Ground source heat pump legislation in Estonia Heddy Riismaa, Ministry of the Environment Argo Jõeleht, University of Tartu

Groundwater protection Environmental protection in Estonia is coordinated by Estonian Ministry of the Environment. Management of freshwater resources and protection is one of the tasks for the Ministry of the Environment. Water policy is coordinated by water department. It is also responsible for regulating the questions concerning the ground source heat pump systems based on wells.

Water act Estonian water policy is based on the national Water Act which specifies the main legal obligations and regulation areas for the (ground)water protection and use. According to the Water Act establishing the ground source heat pump systems based on wells is regulated in pragraphs 30–30_6.

Regulation of the Minister of the Environment No 37 Regulation of the Minister of the Environment No 37 specifies the main legal obligations and regulation for the GSHP systems based on wells, including planning, drilling, water sampling etc. https://www.riigiteataja.ee/akt/106032012008

Establishing the GSHP systems based on wells Principles of establishing GSHP well: Location of the well must be approved by the local government. Project of the well must be done by the company which has a license for hydrogeological works. Establishing the well must be approved by the local government and Environmental Board. A building permit for establishing the well is required. Water samples from the well must be taken and data related to the well must be entered to the water cadastre. Permit for using the well is required.

A license for hydrogeological work A license for hydrogeological work must be applied for if you are engaged in hydrogeological investigations, hydrogeological mapping, engineering boreholes or bore wells or drilling and eliminating boreholes and bore wells.

Special use of water A permit for the special use of groundwater is necessary if: groundwater is abstracted more than 5 m3/d; mineral water is abstracted; groundwater is amended, lowered or redirected; the physical or chemical characteristics of water or the biological characteristics of a water body change upon water use. For the special use of water, a user must hold a permit and, in the case of using the land of another, also the permission of the landowner.

Legislation Estonian legislative acts are available from the following web sources: Electronic State Gazette (Elektrooniline Riigi Teataja, eRT) http://www.riigiteataja.ee (official site of legal acts) ESTLEX http://www.estlex.ee Estonian Legal Language Centre (ELLC) under Ministry of Justice http://www.legaltext.ee

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