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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | December 17, 2014 09:24 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Kate Harper |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Water Well Standards |
| In the near future, I will be reintroducing House Bill 343 to provide for water well construction standards through the adoption of rules and regulations recommended by the National Groundwater Association. This legislation was the #1 priority of the Pennsylvania State-wide water plan. Some 20,000 new water wells are drilled each year in Pennsylvania, but the Commonwealth is one of only two states without minimum construction parameters. More than 3 million Pennsylvanians rely on about 1 million private wells for drinking water. Improperly constructed water wells can lead to poor water quality by providing pathways for bacteria and contaminants such as naturally occurring shallow methane gas to migrate into water supplies. Ensuring that the well is constructed properly from the start will help to prevent water quality problems in the future. To avoid any confusion upfront: the proposed legislation would merely establish construction standards, including the decommissioning of abandoned wells, to be followed by water well drillers and owners. Nothing in this legislation requires the metering of homeowner wells. |
Introduced as HB81