In 1998, the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors adopted a well construction and destruction ordinance. The ordinance adopted requirements set forth in the State Department of Water Resources bulletin’s 74-81 and 74-90 and fulfilled the County’s responsibility to meet the state requirement for counties and cities to establish standards pertaining to well development.
The ordinance established a permitting process wherein a permit must be obtained from the Department prior to development of any new well, or when "work on a well" is to be performed within County boundaries. Permits are valid from one year of the date of issuance. A plot plan demonstrating proposed placement of the well must also be submitted to the Department at the time of permit application. Three inspections are performed over the life of the permit and include an initial site, annular seal and final inspection.
The purpose of the program is to regulate the construction, reconstruction, modification, abandonment and destruction of water and agricultural wells, cathodic protection wells, industrial wells, geothermal heat exchange wells, monitoring and observation wells, test wells and test holes and exploration holes in such a manner that the groundwater of the county will not be contaminated or polluted and that water obtained from wells will be suitable for beneficial use and will not jeopardize the health, safety or welfare of the people of the county.