What steps can be taken to build a well in the garden?
Verified 07 January 2020 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
All domestic groundwater collection works (wells and drills) must be declared by the mayor at least 1 month before the start of work. You must fill out a work return form.
Statement of work: domestic sampling, well and drilling
This form must be accompanied by an extract from the cadastre (or a map of the location of the work at the scale of 1/25000) which can be obtained online:
Search, consultation and ordering of cadastral map sheets
All documents must be sent to the town hall by registered letter with notice of receipt.
Before starting your work, you must report your project to underground network operatorsby means of a teleservice:
Teleservice Networks and piping
If you intend to build a well over 10 meters deep, you must also file a prior declaration with the Regional Directorate for Environment, Development and Housing (Dreal), at least 1 month before the start of work. Your Dreal will inform you about the form to complete.
Once the well is built, if the water you are going to take is for human consumption, an accredited laboratory must perform a water analysis.
No later than 1 month after the end of the work, you must report completed work on the initial declaration of work form, attaching the results of the water analyzes of your well. This declaration is sent by registered letter with notice of receipt to the town hall.
In order to prevent the risk of pollution of the public water system, a drinking water service agent can access your property and check your well on the basis of the information contained in the declaration of work deposited in the town hall. Only water service subscribers can be monitored..
In the event of a risk of contamination of the water of the public distribution system, the service shall ask the subscriber to implement the necessary protective measures. If these measures are not implemented, the service may close the water connection.
- General code of local authorities: Article L2224-9Declaration of work in town hall
- Environmental Code: Article R214-5Domestic use of water
- Mining Code: Article L411-1Wells more than 10 meters deep
- General code of local authorities: Article L2224-12Well control
- Decree No. 2008-652 of 2 July 2008 on the declaration of the devices for taking, wells or drilling carried out for domestic use of water and their control
- Order of 17 December 2008 fixing the elements to be supplied in the framework of the declaration in the town hall of any levy, well or drilling carried out for the domestic use of water
- Planning authorizationsService-Public.fr
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- Rainwater recoveryService-Public.fr
- Sanitation of domestic waste waterService-Public.fr