State Board of Examining Water Well Drilling Contractors and Water Well Pump Installation Contractors

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1 State Board of Examining Water Well Drilling Contractors and Water Well Pump Installation Contractors General Information Agency Contact: Lynn Ritter Executive Director 125 Ocean Lake Road Riverton, WY (307) Constitutional and Statutory References Wyoming Statutes Title 33, Chapter 42, W.S through Clients Served All citizens of the state, particularly those who rely on groundwater as a water supply. Budget Information The State Engineer s Office according to statutory provision, W.S (b) deposits an amount not to exceed $25 from each domestic, stock, irrigation, municipal, industrial, and miscellaneous well permit application fee into an account created under W.S for wells which require the use of a licensed well driller pursuant to W.S New license fees, license renewals and miscellaneous fees collected added to the revenue from permit fees comprise the boards budget. Permit fees collected was $36, Renewal license fees collected was $21, New license fees collected was $6, Misc. fees collected was $20.00 The State Board of Examining Water Well Drilling Contractors and Water Well Pump Installation Contractors currently struggles with having an adequate budget that will support a permanent full time executive director, a contract inspector, a state issued vehicle, and reimbursement for; travel to meetings, educational classes, and most importantly public inspections. Increasing the permit fees for wells and depositing up to $75.00 per permit in the Water Well Contractors Account, would provide the necessary funding needed to operate and manage the Board. Likewise, increasing license and exam fees will help to increase revenue to support current inadequacies. Employees At-Will-Employee-Contract 1

2 Reporting Period Fiscal Year 2012 (July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012) Wyoming Quality of Life Results Result #6: Wyoming state government is a responsible steward of State assets and effectively responds to the needs of residents and guests Result #8: Wyoming s natural resources are managed to maximize the economic, environmental, and social prosperity of current and future generations. Contribution to Wyoming Quality of Life The State Board of Examining Water Well Drilling Contractors and Water Well Pump Installation Contractors (the Board) was created by legislation in the 2003 session. The Board consists of seven members and has been a functioning entity since June Since the 2008 Legislature passed HB0055, Water Well Drilling and Pump Installation Licensure, which requires mandatory licensing of water well drilling contractors and water well pump installation contractors, the Board s role is now one of administering a mandatory licensing program. The purpose of the licensing program is to protect the public from incompetent or unethical water well drilling and water well pump installation contractors, as well as to promote excellence in the practice of their area of expertise. The Board is authorized to suspend or revoke the license of water well contractors that fail to meet established standards of the profession. Additionally, licensing protects the ground water resources of the state and promotes excellence in water well drilling and pump installation practices. Board members during FY-12 include: Name Represents Expiration Jack H. Weber At-large Water Well Drilling Contractor 3/31/15 Charles W. Wilson Water Well Driller 3/31/13 LeRoy Christiansen Irrigation Well Contractor 3/31/15 Steven R. Barbour Water Well Pump Installation Contractor 3/31/13 Richard G. Stockdale Public Who Owns an Active Well 3/31/13 George Moser SEO Designee 3/31/13 James O Connor DEQ Designee 3/31/15 Performance In FY-12 there were 13 new licenses issued from July 1, 2011 to June 30, To date there are a total of 259 license holders to include: 70 Well Drilling Contractors (WD), 88 Pump Installation Contractors (PI) and 101 with both a Well Drilling and Pump Installation Contractors (WDPI) license.

3 Accomplishments of the State Board of Examining Water Well Drilling Contractors and Water Well Pump Installation Contractors Board for FY-12 are as follows: Adopted new Rules and Regulations. Updated Licensing Software to include adding the ability to print licenses. Updated Board Website added new search options, photos, etc. Issued 13 new licenses. Renewed 83 licenses out of 103 renewals. Drafted and submitted Annual Report WY Docketed 5 complaints; investigated 5, finalized and cleared 1. Recorded 19 incident reports; noting non-verified public complaints. Performed approximately 35 public well inspections. Attended Wyoming Water Well Association Convention gave licensed contractors an update on Board process and progress, attended educational classes offered. Worked closely with Wyoming Water Well Association attended three board meetings, helped establish and attended educational classes throughout the state. Met with Exam Committee to establish Wyoming Exams for new licenses. Wrote two Exception requests for permanent Executive Director position and for a Board vehicle. Worked closely with State Engineer s Office enforcing compliance with state minimum construction standards via sending 52 Advisory Letters to Contractors. Issued 23 Cease and Desist Orders to unlicensed contractors performing water well contracting in the state. In FY-12, the board met three times as a quorum. Additional meetings were needed to assist in development of the proposed rules and regulation changes, to introduce and give directives to the new board s Executive Director, to introduce new board members, and establish a new chairman. August 23, 2011, Casper, Wyoming January 24, 2012, Casper, Wyoming March 30, 2012, Casper, Wyoming

4 Goals and Goal #1: Make changes to Wyoming State Statutes applicable to the board. W.S through W.S Re-define water well drilling contractor. 2 Re-define water well pump installation contractor. 3 Increase amount deposited into board account from the State Engineer s Permit fees. W.S (b) 4 Change license renewal period from three years to annually. 5 Decrease amount of license fees. 6 Change educational requirements from 18 hours every three years to eight hours each year with yearly renewals. Goal #2: Make changes to Rules and Regulations. 1 Re-define water well drilling contractor. 2 Re-define water well pump installation contractor. 3 Define the following; equipping, rehabilitating, maintaining, 4 Delete Chapter 8 as it is a duplicate of current Chapter 7. 5 Re-define Chapter 7 CPC credits. 6 Increase exam fees to include new general and specific exams established and required by the board for licensure. Goal #3: Increase Budget and Board Revenue. 1 Increase budget by increasing amount deposited into Board Account from the State Engineer s Permit fees. W.S (b) 2 Increase budget by changing license renewals from a $200 per license for a 3 year period to a $100 per license fee for a one year period. 4 Continue to enforce license laws and increase the number of licensed contractors. 5 Send out license renewals and work closely with licensed contractors to support license renewal.

5 Goal #4: Regulate compliance with Wyoming Minimum Construction Standards. 1 Work closely with the State Engineer s Office (SEO) to establish forms required to be filled out and sent to state from water well drilling contractors. 2 Work closely with the SEO to establish forms required to be filled out and sent to state from water well pump installation contractors. 3 Continue to educate licensed contractors on compliance with minimum construction standards by sending advisory letters. 4 Meet with and establish a good working rapport with licensed contractors while attending continuing education classes. 5 Continue to work closely with SEO in requiring compliance with current rules and regulations, statutes, and minimum construction standards. 6 Help to educate the public in reference to required rules and standards. Goal #5: Establish Staff Positions 1 Establish Executive Director position as a permanent state employee position. 2 Hire contract inspector. Goal #6: Establish Public Support 1 Continue to perform well and pump inspections for the public. 2 Review public complaints for license violations. 3 Investigate public complaints. 4 Work closely with board members and Prosecuting Attorney General on docketed public complaints. Goal #7: Create and Submit Annual Report. 1 Review, evaluate, and update previous year s goals and initiatives, and create new ones for coming year. 2 List accomplishments. 3 List on-going and new goals.

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