CWD Professional Standards & Ethics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A well driller discovers during drilling that a neighboring property's well may be contaminated by the current project. What is the ethical obligation?
- Continue drilling and inform the client only
- Notify the appropriate regulatory agency and the neighbor (Correct answer)
- Stop work immediately and abandon the well
- Ignore it since it is outside the project scope
Correct answer: Notify the appropriate regulatory agency and the neighbor
Certified well drillers are ethically obligated to report potential contamination threats to regulators and affected parties to protect public health.
Question 2: Which action best demonstrates adherence to professional standards when a client requests a well in a location that violates setback requirements?
- Drill the well and note the violation in the log
- Refuse the work and explain the regulatory setback requirements (Correct answer)
- Obtain a verbal waiver from the client and proceed
- Drill slightly outside the requested location without telling the client
Correct answer: Refuse the work and explain the regulatory setback requirements
A certified driller must refuse work that violates setback requirements, regardless of client pressure, and explain the applicable regulations.
Question 3: A CWD is asked to provide a written estimate that deliberately underestimates costs to win the bid, with the intention of charging more later. This practice is:
- Acceptable if the client agrees to cost-plus billing
- Standard industry practice for competitive bidding
- Unethical and potentially fraudulent (Correct answer)
- Permitted if disclosed in the fine print
Correct answer: Unethical and potentially fraudulent
Deliberately underestimating costs to win bids and then charging more is deceptive and constitutes unethical — and potentially fraudulent — business conduct.
Question 4: When a well driller's work is inspected and a deficiency is found, the most professional response is to:
- Argue that the inspector is wrong and escalate to management
- Correct the deficiency promptly and document the corrective action (Correct answer)
- Blame the deficiency on subcontractors
- Request a different inspector
Correct answer: Correct the deficiency promptly and document the corrective action
Promptly correcting deficiencies and documenting corrections demonstrates professionalism and accountability.
Question 5: A Certified Well Driller's license is typically renewed by:
- Paying a one-time lifetime fee at initial certification
- Completing required continuing education and paying renewal fees on schedule (Correct answer)
- Passing only the written exam every 10 years
- Submitting a letter of intent to the state annually
Correct answer: Completing required continuing education and paying renewal fees on schedule
CWD license renewal generally requires completing continuing education units and paying renewal fees within the state-specified renewal period.
Question 6: An ethical well driller should maintain well construction records for how long after project completion, per most state requirements?
- 1 year
- 3 years
- At least 5–10 years or as required by state law (Correct answer)
- Until the next inspection only
Correct answer: At least 5–10 years or as required by state law
Most states require well drillers to retain records for at least 5 to 10 years, with some requiring longer retention, to support regulatory oversight and future well work.
Question 7: Which of the following is an example of a conflict of interest a well driller must disclose?
- Using equipment owned by the driller's own company
- Recommending a water treatment product in which the driller has a financial stake (Correct answer)
- Hiring certified employees from a staffing agency
- Applying for a permit from the county health department
Correct answer: Recommending a water treatment product in which the driller has a financial stake
Recommending products or services in which the driller has a personal financial interest without disclosure constitutes a conflict of interest.
CWD Professional Standards & Ethics 2
A well driller discovers during drilling that a neighboring property's well may be contaminated by the current project.
What is the ethical obligation?