10. a. (1) Except in the case of an emergency or a general permit, no well requiring a permit shall be constructed until a permit has been issued therefor by the department. Application for a permit shall be made upon forms prescribed and supplied by the department, and the applicant shall give such information pertaining to the proposed well as the department shall require. The department may issue a site-wide permit for the construction of multiple wells at a site, subject to standards adopted by the department by regulation.

(2) The department shall adopt, by regulation, a general permit for the construction of certain categories of wells up to a depth of 50 feet and a maximum diameter to be set by the department to protect public health and safety.

b. The department shall adopt and periodically revise, by regulation, well permit requirements, including emergency permits, and regulations establishing a fee schedule setting forth reasonable application and permit fees to cover the costs of administering permit and permit enforcement programs. Permit fees shall not include the cost to the department of operating well drilling equipment, except when the department seals a well. The department may allocate a portion of the permit fees to local health agencies certified pursuant to P.L.1977, c.443 (C. 26:3A2-21 et seq.) for administration and enforcement of permits issued pursuant to this act. Upon adoption of a fee schedule pursuant to this subsection, the fees set forth in the fee schedule shall supercede the fees set forth in subsection d. of this section.

c. As a further condition to the issuance of a permit, the department may require that accurate samples of the materials encountered in constructing the proposed well shall be preserved and delivered to the department. Within 90 days of the completion of the construction of any permitted well, a well record, on forms prescribed and supplied by the department, shall be filed by the driller with the department giving the log (i.e. description of materials penetrated), the size and depth of the well, the diameters and lengths of casing and screen installed therein, the static and pumping levels and the yield of the well, and such other information pertaining to the construction or operation of the well as the department may require.

d. Pending adoption by regulation of a permit fee schedule by the department in accordance with subsection b. of this section, the following permit fees shall be required: (1) a fee of $50 for each permit for a well with a pumping capacity of under 70 gallons per minute; (2) a fee of $125 for each permit for a well with a pumping capacity of 70 gallons or more per minute; and (3) a fee of $100 for each site-wide permit. Payment of the fee shall accompany each permit application.

L.1947,c.377,s.10; amended 1951,c.261,s.1; 1968,c.308,s.9; 1971,c.155,s.3; 1979,c.398,s.10; 1995,c.312,s.14.