June 2, 2009 

TWG Meeting Recap 

Attendance: Joe Meigs, Tim Crawford, Dave McElhaney, Jason Fegel, Peter Obrien, Allan Robins, Andy Horn, Nolan Lloyd and Daniel Niemela 

Location: Colorado Division of Water Resources, 1313 Sherman St., Denver, CO 

Next TWG Meeting: 
Friday, September 25, 2009, 10:00 AM, Holiday Inn, Golden, CO, prior to the CWWCA Fall Board Meeting 

State Budget Considerations 

The DWR budget is particularly tight this year. Four furlough days have been announced this year and funding for the well water level monitoring program is uncertain. 

Water Well Construction Rules 
A brief update was provided regarding CWWCA’s review of the Water Well Construction Rules. The future focus of the CWWCA will be to prioritize review of the rules to specific areas, for example, grouting, annular space and casing size. There may be State budgetary limitations to implementing rule changes during the current economic downturn. 

CWWCA Input on CE Course Approval 
In the past, the CWWCA CE committee has not been copied on all CE approval requests. This administrative oversight has been remedied and the CWWCA representatives will receive CE approval requests in the future. 

200 ft Well Location 
Staring July 1st, the State will implement a policy allowing issuance of certain exempt well permits pursuant to a lot location. For these permits, the driller will have the latitude to locate a well within the designated lot, even if the location is greater than 200-feet from the permitted location. The actual location will need to be submitted on the Well Construction and Test Report. The purpose of this new policy is to reduce driller violations for exempt wells located greater than 200-feet from the permitted location, but on the correct lot. 

Revisiting “Hands On” 
The BOE’s Tim Decker has requested a matrix of “Hands on Experience” from the DWR staff, which specifies how many hours and how many wells or pump installations qualify for “Hands on Experience.” Dave McElhaney has drafted a description of “elements of Hands on Experience,” which recounts the history of this rule since 1996 and provides scenarios of acceptable “Hands On Experience,” focusing on experience operating equipment. This draft will be presented at the upcoming BOE meeting. The TWG noted that exceptions to clear examples of operational experience have most often confounded the BOE during licensing proceedings. 

Apprenticeship Program 
The CWWCA is encouraged to develop a driller and pump installer apprenticeship program. The DWR would be supportive of using this program as a path toward licensure and to address some of the “Hands On Experience” issues. 

Continuing Education Requirements for Newly Licensed Contractors 
The CWWCA will be sending a letter to the BOE and DWR recommending that newly licensed drillers and pump installers be allowed to apply all CE credits collected during the year in which they were licensed to renewal in the following year. The DWR believes that the BOE will implement this policy in time for contractors licensed in 2009. 

Future Topics 
Water Well Construction Rules 

The meeting adjourned at 9:30 AM. 

Respectfully submitted by Daniel Niemela.