Construction of wells

 The simplest type of well is the dug well

consisting of a pit dug to the groundwater level .
A masonry lining is often used to support the
excavation because of the difficulty of digging
below the water table, dug wells do not
penetrate to a sufficient depth to produce a
high yield. Moreover , if the water table falls
during a dry spell or period of heavy draft at
nearby wells, a shallow dug well may easily go
dry. This type of well is not often used for more
than a single farm supply.
BORED WELLS

 Are constructed by drilling in

unsolicited material with a large
auger. This method is most
commonly used for shallow wells
in a diameter up to 12 in. Such
wells are useful as test holes or for
temporary water supplies.
Driven Wells

 Up to 3 in in diameter and 60ft deep may be

constructed in unconsolidated materials by use
of well points. A well point is a section of
perforated pipe with its lower end pointed for
driving into a soil. They are useful in prospecting
for water , for home water supplies or for
temporary supplies. Large diameter shallow wells
in unconsolidated material may be constructed
by the California stovepipe method. The stove
pipe method has been used on wells 6 to 40 in.
in diameter and up to 200ft deep. Probably the
Simple well point installation for
dewatering a sewer trench
CONSTRUCTION OF A WELL BY THE
CALIFORNIA STOVE METHOD
Cable-tools wells have been drilled in diameters up to 12 in
.and to depths as great as 5000ft. In unconsolidated soils,
casing is driven as the hole is sunk by attaching drive clamps
to the drill stem.
 Large deep wells are ordinarily
constructed by the hydraulic rotary
method. This method has been used
for wells as large as 60 in. in diameter
and over 5000ft deep . Oil wells more
than 21,000ft deep have been drilled
by the rotary method . Not all wells
are vertical. The kanats of Persia are
shafts driven horizontally or with a
slight upward slope into a hillside until
the water table is reached.
Radial Wells

 Have been found increasing use for large water

supplies. A patented type of radial well known
as a Ranney collector consists of a caisson 13ft in
diameter driven into the aquifer to the required
depth screens are driven radially from the
caisson into the aquifer. The number, length,
and placing of the screen are dictated by local
conditions. Radial wells have been
installed adjacent to streams, where they serve
to increase percolation from the stream to the
groundwater ,By using natural filtration in this
Well finishing

 The drilling of a hole does not complete the

construction of an efficient well. Unless a well is
drilled into rock, it must be cased to prevent
collapsed of the hole and a section of
perforated casing(or screen) provided to permit
entry of water. When the well has reached the
proper level, the tools are withdrawn , and a
section of screen slightly smaller than the casing
is lowered to the bottom of the well. Stove pipe
casing cannot be withdrawn to permit placing
of the screen ; hence the casing must be