Digging a well in your garden is highly recommended because it allows you to easily access and exploit groundwater. However, digging a well must be done in compliance with existing regulations. Find out in this article the rules related to this work.

Detect the Presence of Groundwater and Determine the Location of the Well

Before installing a well in your garden, the first step is to determine if your soil is suitable for installing a well. This will help avoid problems with low-yielding wells. Sometimes, careful observation of your surroundings is enough to confirm the presence of groundwater. To do this, do an infiltration in your cellar, find out if there is a stream near your home, and find out if your neighbors have wells in their yard. If you have any doubts about the presence of groundwater, ask the local authorities about the location of the water tables in your area. You can also contact drilling companies or dowsers working with drillers and well-diggers. They will carry out the necessary studies to find the water.

The second step is to determine the right location for your well. The well should be located 1.5 m (10 feet) from your house, in the stable ground accessible to the machinery and equipment used for digging. Place your well at least 15 m (50 feet) from a septic tank and 30 m (100 feet) from a leach field. The head of the well should be about 30 cm above ground level.

Follow the Required Administrative Procedures to the Letter

The digging of a well is part of the drilling process. Depending on the estimated water consumption, these are subject to a prior declaration or an application for authorization. For domestic use, the annual volume of water taken must not exceed 1000 m3. The law clearly authorizes any private individual to dispose of the groundwater beneath his or her land by digging wells for domestic purposes. However, this must be declared to the town hall.

This declaration is made in 2 steps. In the first step, the declaration form of the intention to carry out work must be deposited at the municipal services of the town hall at least one month before the beginning of the work.

This is the Cerfa 138377*02 form, which describes the essential characteristics of the groundwater extraction work and provides information on the distribution network of the water extracted, excluding technical specifications.

In a second step, the initial declaration must be updated based on the work carried out within a maximum of one month after the end of the work. Subsequently, an agent of the drinking water service, designated by the mayor, proceeds to control the well by verifying the use of the collected water, the apparent parts of the work, and the absence of connection with the public network. In case of irregularity, the agent will indicate the normalization work. But, he can demand the definitive closure of your well in case of irrevocable problems.

The purpose of this declaration is, on the one hand, to respond to environmental concerns by making individuals aware of the impact of these works on the quality and quantity of groundwater. Indeed, if they are poorly done, they can constitute access points for groundwater pollution. And on the other hand, to preserve public health by ensuring that no pollution contaminates the drinking water distribution network.

When the well drilling reaches a depth of more than 10 meters, a declaration to the Regional Direction of Industry is required.

Call in a Professional

The digging of a well must be done according to the required standards and regulations. Hence the interest in calling upon a company (of public works) specialized in digging wells.