Transcript Water Well Location - Penn State Extension — Penn State

LOCATION AND CONSTRUCTION OF WATER WELLS
Todd Dillan
Dillan Well Drilling
Darlington, PA
A Typical Well
Soil
Unsaturated Rock
Water table
Saturated Rock
(Groundwater Aquifer)
Water storage
Submersible
pump
Water Well Location
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50 feet from septic tank
50 feet from dosing tank
100 feet from seepage bed
Avoid areas receiving runoff
Away from property lines or roads
Away from neighboring wells
Uphill from sources of contamination
Too Close to the Road
Near a Stream
In a Flower Bed
Fracture Trace Location of Water Wells
Surface depression
Convey large amounts of
water
Fracture zone
Useful for location of highyielding wells
Setting Up the Drill Rig
Air Hammer and Drill Bit
Drilling to Set Casing
A Properly Constructed (Sanitary)
Residential Water Well Has:
1) Casing of adequate thickness
2) A drive shoe on end of casing
3) Casing extending into bedrock
Bedrock
4) Grout around casing
5) A sealed well cap with screened vent
Standard Well Cap
Sanitary Well Cap
2002 PSU study found that 15% of water wells with bacterial
contamination could be fixed by simply installing a sanitary well cap.
Unwelcome Visitors
Sanitary well cap
Lift out device
6) A pitless adapter
Submersible power cable
Well casing
Locking device
Frost line
Discharge line to basement
Pitless adapter
Check valve
Shifter valve
Grout seal
Submersible pump
Image adapted from Manual of Individual Water
Supply Systems, EPA-430/9-74-007, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.
Packer
Well screen
BUT: there are no statewide standards or requirements for
private water well construction in Pennsylvania!
Why Care About Well Construction?
• Poor construction can affect drinking water quality
• Poor construction can contribute to pollution of the
groundwater aquifer
• Proper construction can prolong the life and yield of the
well
A Well Construction Contract
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Written contract with well driller prior to construction
Assurance of compliance with regulations
Liability insurance information for driller
Casing specifications (4" minimum, to bedrock, etc.)
Sanitary cap, grout seal?
Well development to maximize yield
Disinfection after drilling and pump installation
Timeline for completion
Guarantee on materials and workmanship
Itemized estimate - check before exceeding costs
A yield test to determine approximate gallons per minute of flow
Delivery of well log to owner
Always Decommission Unused Wells
Pulling the Casing
Filling with Grout
For more information go to:
www.pgwa.org