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I. SECTION I - PERMITTING AND INSPECTION OF WELLS <br /> A. SCOPE, PURPOSE,AND GENERAL PROVISIONS <br /> 1.AUTHORIZATIONI-The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission is (comment[VH3]:SAME <br /> required, under the provisions of Chapter 87,Article 7, Section 87, General Statutes <br /> of North Carolina (short title: North Carolina Well Construction Act)to adopt <br /> appropriate Rules governing the location, construction, repair, and abandonment of <br /> wells, and the installation and repair of pumps and pumping equipment. The Orange <br /> County Board of Health is authorized under the provisions of Chapter 130A-39 of the <br /> General Statutes of North Carolina to adopt more stringent Rules in areas regulated <br /> by the Commission for Public Health or the Environmental Management Commission <br /> where, in the opinion of the Orange County Board of Health, a more stringent rule is <br /> required to protect the public health. Furthermore,the Orange County Board of <br /> Health is authorized in Chapter 87, Article 7 to adopt by reference Rules adopted by <br /> the Environmental Management Commission and the Commission for Public Health <br /> and may adopt more stringent Rules when necessary to protect public health. <br /> 2.�PURPOSEI-The purpose of the Rules of this Section is to set out standards for (comment[VH4]: FORMATTING CHANGE <br /> permitting, construction, and inspection of private drinking water wells as defined in <br /> G.S. 87-85 by Orange County Health Departments pursuant to G.S. 87-97. In <br /> addition, standards are established for wells other than private drinking water wells. <br /> The groundwater of Orange County serves a large portion of its citizens and <br /> continued growth in rural areas will increase these numbers. Consistent with the <br /> authorization and the responsibility to protect and promote public health, the Orange <br /> County Board of Health intends to ensure that the groundwater of Orange County are <br /> developed and used in a manner which does not jeopardize its citizens or its natural <br /> resources. <br /> a)Consistent with the duty to safeguard the public welfare, safety, health, and to <br /> protect and beneficially develop the groundwater resources of the county, it is <br /> declared to be the policy of the Orange County Board of Health to require that the <br /> location, construction, repair and abandonment of wells, and the installation of <br /> pumps and pumping equipment conform to such reasonable standards and <br /> requirements as may be necessary to protect the public welfare, safety, health, <br /> and ground water resources. <br /> b) It is the finding of the Orange County Board of Health that the entire <br /> geographical area of the county is vulnerable to groundwater pollution from <br /> improperly located, constructed,operated, altered, or abandoned wells. <br /> Therefore, in order to ensure reasonable protection of the groundwater <br /> resources, permits shall be required for all well construction activities included in <br /> these Rules and inspections by the OCHD must be conducted prior to placing a <br /> new or repaired well into use. <br /> 2 <br />