WELLS

INTRODUCTION

 The first step in considering use of well as source of water

supply is calculate total capacity of existing well and
compare this capacity to demand based on population to
be served.
 Wells that have desired capacity and water quality should
be given priority in selection.
 If capacity of well is not sufficient, improve yield. If
water quality is the problem, decide for a new well or
provide treatment facilities.
INTRODUCTION

 Well – hole which has been dug, bored, driven or drilled

beneath ground for purpose of extracting ground water
 Review:
 Rocks and soils contains voids, pores or fissures.
 Subsurface water occurs in unsaturated zone (contains both water
and air in voids and pores) and saturated zone (voids all filled with
water)
 Water table – boundary of two zones. It moves up during rainy
season and moves down during dry season. Its shape tends to
follow topography of land.
INTRODUCTION

 Review:
 Saturated zone is also called aquifer.
 Unconfined aquifer – upper limit is water table; often
shallow; hydraulic pressure at water table is equal to
atmospheric pressure
 Confined aquifer – hydraulic pressure is greater than
atmospheric pressure causing groundwater to rise
above ground surface
NWRC RWS Volume I, Design Manual
CLASSIFICATION OF WELL BASED ON
AQUIFER TAPPED
 Aquifers allow flow of groundwater. Aquifer are
recharged (replenished) with rainwater that seeps down
the soil and permeable layers.
1. SHALLOW WELL
 Less than 20 meters deep
 Tap upper water-bearing layer underground (has limited safe
yield due to dependence on rainfall)
 Supply could be unreliable and intermittent
 Must be protected against contamination
2. DEEP WELL
 Over 20 m deep
 Tap deeper unconfined aquifer
 Lesssusceptible to surface contamination because of
deeper aquifer
 Less affected by seasonal precipitation
3. ARTESIAN WELL
 Much like the deep wells except water is extracted
from confined aquifer
TYPICAL CAUSES OF REDUCED WELL
FLOW
 Other than declines in water table, reduced well
productivity could stem from other reasons.
 Most common is plugging of holes in well screen or
incrustations forming on well screens.
 Common well pluggers – calcium carbonate, iron bacteria,
silt, clay and combinations of sediments and deposits
(slime)
MECHANICAL BLOCKAGE

 Twotypes that restricts movement of

groundwater into well:
 Movement of fine grained soil materials from natural
formation to face of screen caused by improper well
design or overpumping
 Corrosion of metal portions of well that cover opening
of well screen
CHEMICAL ENCRUSTATION

 Deposition of minerals on well screen or gravel pack that

restricts movement of water into well
 Caused by precipitation of minerals dissolved in
groundwater due to changes in flow or pressure conditions
 Typically consists of iron and manganese oxides or of
calcium and magnesium carbonates or sulfates
 Can be reduced by designing well with minimum head
loss, correct placement of well seals, and maintaining
proper pumping rates
BACTERIOLOGICAL PLUGGING

 Microorganisms such as bacteria can cause clogging in

well, pipelines and treatment facilities
 These bacteria are not believed to cause health concerns
but nuisance in production and transmission of
groundwater
 Bacteria may be native to aquifer or caused by man
TYPICAL METHODS OF WELL
REHABILITATION
 Combination of several methods is used to
rehabilitate a well:
 Usingchemicals to dissolve incrusting materials so they
can be pumped from well
 Cleaning well with brush attached to drilling rig
 High pressure jetting and well surging, in which water
is injected into well at high pressures
 Deepen an existing well
TYPES OF WELL BASED ON DESIGN AND
CONSTRUCTION METHODS
 Wells are designed depending on geologic
conditions, budget, and desired capacity of well.
 Dug wells
 Driven wells
 Bored wells
 Drilled wells
DUG WELLS

 Holes or pits dug manually to the ground to tap water table

 May be 15 m deep, with diameter ranging from 1 m to 1.5 m
 Lined with concrete masonry, bricks, stones or reinforced
concrete to prevent wall from caving in
 At depths of aquifer layer, wall is embedded with slots or
rings for passage of groundwater
 Normally circular in shape capable of drawing water from
shallow sources but easily polluted by surface water
DRIVEN WELLS

 Tap shallow portion of unconfined aquifer

 Easy and inexpensive to construct in locations free of cobblers or
boulders
 Wells are conducted by driving to the ground an assembly of GI pipe and
pointed metal tube called a well point.
 The pointed end of well point (penetrating end) has screens or holes to
allow passage of water
 Although deeper than dug wells, they are relatively shallow and prone to
contamination.
 Have smaller yield that might be insufficient for Level 2 or 3 water
supply systems
BORED WELLS

 Constructed with hand or power augers

BORED WELLS

 Depth could be up to 15 m; built in areas where aquifer is

quite shallow offering low yields
 Before boring touches water table, auger is raised from
time to time to remove soil from auger bit
 Temporary steel casing as similar to bore hole may be
used to prevent collapsing
 Very prone to surface contamination
DRILLED WELLS

 Drilled
by professional drillers with experience
and equipment that can extract groundwater from
a deeper level than other types of well
 Two common types of drilling methods:
 Cable tool drilling
 Rotary drilling
TEST OF WELL SUITABILITY

1. Pumping (Safe Yield) Test

 Operatinga test pump with capacity at least equal to
system peak demand and operating it for 24 to 48 hours
 After24 hours pumping, drawdown is measured at
several time intervals until stabilized
 Maximum pumping level – pumping rate at stabilized
pumping water level
2. Water Quality Test
WELL SELECTION

 Important factors to be considered in selecting drilled

well site:
 Proximity to planned service area
 Local hydrogeological conditions
 Right of way and site ownership issues
 Accessibility of site by drilling rigs and other equipment
 Distance/security from potential source of contamination
 Proximity to existing electric power lines
 Terrain and ground slope of site
HYDRO-GEOLOGICAL CONDITIONS

 Indicates viable sites for well exploration in terms of

supply capacity and water quality
 Conducted by professionals and drillers who assess
available information on existing wells (water quality,
well yield, seasonal fluctuations, water table depth, and
well drilling logs showing soil layers)
 Geo-resistivity survey – indicates depth and thickness of
aquifer
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS

 Shallow groundwater wells should be at certain distance

from any pollutant source such as toilet, pig or livestock
farms, fertilizer intensive farms, and the like
 Wells should also be away from big trees whose root
system may affect stability of wells