SB 501

Current rules promulgated by the Department of Natural Resources prohibit

the use of a drillhole or a well for the placement of any substance underground. A

“drillhole” is an excavation or opening that is deeper than it is wide, regardless of how

deep it is; a “well” is an excavation that is deeper than it is wide regardless of its depth

or purpose. “Substance” is defined as any solid, liquid, semisolid, dissolved solid, or

gaseous material that may decrease the quality of groundwater. DNR rules provide

exceptions to this prohibition for several activities, including circulating water

through closed-loop heat pump systems, constructing building foundations,

installing piling and posts, and engaging in certain horticultural and agricultural

practices.

This bill requires DNR to also provide an exception to this prohibition for the

installation of certain groundwater recharge systems. Under the bill, a system is

exempt from the prohibition if it is designed to increase the infiltration of surface

water into subsurface soils by the insertion of devices that are made of polyethylene

or other nonhazardous substances, are no longer than 40 feet, do not reach more than

43 feet below the soil surface, have a diameter of no more than two inches, and are

capped to restrict free water flow, and the tops of which sit between two and three

feet below the soil surface.