CRESCINI, RONIELLA AUBREY
diameters large enough to accommodate
Water Wells
 Water well is an excavation or structure
created in the ground by digging, driving,
boring, or drilling to access groundwater in
underground aquifers.
 The water in the well is drawn by a pump, or
using containers, such as buckets, that are
raised mechanically or by hand.
 A water well is a hole or shaft, usually
vertical, excavated in the earth for bringing
ground water to the surface. But we can
have also horizontal wells called- Collector
Wells.
 A water well or a borehole is a vertical
capture engineered structure used to exploit
the water from a water table held in the
interstices or in the cracks in a rock in the
sub-soil known aquifer.
 Wells are drilled either for exploration or
exploitation.
 Exploration wells – is to collect
information on the geology of the
underlying aquifer.
 Exploitation wells – used as
pumping the required amount of
water at the lowest cost,
considering investment, operation,
and maintenance.
 Exploitation wells are drilled for
water supply for municipal,
industrial, and irrigation purposes,
and for water table control for
drainage purposes.
What are the objectives of the well?
1. To provide water with a good quality
2. To provide a sufficient quantity of water
3. To provide water for a long time
4. To provide water at a low cost
Types of Water Wells
Open Wells
 Hand-dug wells are excavations with
one or more men with shovels digging down
to below the water table.
 They are used extensively in small-scale
irrigation.
 In industrialized societies, the hand-dug well
has been largely replaced by the drilled well
as a source of groundwater supply.
 But in developing countries, the hand-dug
well is still a common means for abstracting
groundwater and, as a source of drinking
water. It is probably more important than the
drilled well, and certainly more healthy than
most surface water alternatives.
 The circular shape is preferred in alluvial and
other porous formations because of its
greater structural strength and convenience
in well sinking.
 Open wells in hard-rock formations are
usually rectangular in shape. For the same
area of cross-section, the perimeter of a
rectangular well is more, and hence the area
exposed to seepage of water into it from
fractures and fissures, are substantially
higher in a rectangular well than in a circular
one.
 Open wells are best suited to shallow and
low-yielding aquifers.
Purposes of Open wells are:
 To extract ground water from fine
grained aquifers of shallow depth.
 To tap ground water in hard rock
areas and,
 To serve as reservoirs for ground
water slowly replenishing the well
 Compared to tube wells, Open wells are
shallow (less than 20m) and usually used to
tap water table aquifers.
 Open wells may be either circular or
rectangular.
However, open wells have the following
limitations:
 1. Construction of well is slow and laborious.
2. They are economically unsuitable for tapping
deep aquifer.
3. They are susceptible to contamination or
pollution from surface source.
4. Due to shallow water table, there are large
water level fluctuations and there is
possibility of the well drying up, especially
during drought periods.
Advantages of Open Well
1. Storage capacity of water is available in the
well itself.
2. They do not required sophisticated
equipment and skilled personnel for
construction.
3. They can be operated by indigenous water
lifts driven by man or animal power, or low-
cost mechanically operated centrifugal
pumps.
4. Can be revitalized by deepening or providing
bores at the bottom or sides.
5. Open wells have low operational and
maintenance costs.
6. Can regenerated by deepening or providing
bores at the bottom or sides.
7. Provide a cheap and low-tech solution to
accessing groundwater in rural locations,
with a high degree of community
participation.
Disadvantages of Open Well
1. Large space is required for the well and for
dumping excavated materials.
2. Construction well is slow and laborious.
3. Due to shallow water table, there are large
water level fluctuations and there is
possibility of the well drying up, especially
during drought periods.
4. Susceptibility to dry up in years of drought.
5. They are economically unsuitable for tapping
deep aquifer.
6. Uncertainty of tapping good quality water.
7. They are susceptible to contamination or
pollution from surface source.
Depending upon the nature of the ground water
formation to be tapped, open or dug wells are
classified as:
1. Open wells in unconsolidated
formations
2. Open wells in hard-rock formations
Open Wells in Unconsolidated Formations
Open wells in unconsolidated formations are dug
down to about 7 to 10 m below the water table in the
dry season. They are usually circular in shape, the
diameter varying from 2 to 5 m. These wells, in
general, derive their water from unconfined aquifers.
These types of wells further classified as:
• Unlined wells
• Wells with pervious lining
• Wells with impervious lining
• Dug-cum-bore wells
Unlined Wells
 Wells, dug for purely temporary purposes,
are not usually protected by lining. As the
sides of the wells are not protected, it is
essential that the sub-soil is compact enough
to stand vertically under natural conditions.
 The water table should not be lower than
about 4 m below the ground level.
 To ensure the stability, the depth of unlined
wells is limited to about 5 to 6 m.
Wells with pervious lining
 These types of wells are usually lined with
dry bricks or stone masonry.
 Water flows from the surrounding aquifer into
the wells through the sides of the well.
 Pervious lining is suitable when the water-
bearing formation consists of gravel or
coarse sand deposits.
Wells with impervious lining
Open wells with permanent masonry lining, laid in
cement mortar, the linings are provided with weep
holes for the lateral entry of water.
 Impervious linings are usually deeper than
the two types described (unlined wells
and wells with pervious lining), their
depths generally do not exceed 30 m as,
beyond that, the cost becomes excessive
and the well tends to be uneconomical.
Dug-cum-bore Wells
 Dug wells are sometimes provided with
vertical bores at their bottom, to augment
their yields. Such wells are referred to as
dug-cum-bore wells.
 Boring consists essentially of drilling small
diameter holes of sizes ranging from 7.5 to
15 cm in diameter, through the bottom of the
well, and extending them up to or into the
water-bearing formation lying underneath the
bottom of the dug well.
Open Wells in hard-rock formations
 The ground water formations in hard rock
areas are usually shallow, ranging from 5
to 20 meters.
 The aquifer is directly dependent on
precipitation for recharge.
 They are characterized by limited
permeability. Hence, they are capable of
yielding only limited quantities of ground
water. As a result tube wells are usually
unsuitable in such formations.
Open wells in hard rock areas may be:
1.  Dug wells or
2.  Dug-cum-bore wells.
Dug Wells in hard rock formations
 These wells are usually open, excavated pits
through the rock lined only a couple
of meters.
Dug-cum-bore Wells in hard-rock formations
 Dug wells in hard rock areas to augment
their discharge, may also be provided with
holes, bored at their bottom, to tap embedde
d water- bearing materials, if existing
underneath.
 Boring also helps to tap additional fissures
and cracks in crystalline hard rock areas
Tube Wells
 Tube wells consists essentially of a hole
bored into the ground for tapping ground
water from deep pervious zones.
 Compared to open wells, tube wells have
small diameter(usually 8cm to 60cm) and
deep/larger depth (more than 30m).
Advantages of Tube Wells
1. Do not require much space.
2. Can be constructed quickly- not time
consuming.
3. Fairly sustained yield of water can be
obtained even in years of drought.
4. Economical when deep seated aquifers are
encountered.
5. Generally good quality of water is tapped.
Disadvantages of Tube Wells
1. Requires costly & complicated drilling
equipment & machinery.
2. Requires skilled workers & great care to drill
& complete the tube well.
3. Installation of costly turbine or submersible
pumps is required.
4. Possibility of missing the fractures, fissures
& joints in hard rock areas resulting in many
dry holes.
Tube wells are classified on the basis of:
1. The entry of water into the well.
2. The method of construction,
3. The depth and,
4. The type of aquifer tapped.
Based on Entry of water :
 Tube wells are classified as screen wells
and cavity wells on the basis of the entry of
water from the aquifer into the well.
Screen Wells
  It permits the entry of water from the
surrounding aquifer.
 Screens are lowered into the bore hole.
 Usually limited to shallow depths.
Cavity Wells
 A cavity well is a shallow tube well drilled in
an alluvial formation.
 Draws water through the bottom of the well
pipe.
 Cavity wells are very economical and can be
adopted where the ground strata permits its
construction.
 Requires strong and dependable roof.
Based on method of construction
Grouped as: Drilled wells, Driven wells, and Jetted
wells.
1. Drilled tube Wells
 Drilled wells are constructed by
making bore holes, using different
drilling methods.
 Tube well construction involves
drilling the bore hole, installing the
casing and well screen, and
developing the well to ensure sand-
free operation at maximum yield.
 Techniques of drilling are:
 Hand-augur drilling
 Water injection (jetting)
drilling
 Rotary-percussion drilling
 Percussion drilling
 Sludge drilling
 Rotary drilling
 Drilled wells can get water from a much
deeper level than dug wells can often up to
several hundred meters and smaller in
diameter.
 Drilled wells are typically created using either
top-head rotary style, table rotary, or cable
tool drilling machines, all of which use drilling
stems that are turned to create a cutting
action in the formation, hence the term
drilling.
 Drilled wells are usually cased with a factory-
made pipe, typically steel (in air rotary or
cable tool drilling) or plastic/PVC (in mud
rotary wells, also present in wells drilled into
solid rock).
2. Driven tube wells
 It consists of a pipe and well point which are
forced into the water-bearing formation by
driving with a wooden maul, drop hammer
or other suitable means.
 They develop small yields and
their construction is limited to shallow depths
in  soft unconsolidated formations free from
boulders and other obstructions.
 They are commonly used for domestic water
supply.
 Constructed by Driving a small-diameter,
perforated tube with a pointed end into
friable ground like sand or gravel using
a vertical to-and-fro movement.
 Driven wells may be very simply created in
unconsolidated material with a well or
hole structure.
3. Jetted tube wells
 It is constructed with hand-operated
equipment or power-driven machines,
depending upon the type of formation and
the size and depth of the well. A hole in the
ground is made by the cutting action of a
stream of water.
 The water is pumped into the well through a
pipe of small diameter. It is forced against
the bottom of the hole through the nozzles of
a jetting bit.
 Jetted tube wells have small yields and their
construction is possible only
in unconsolidated formations.
Based on type of aquifer
1. Water table wells - These are installed
in unconfined aquifers which are under water
table conditions.
2. Semi-artesian wells - installed under semi-
artesian conditions of aquifer. The water is
under pressure, but not so high as to flow
out of the well.
3. Artesian wells - The static water level in this
case is above the ground surface and can be
measured within the well casing, if the pipe
is extended high enough so that the overflow
does not occur.
UCHI, HERMES LEONIL
DESIGN OF WELLS
Wells- are holes in the earth from which a fluid may
be withdrawn using manual or mechanical means
such as draw bucket, pump, etc.
GENERAL TYPES OF WELLS
 SHALLOW WELL
 DEEP WELL
OBJECTIVES
 Provide well that meets the needs of
owner
 Provide suitable quality of water
(potable and turbidity-free for drinking
water wells)
 Provide long service life (25+ years)
TYPES OF WELL (ACCORDING TO
CONSTRUCTION)
 DUG WELLS
 Large diameter (18 – 48 in.)
 Casing material – concrete crocks
 Water enters well through loose casing
joints
 Hand dug
 HIGHLY VULNERABLE TO
CONTAMINATION
 DRIVEN WELL
 Driven well are much more common in
today’s society than dug wells because
they are wells that are created with a
small pipe driven into the ground.
 The pipe has a filter over the bottom to
keep out as much sediment as possible,
and that pipe is driven down into the
ground until it reaches the water table.
 Once the well is deep enough, all of the
dirt is washed out from the inside of the
pipe, and a pump is installed so that
water can be removed from the well.
 DRILLED WELLS
 Drilled wells are typically created using
either top-head rotary style, table rotary,
or cable tool drilling machines
 Drilled wells can be excavated by simple
hand drilling methods (augering,
sludging, jetting, driving, hand
percussion) or machine drilling (rotary,
percussion, down the hole hammer)
DANAO, JANINE ARIELLE B.
A well consists of a bottom sump, well screen, and
well casing (pipe) surrounded
by a gravel pack and appropriate surface and
borehole seals. Water enters the well through
perforations or openings in the well screen. Wells can
be screened continuously along the bore or at specific
depth intervals. The latter is necessary when a well
taps multiple aquifer zones, to
ensure that screened zones match the aquifer zones
from which water will be drawn. In alluvial
aquifers, which commonly contain alternating
sequences of coarse material (sand and gravel) and
fine material, the latter construction method is much
more likely to provide clean, sediment-free water and
is more energy efficient than the installation of a
continuous screen. Hardrock wells, on the other hand,
are constructed very differently. Often, the borehole of
hardrock well will stand open and will not need to be
screened or cased unless the hard rock crumbles
easily.
TYPES OF WELL

 DRILLED WELLS

 Terminated in glacial drift (sand, gravel)

or bedrock

 Constructed with rotary, cable tool,

jetting, hollow rod or auger drilling
methods

 2 in. or larger casing (Domestic wells: 4

– 6inch diameter)
DRILLED WELLS
 Casing material: Steel or PVC plastic
 Installed by well drilling contractors
 Much more common than driven or dug
wells
 Most are >50 ft. deep (avg. 125 ft.)
BENEFITS OF WELL GROUTING
 Most are >50 ft. deep (avg. 125 ft.)
 MOST SANITARY WELL TYPE
 This drilled well has an older style well cap
that does not seal tightly to the well casing.
 Insects and small animals can enter the well
and contaminate the drinking water.
 Caps of this design are not acceptable and
should be replaced.
 PREVENT CONTAMINANT MIGRATION
FROM SURFACE (Keeps surface runoff
from moving downward along well casing)
 SEAL OFF POOR QUALITY AQUIFERS
(Prevents mixing of water from different
aquifers)
 PRESERVE ARTESIAN AQUIFER
PROPERTIES
 ADDED SEALING OF CASING JOINTS

WELL GROUTING MATERIALS

TYPE COMPOSITION CHARACTERISTICS

BENTONITE POWDERED  FLEXIBLE LOWER STRENGTH
SLURRY BENTONITE & SEAL
WATER  MAY SUBSIDE IN VADOSE
ZONE
GRANULAR  MOST POPULAR DUE TO
BENTONITE DRILLING FLUID (FUNCTION) BENTONITE, LOWER COST AND TARGETED
POLYMER MARKETING
& WATER  WASH-OUT UNDER ARTESIAN
 REMOVAL OF DRILL CUTTINGS FROM PRESSURE
BOREHOLE  NO HEAT OF HYDRATION

 STABILIZE THE BOREHOLE NEAT PORTLAND  MORE WIDELY USED IN OIL

 COOL AND LUBRICATE DRILL BIT CEMENT CEMENT& FIELD THAN WATER WELLS
WATER  HIGHER STRENGTH RIGID
 CONTROL FLUID LOSS TO GEOLOGIC SEAL
FORMATIONS  BEST CHOICE FOR BEDROCK
WELLS & FLOWING WELLS
 DROP DRILL CUTTINGS INTO MUD PIT  HEAT OF HYDRATION &
 FACILITATE COLLECTION OF GEOLOGIC MICROANNULUS CONCERNS
DATA CONCRETE PORTLAND  MORE PERMEABLE THAN
 SUSPEND CUTTINGS WHEN DRILLING GROUT CEMENT, SAND NEAT CEMENT GROUT
& WATER  MORE DIFFICULT TO PUMP
FLUID CIRCULATION STOP (ABRASIVE)
 GOOD CHOICE FOR LARGE
TEMPORARY WELL CAP - installed between well DIAMETER WELLS
drilling and pump hook-up
GROUNDWATER CONCERNS IN BEDROCK

SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL OVER SHALLOW CASTING MATERIALS COMPARISON

CARBONATE BEDROCK CAN CAUSE:
PVC PLASTIC STEEL
• SURGE IN WATER LEVELS (Increases
hydraulic pressure) • Non-corroding • Corrodes
• Lower strength • Higher
• INCREASED SURFACE WATER-TO- • Fewer water strength
quality • Rusty water
GROUNDWATER INTERCHANGE
• Rotary • Suitable for
construction any drilling
• FLUSHING OF TURBIDITY & ORGANIC only method
MATTER INTO GROUNDWATER • 1/3 cost of • No heat of
steel hydration
• SDR 17 impact from
needed past cement grout
200 ft.

SCREENED WELLS

 Naturally Developed
 WELL SCREEN
 SET IN NATIVE GEOLOGIC
MATERIALS
 (SAND OR GRAVEL)
 Filter Packed (aka Gravel-Packed)
 GRADED-WASHED
 SAND PLACED OUTSIDE
 WELL SCREEN

BENEFITS OF FILTER- PACKED

BENEFITS OF EXTENDING WELL CASING
THROUGH UPPER FRACTURED BEDROCK:
 Greater porosity
 Higher hydraulic conductivity
 Reduced drawdown
 Higher yield
 Reduced entrance velocity
 Faster development
 Easier grouting
 Longer well life
 Improved well rehabilitation
 Reduce sand pumping

1. TRAVEL TIME OF AQUIFER RECHARGE

WATER IS INCREASED
 DRIVEN WELLS
2. DIE-OFF OF PATHOGENS MORE LIKELY  Installed in glacial drift only - CANNOT
TO OCCUR be driven thru boulders or into bedrock
 Well point driven into ground with post-
3. IMPROVES CHANCES OF COLIFORM- driver, tripod w/ weight or
FREE WATER sledgehammer
  1 1/4 in. to 2 in. diameter
 Installed by property owners
 Common around lakes and highwater
table areas
 Most <35 ft. deep, limited yield (7 gpm
or less)
 MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO SURFACE
CONTAMINATION THAN DRILLED
WELLS

 DUG WELLS
 Large diameter (18-48 in.)
 Found in low yield areas (Thumb & SE
Michigan)
 Casing material - concrete crocks w/
loose joints
 Older wells: stones, brick-lined
 Water enters well through loose casing
joints
 Older wells - hand dug
 Now installed (on very limited basis) w/
bucket augers (backhoes – phased out)
 Low well yield - storage in casing (100’s
of gallons)
 HIGHLY VULNERABLE TO
CONTAMINATION