquifer test depends entirely on local and geologic conditions. However, the test shall be of sufficient duration to observe a straight-line trend on a plot of water level versus the logarithm of time pumped. Water pumped during the test shall not be allowed to influence the test results. Aquifer testing shall not commence until water levels (after well development) have completely recovered to their pre-development level or at least to 90% of that level. (A) At a minimum, a 24-hour uniform rate aquifer test shall be conducted. Testing shall continue long enough to observe a straight-line trend on a plot of water level versus the logarithm of time pumped. If necessary, the duration of the test should be extended beyond the 24-hour minimum limit until the straight-line trend is observed. (i) If it is impractical to continue the test until a straight-line trend of water level versus the logarithm of time pumped is observed within the 24-hour limit, the test shall continue at least until a consistent pumping-level trend is observed. In such instances, failure to observe the straight-line trend shall be recorded.(ii) If the pumping rates remain constant for a period of at least four hours and a straight-line trend is observed on a plot of water level versus the logarithm of time pumped before the 24-hour limit has been reached, the pumping portion of the test may be terminated.(iii) The frequency of water level measurements during the aquifer test shall be such that adequate definition of the time-drawdown curve is made available. As much information as possible shall be obtained in the first ten minutes of testing (i.e., pumping).(B) Water-level recovery data shall be obtained to verify the accuracy of the data obtained during the pumping portion of the test. Recovery measurements shall be initiated immediately at the conclusion of the pumping portion of the aquifer test and shall be recorded with the same frequency as those taken during the pumping portion of the aquifer test. Time-recovery measurements shall continue until the water levels have recovered to pre-pumping levels or at least to 90% of that level. If such recovery is not possible, time-recovery measurements should continue until a consistent trend of recovery is observed.(7) Use of existing wells and aquifer test data.(A) An existing well may be utilized as an observation well under this section if sufficient information is available for that well to demonstrate that it meets the requirements of this section.(B) The municipal or county authority may accept the results of a previous aquifer test in lieu of a new test if:(i) the previous test was performed on a well located within a 1/4-mile radius of the subdivision;(ii) the previous test fully meets all the requirements of this section;(iii) the previous test was conducted on an aquifer which is being considered as a source of water supply for the proposed subdivision; and(iv) aquifer conditions (e.g., water levels, gradients, etc.) during the previous test were approximately the same as they are presently.(8) Need for additional aquifer testing and observation wells. Best professional judgement shall be used to determine if additional observation wells or aquifer tests are needed to adequately demonstrate groundwater availability. The Theis and Cooper-Jacob nonequilibrium equations, and acceptable modifications thereof, are based on well documented assumptions. To determine if additional information is needed, best professional judgement shall be used to consider these assumptions, the site-specific information derived from the aquifer test required by this section, the size of the proposed subdivision, and the proposed method of water delivery.(d) Submission of information. The information, data, and calculations required by this section shall be made available to the municipal or county authority, if requested, to document the requirements of this section as part of the plat application.30 Tex. Admin. Code § 230.8
The provisions of this §230.8 adopted to be effective July 9, 2000, 25 TexReg 6345