Public Health and Environment
Abandoned Well Sealing Program
Property owners in Washington County may now obtain financial assistance for sealing abandoned wells.
To be eligible for financial assistance:
 Wells must not be part of a potential or current property sale.
Combined annual household income must be less than $90,000.
Selection criteria will be based on the condition of the well and potential to contaminate groundwater. Applicants chosen for funding will be reimbursed up to 50% of the well sealing costs (maximum of $2,000). The funding may not be applied retroactively to wells that have already been sealed.
Grant applications for well sealing program are available on the website,
Grant Application
(PDF), or by calling 651-430-6655.
A well that is not in use - or sometimes referred to as an "abandoned" well - can be a potential threat to health, safety, and the environment. Wells that are no longer in use may be buried or forgotten. Often they have not been sealed properly. Sealing is the process of clearing an unused well of debris and filling the well with a special material called grout. The sealing must be done by a licensed well contractor.
Unused wells that have not been properly sealed can be a source of groundwater contamination, potentially affecting nearby drinking water wells. They may threaten the quality of the water in municipal wells, your neighbor's well, or even your own well. Groundwater provides 100% of the drinking water for Washington County.
Protecting groundwater is everybody's business!
You can also visit the
Minnesota Department of Health
website for additional information on abandoned wells.
|
