Natural Resources Groundwater Technician Training

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Natural Resources Groundwater Technician Training

• Kearney, NE 03/05/2007
• Ogallala, NE 05/08/2007

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial

• Presented by
• Tom Christopherson
• Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
• Division of Public Health
• Water Well Standards
• Program Manager

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial

• Water Well Standards and Contractors Licensing
  Act- passed 1986
• Purposes of the Act
• Provide protection to groundwaterlicensing
• Protect health and welfare of citizens of the
  State.
• Protect groundwater resourcesconstruction
  standards
• Provide datawell logs/well registration
• Matrix for Title 178

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial

• Title 178-Chapters
• NAC 10- Licensure and penalties/re-instatements/re
  newals
• NAC 11- CEUs, requirements-what is a CEU,
  reporting CEUs
• NAC 12- Construction and installation,
  decommissioning standards for wells and pumps
• NAC 13- Board duties and descriptions of members

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial

• NAC 10- Licenses and discipline
• Definitions
• Natural Resources Groundwater Technician means
  any individual employed by an NRDengaged in the
  inspection of chemigation systemsmeasuring and
  recording static water levelsinspection and
  servicing of flow meterswater sampling practice
  techniques

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial

• Natural Resource Groundwater Technician CAN NOT
• Install pumps, not even to take a sample
• Construct a well
• Decommission a well
• Supervise the work of others

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial

• Sampling Event means the collection of a single
  sample or a single set of samples per each site
  visit from a water well for the purpose of water
  quality analysis.
• Water Sampling Practices means acts by which
  groundwater samples are obtained in which the
  water well seal is broken. Water Well monitoring
  Tech. May employ sampling and or pumping equip.,
  NRD Ground water technician may temporarily
  employ sampling equipment only (bailer).

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial

• Water Well means any excavationdrilled, bored,
  washed, driven, dug, jettedpurpose of exploring
  for groundwatermonitoring groundwaterutilizing
  geothermal properties of the groundobtaining
  hydrogeologic information extracting ground
  water from or injecting fluid into groundwater
  reservoir.

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial

• When is a license required?
• No water well shall be constructedpump
  installedno water well shall be
  decommissionedunless carried out by a licensed
  or certified individual (excludes WWMT and
  NRDGWT).
• no water well shall be opened or the seal broken
  by any person other than the landownerunless
  carried out by WWMT, NRDGWT, Water System
  Operator

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial

• Qualifications for licensure
• Age of Majority- 19
• Good Moral character
• Pass the test
• Pay the fees for license/certificate
• Proof of insurance- 100,000 liability
• Comply with act

• Qualifications for Certificate
• Pass the test
• Pay the fee for certificate
• Comply with the Act

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial

• Relicensing / Recertification
• after expiration retake and pass the test.
• Renewal of Licenses / Certificates
• All licenses / Certificates expire on Dec. 31
• CEU requirements (18-three years)
• Pay the fees
• 60 day late renewal period-dont need to retake
  test.

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial

• Disciplinary Action and other sanctions
• fraud in obtaining a license
• Violation of the act.
• Incompetence gross negligence
• Conduct detrimental to health or safety of
  persons hiring the services
• Practice of the tradefraudulently
• Impaired by drugs or alcohol
• Permitting the use of a license fraudulently
• Having had a license denied, suspended, revoked
  in the past
• Unprofessional conduct
• Practice of the trade while under suspension
• Failing to file a well registration

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial

• Reinstatement after Discipline- time frames
• Revocation- 1 year
• Probation, Suspension, any other discipline any
  time its warranted
• Applicant must submit and application
• Request a hearing 30 days from receipt

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial

• Exams
• Everyone takes NE section plus a specialty exam.
• 70 passing grade
• Review materials provided by the program
• Hardship licensing used to replace a deceased
  license holder

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial

• NAC 11- CEUs, Fees.
• Definitions-
• Continuing Education Program-course of study,
  seminar, school, clinic, lecture, short course,
  workshop, conference
• Hour of Continuing Education-1 hour of credit
  toward the requirement of the Act.
• Provider- institution, organization, or
  individual that presents programs approved by the
  board

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial

• CEU requirements
• Ceus due on or before Dec. 31 of the third full
  year following issuance of a license.
• Credential holder responsibility to determine if
  program has board approval.
• Hardship exemption- disabled, service in the
  military

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial

• CEU approval
• Performed by the board
• Application must be received 65 days prior to
  meeting for pre-approval
• Application must be received by the board with 1
  year of program for post approval
• Credential holder responsibility to maintain
  record of CEU course attended.

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial

• Fees
• License 114.00
• Combo License 189.00
• Certificate 28.00
• Combo Certificate 35.00
• Application 25.00-NON REFUNDABLE
• Dec. Order / Variance 100.00

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial

• NAC 12
• Definitions
• Monitoring Well means a cased well for the
  purpose of determining ground water quality.
• Observation Wellmeans a cased well for the
  purpose of measuring water levels.
• Sanitary Well Cap ( seal ) means a cover fitted
  to the top of a well casing to seal the opening
  between the casing and the pump pipe

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial

• Groundwater monitoring, observation, and recovery
  wells
• Must be composed of nontoxic material
• Must be cased with watertight casing through
  areas of grout
• Must extend 12 above unless located in a high
  traffic area.
• If finished above grade must be equipped with a
  overlapping, vandal-resistant secured steel cap.

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial

• Decommissioning of Water Wells
• Must be reported to DNR within 60 days of
  decommissioning.
• Decommissioning sand point well- pull point grout
  remaining hole, or full length grout.
• Inadequate surface seal- excavate top three feet
  fill remaining casing with grout extending
  beyond borehole.
• Flowing wells- grouted with neat cement to stop
  the flow

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial

• Topo map
• Township (N-S) , ¼, ¼ Section (1-36), Range (E-W)
  known as legal description
• Contour lines illustrate differences in
  elevations
• Based on benchmarks (BM) established from a known
  geodesic point
• Scaled in minutes ( 7.5 minutes 124,000)

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Township grid

• Numbered right to left
• Set up by US govt. to finance transcontinental
  railroad
• Designed so no odd or even numbers are contiguous
• Section 1 Square Mile
• Read from smaller to larger

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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial
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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial
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NRD Groundwater Technician Tutorial
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Exam

• Test format is multiple choice
• 50 questions
• 2 Hours to take exam
• Reading comprehension
• Example
• cmducks, mrnot, sar, cmwangs, lib,mrducks!
• Good Luck.