The National Ground Water Association is seeking volunteers to assist in reviewing and updating the ANSI/NGWA-01-14 Water Well Construction Standard, which was last approved in 2014. This process is being initiated according to the American National Standards Institute’s requirement that all standards be routinely revised, reaffirmed, or withdrawn to ensure content remains relevant.
The Water Well Construction Standard is a performance standard encompassing municipal, residential, agricultural, monitoring, and industrial water production wells. Sections include well site selection; casing and casing installation; screens, filter pack, and formation stabilizer; grouting; plumbness and alignment; well development; testing for performance; data recording; disinfection with chlorine; water sampling and analysis; and permanent well and test-hole decommissioning.
Volunteers will assist NGWA’s Standard Development Oversight Task Group by reviewing the entire standard using NGWA’s standard development process briefly outlined below:
Review each section of the standard to determine if revisions are necessary
Revise sections requiring further consideration
Publish the revised standard for public review and comment
Respond to and resolve all public comments
Vote to approve the revised standard
Submit the standard to ANSI for review and action once consensus has been achieved (i.e., affirmative votes from the Standard Development Oversight Task Group, all comments responded to and resolved, no outstanding negative votes with comment).
Throughout the process, NGWA’s Standard Development Oversight Task Group will include representation from three interest categories: contractors—those who complete the physical groundwater work, manufacturers/suppliers—those who make the equipment to install the materials to retrieve the groundwater or provide the contractors with this equipment or these materials, and other—those who have a demonstrable material interest in the standard that do not identify with the other interest categories listed. The group will be composed to achieve a balance of interests, without dominance from any specific interest category, individual, or organization.
The group is specifically seeking those identifying with the manufacturer/supplier and other interest categories to help with this process. Membership with NGWA or any other organization is not required to participate.
The Standard Development Oversight Task Group will meet via conference calls and an in-person meeting scheduled during NGWA’s 2017 Groundwater Week in Nashville, Tennessee.
Work is currently underway on this project and interested parties are encouraged to visit NGWA’s Water Well Construction Standard webpage to volunteer or learn more about the process.
The National Ground Water Association is a not-for-profit professional society and trade association for the global groundwater industry. Our members around the world include leading public and private sector groundwater scientists, engineers, water well system professionals, manufacturers, and suppliers of groundwater-related products and services. The Association’s vision is to be the leading groundwater association advocating for responsible development, management, and use of water.
