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SECTION I - PERMITTING AND INSPECTION OF WELLS <br /> A. SCOPE, PURPOSE, AND GENERAL PROVISIONS <br /> 1. AUTHORIZATION- The North Carolina Environmental Management <br /> Commission is required,under the provisions of Chapter 87, Article 7, Section <br /> 87, General Statutes of North Carolina(short title: North Carolina Well <br /> Construction Act) to adopt appropriate Rules governing the location, <br /> construction,repair, and abandonment of wells, and the installation and repair <br /> of pumps and pumping equipment. The Orange County Board of Health is <br /> authorized under the provisions of Chapter 130A-39 of the General Statutes of <br /> North Carolina to adopt more stringent Rules in areas regulated by the <br /> Commission for Public Health or the Environmental Management <br /> Commission where, in the opinion of the Orange County Board of Health, a <br /> more stringent rule is required to protect the public health. Furthermore, the <br /> Orange County Board of Health is authorized in Chapter 87, Article 7 to adopt <br /> by reference Rules adopted by the Environmental Management Commission <br /> and the Commission for Public Health and may adopt more stringent Rules <br /> when necessary to protect public health. <br /> 2. PURPOSE - The purpose of the Rules of this Section is to set out standards <br /> for permitting, construction, and inspection of private drinking water wells as <br /> defined in G.S. 87-85 by Orange County Health Departments pursuant to G.S. <br /> 87-97. In addition, standards are established for wells other than private <br /> drinking water wells. The groundwater of Orange County serves a large <br /> portion of its citizens and continued growth in rural areas will increase these <br /> numbers. Consistent with the authorization and the responsibility to protect <br /> and promote public health, the Orange County Board of Health intends to <br /> ensure that the groundwater of Orange County are developed and used in a <br /> manner, which does not jeopardize its citizens or its natural resources. <br /> a. Consistent with the duty to safeguard the public welfare, safety, health, <br /> and to protect and beneficially develop the groundwater resources of <br /> the county, it is declared to be the policy of the Orange County Board <br /> of Health to require that the location, construction,repair and <br /> abandonment of wells, and the installation of pumps and pumping <br /> equipment conform to such reasonable standards and requirements as <br /> may be necessary to protect the public welfare, safety, health, and <br /> 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 <br /> from improperly located, constructed, operated, altered, or abandoned <br /> wells. Therefore, in order to ensure reasonable protection of the <br /> groundwater resources,permits shall be required for all well <br /> construction activities included in these Rules and inspections by the <br /> OCHD must be conducted prior to placing a new or repaired well into <br /> use. <br /> c. The Rules of 15A NCAC 02C .0100 apply to private drinking water <br /> 2 <br />