WELL REMEDIATION & REHABILITATION OPTIONS
Not all of us our blessed with perfect wells. Just like everything else in life wells can have their own problems too. A common issue with wells can be lack of flow or low flow of the water into the well. This problem can be considerably bothersome and has a few options to consider in terms of remediation. The most common remediation forms are storage tanks, hydro fracture, deepening or a new well. Each option presents its own positives and negatives which would have to be weighed out to make the decision of what remediation method is right for your particular application.
Storage tanks can be a great form of a remediation method to help with low flow situations. Depending on state, local and federal regulations and landscape these tanks may be located within the buildings or subsurface underground tanks. Depending on demand these tanks can range from hundreds to thousands of gallons in reserve. These tanks are not only costly themselves but also are expensive to install. Their benefit is that reserve is always there waiting for when you need it. However its downfall is that after any period of dormancy of the system bacteria can become an issue. Pressure can also be an issue and in most cases a booster pump will be necessary to have adequate pressure throughout the facility. Their is a minimal interruption in service with this method typically only a day for the install and a few days waiting for the chlorine to flush out of the system.
Hydro fracture can be useful in increasing water flow if the lithology indicates so. Risks associated with hydro fracture would be increased sediment and color in the water. There is also the risk that it could affect neighboring wells. Please note that hydro fracture requires pulling and resetting the pump and will result in down time while the chlorine flushes out of the system. Typical fracture results are a gallon to two gallon increase although more is possible. Hydro-fracking is the process when a packer (looks like a tough version of a balloon) in placed in the well. Typically it sits about 40 feet below casing so it does not disrupt it. These are used to seal off a section of the well. Water is then pumped into the sealed off section until it reaches 500-2,000 PSI. This is meant to break the obstructions that are keeping the water out of the well; a good indication of when it has been successful is when the PSI suddenly drops. Some other points to take into consideration: There may be a town permit, fee or application in order to hydro-frack a well. This information can be discovered with a quick call to your local Board Of Health. Be aware that your water may be cloudy for a few days after a successful hydro-frack. Ask the company you have fracture the well if it’s okay to use right away. The well needs to be disinfected after the hydro-frack and may not be able to be used right away.
Deepening of water wells has many benefits but does require some work. The pump will need to be pulled, excavation to replace pit-less adapter but its well worth the mess. The benefit of deepening is that no matter what you are increasing the storage and potentially gaining new flow into the well. A 6″ diameter drilled well has the capacity to store a gallon and a half of water per foot. If the deepening does not give the desired flow during the drilling process it may be reveled that hydro fracture could be reconsidered. A permit is often required and water quality and quantity testing may be applicable.