§ 69-10-101 — Chapter definitions

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires: (1) "Board" means the board of ground water management; (2) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of environment and conservation, the commissioner's duly authorized representative and, in the event of the commissioner's absence or a vacancy in the office of commissioner, the deputy commissioner of environment and conservation; (3) "Department" means the department of environment and conservation; (4) "Drill" means to dig, drill, redrill, construct, deepen or alter a well; (5) "Geothermal well" means a hole drilled into the earth, by boring or otherwise, greater than twenty feet (20') in depth constructed for the primary purpose of adding or removing British Thermal Units (BTUs) from the earth for heating or cooling; (6) "Inactive well" means any well that is not in use and that does not have functioning equipment, including bailers, associated either with or attached to the well; (7) "Installer" means any person who installs or repairs well pumps or who installs filters and water treatment devices; (8) "Log" means a record of the consolidated or unconsolidated formation penetrated in the drilling of a well, and includes general information concerning construction of a well; (9) "Monitoring well" means a hole drilled into the earth, by boring or otherwise, constructed for the primary purpose of obtaining information on the elevation or physical, chemical, radiological or biological characteristics of the ground water or for the recovery of ground water for treatment, or both; (10) "Person" means any individual, organization, group, association, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, utility district, state or local government agency or any combination of them; (11) "Water well" means a hole drilled into the earth, by boring or otherwise, for the production of water; (12) "Well" means one of these three (3) types of holes in the earth: a geothermal well, a monitoring well, or a water well; and (13) "Well owner" means the person who owns the real property on which a well exists or is to be drilled; provided, however, that in the case of any monitoring or remediation required by the department or the commissioner, the well owner shall be the person responsible for such monitoring or remediation.

Legislative History

Acts 1963, ch. 325, § 1; T.C.A., § 70-2301; Acts 1984, ch. 784, § 1; 1986, ch. 611, §1; 1992, ch. 693, § 1; 2002, ch. 800, § 12; T.C.A. §69-11-101.