Well Standards

DWR Bulletin 74 sets the minimum standards for water, monitoring, cathodic protection, and geothermal heat exchange wells, with the purpose of protecting California’s groundwater quality. Local jurisdictions have the authority to adopt standards which meet or exceed the Bulletin 74 standards. Well standards are administered and enforced at the local level. The process, from standards development through enforcement, is detailed in Water Code Sections 13800 - 13806.

DWR is in the process of updating Bulletin 74: California Well Standards. The standards were last updated in 1991.

Upon completion of the update, Bulletin 74 will be submitted to the State Water Resources Control Board for adoption into a Statewide Model Well Ordinance.

DWR is committed to an open and transparent process that seeks participation and collaborative input from stakeholders and the public.

Learn More

Learn about DWR’s planned approach for updating Bulletin 74 by viewing the recorded Kick-off Webinar held in June 2019. Please note that updates have been made in the project timeline since the kick-off webinar and the “Expert Panel” referred to in the presentation is now called the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).

Project Timeline

Hold TAC Phase 1 Meetings: Spring 2021
Revise Standards: Summer – Fall 2021
Hold TAC Phase 2 Meetings: Fall 2021 – Winter 2021/22
Prepare Administrative Draft Standards: Spring 2022 – Summer 2023
Conduct State and Partner Agency Reviews: Fall 2023 – Fall 2024
Release for Public Comment: Winter 2024/25
Revise Standards: Winter 2024/25 – Summer 2025
Publish Final Standards: Fall 2025

Bulletin 74 Technical Advisory Committee

The Bulletin 74 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) is made up of 81 representatives from a broad range of sectors and geographic areas of the state, with expertise in all aspects of well permitting, design, construction, maintenance, and destruction. The TAC met between March 2021 and February 2022, breaking into smaller focus groups to advise DWR on specific topics. In Phase 1, TAC focus groups discussed sealing materials and placement, water well siting and design, stormwater infiltration wells, non-vertical wells, and well destruction. In Phase 2, TAC focus groups discussed the four well types addressed in Bulletin 74: water wells, monitoring wells, cathodic protection wells, and geothermal heat exchange wells. DWR is currently revising the Standards, taking into consideration the TAC’s input.

Bulletin 74 TAC Roster and Plenary Meeting Summaries

Engagement Opportunities

Get involved in the update of the DWR Bulletin 74, California Well Standards in the following ways:

Sign up to receive email updates on Bulletin 74.
Review recommended edits submitted by the California Conference of Directors of Environmental Health (CCDEH) in collaboration with the California Groundwater Association (CGA).
Email the Bulletin 74 team at Bulletin74@water.ca.gov.
Provide public comments once the Public Review Draft is released.

The Bulletin 74 series includes the minimum statewide standards for construction, alteration, maintenance, and destruction of water, monitoring, cathodic protection, and geothermal heat exchange wells, as well as several regional standards published in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Though many local jurisdictions have adopted the Bulletin 74 standards directly or by reference, they do have authority to adopt standards that are more stringent in their local well ordinances. Visit Permitting Agencies to determine the requirements in your area.

Statewide

Regional

Bulletin 74-2: Recommended Minimum Water Well Construction and Sealing Standards for the Protection of Ground Water Quality, Alameda County (Preliminary Edition, 1962)
Bulletin 74-3: Water Well Standards, Del Norte County (1966)
Bulletin 74-4: Water Well Standards, Central Hollywood, Santa Monica Basins, Los Angeles County (1974)
Bulletin 74-5: Water Well Standards, San Joaquin County, Final Supplement (1969)
Bulletin 74-6: Water Well Standards, Fresno County (1968)
Bulletin 74-7: Water Well Standards, Arroyo Grande Basin, San Luis Obispo County (1971)
Bulletin 74-8: Water Well Standards, Shasta County (1968)
Bulletin 74-9: Water Well Standards, Ventura County (1968)

Legacy

These “legacy” bulletins have been superseded and are provided here for historical context.

A Brief Legislative History of the Well Standards

The Legislature has a long history of concern with groundwater impairment through improper construction or abandonment of wells. In 1949, it enacted Chapter 1552, Statutes of 1949, adding Water Code Section 231, which directed the Department of Public Works (now DWR) to:

…investigate and survey conditions of damage to quality of underground waters, which conditions are or may be caused by improperly constructed, abandoned or defective wells through the interconnection of strata or the introduction of surface waters into underground waters. The department shall report to the appropriate California regional water quality control board its recommendations for minimum standards of well construction in any particular locality in which it deems regulation necessary to protection of quality of underground water, and shall report to the Legislature from time to time, its recommendations for proper sealing of abandoned wells.

During the 1965 and 1967 General Sessions, the Legislature again reviewed the matter of standards for water well construction. As a result, it established a procedure for implementing standards by enacting Chapter 323, Statutes of 1967, which added Water Code Sections 13800 through 13806. The wording of these sections was amended in 1969 when the Legislature enacted the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act (Chapter 482, Statutes of 1969). In Water Code Section 13800, DWR's reporting responsibility is enlarged upon.

Water Code Section 13801 was amended in 1986, detailing the current procedures for implementation and specifically including monitoring wells.

In 1996, the Legislature added Water Code Section 13800.5, requiring DWR to develop standards for geothermal heat exchange wells (GHEWs).

The 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act added Water Code Section 10726.4, which reaffirms the established procedures and authority for well permitting.

California Laws for Water Wells, Monitoring Wells, Cathodic Protection Wells, and Geothermal Heat Exchange Wells

Laws that directly relate to the construction, alteration, maintenance, and destruction of water wells, monitoring wells, cathodic protection wells, and geothermal heat exchange wells are contained in the following sections of the California Water Code and Health and Safety Code:

California Water Code

Health and Safety Code

Division 104, Part 9.5, Abandoned Excavations, Sections 115700 – 115720

Why are well standards necessary?

Our well standards provide minimum standards for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or destruction of wells to prevent pollution of groundwater and protect groundwater quality. Groundwater can become polluted when poor-quality water, pollutants, or chemicals enter a well and the well becomes a pathway for pollution to enter the groundwater from the ground surface. Contamination also occurs when poor-quality groundwater, pollutants, or chemicals already in an underground layer enter a well and then move through the well to another underground layer containing good-quality water. Well standards preserve the integrity of groundwater resources, enabling the groundwater supply to be used by future generations.

What types of wells do DWR well standards apply to?

Our well standards apply to water wells, monitoring wells, cathodic protection wells, and geothermal heat exchange wells as defined in California Water Code Sections 13710 – 13713.

What do DWR’s well standards cover?

By law, we are responsible for issuing standards for constructing, altering, maintaining, and destroying wells to protect groundwater quality. We issue standards for four types of wells – water wells, monitoring wells, cathodic protection wells, and geothermal heat exchange wells. Items addressed by our well standards include:

Siting of wells away from pollution sources
Casing materials
Annular seal materials, dimensions, and placement
Surface features—pads, locks, covers, backflow preventers, vaults
Well development
Rehabilitation, Repair, and Deepening
Destruction (decommissioning)

Do other state agencies have well standards too?

Yes. For special types of wells, performance standards are required by other agencies in addition to our standards.

The State Water Resources Control Board-Division of Drinking Water (SWRCB-DDW) has special requirements for public water supply wells to protect public health. Public water supply wells supply drinking water to 15 or more service connections. The SWRCB-DDW, and some local agencies, enforce these standards. In addition, the SWRCB has requirements for constructing groundwater monitoring wells at regulated facilities, such as municipal landfills and gasoline stations with underground tanks. The SWRCB and its Regional Water Quality Control Boards enforce these standards. (The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has published standards for some types of wells.)

The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has recommended guidelines for constructing groundwater monitoring wells at hazardous waste sites. The purpose of these recommended guidelines is to ensure that these wells provide accurate information about chemicals in groundwater in toxic areas. DTSC approves design of wells built for obtaining samples for chemical analysis.

Who enforces DWR’s well standards?

Local Enforcing Agencies (LEAs) such as local governments, counties, cities, and some water districts are responsible for enforcing standards that are either equal to or more stringent than our well standards. Permitting and enforcement are carried out by the LEAs, such as the County Department of Environmental Health. These agencies issue permits for well construction, alteration, or destruction; enforce well ordinances in their jurisdiction and they also conduct inspections. To determine who enforces well standards in your community, contact your local county environmental health department or visit our Permitting Agencies webpage.

Why do well permitting requirements differ around the state?

DWR Bulletin 74: California Well Standards represent minimum statewide standards for well construction, alteration, and destruction. Local jurisdictions, including counties, cities, and water districts, have authority under the Water Code to adopt local well ordinances that meet or exceed the statewide standards. Steps 1 through 5 below summarize the implementation process of the well standards from Water Code sections 13800 – 13806:

1. RECOMMEND: DWR develops recommended minimum statewide standards for water wells, monitoring wells, cathodic protection wells, and geothermal heat exchange wells, published as Bulletin 74, California Well Standards, and submits them to the State Water Resources Control Board.

2. IMPLEMENT: The State Water Resources Control Board publishes a Statewide Model Well Ordinance that implements Bulletin 74 and adds permitting and inspection requirements.

3. COMPLY: Cities, counties, or water districts adopt a Local Well Ordinance for their jurisdiction that is at least as stringent as Bulletin 74 standards.

4. PERMIT: A local enforcing agency (LEA), such as a county environmental health department, is tasked with administering and enforcing the local ordinance through the well permitting process. If a local well ordinance is not adopted, then the LEA must enforce the Model Well Ordinance. Wells supplying Public Supply Systems must comply with additional requirements for certification by the State Water Resources Control Board – Division of Drinking Water (DDW). Therefore, consultation with DDW prior to public supply well construction is advised.

5. INSPECT: Wells may be inspected by the LEA during and after construction, modification, or destruction for compliance with the well ordinance. Well drillers must submit well completion reports to DWR within 60 days.

Do dry wells for stormwater capture have different standards or regulations?

Drywells, or “stormwater injection wells”, do fall into the definition of a water well per the Water Code, so they will be addressed in our standards when updated. We currently serve on the State Water Resources Control Boards’ Drywell Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) which is developing guidance for stormwater injection wells. We will coordinate these efforts – our well standards will address the well structure underground to prevent unregulated flow of surface water entering the aquifer, and State Water Resources Control Board guidance will address pre-treatment and siting to ensure flow into the subsurface meets water quality requirements.