lecture 7 water wells
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Chapter 7: Groundwater and Well Design
Chapter 7 Key Concepts:
Groundwater principles and components
Well description and componentsWell design and calculation
The use of groundwater and the construction of wells are other aspects of a water system
that require design knowledge. Groundwater is generally less contaminated than surface water
and has less stringent contaminant regulations.
About Groundwater
Groundwater is one part of the hydrological cycle (see Figure 1), which includes the
oceans, surface water, the atmosphere, ice and groundwater. In the ground, large quantities of
water are stored in aquifers where most groundwater is drawn from. Groundwater is the
principal source of water for small water systems in California and across the country.
Figure 1: Diagram of the hydrological cycle47
(Water Science [website])
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Springs and wells are the main types of groundwater sources. Springs are the water of
aquifers that reach the surface and wells retrieve water from underground aquifers. Well
construction requires multiple aspects of design and engineering. Wells may be either vertical
which is most common or horizontal into the side of a hill. Springs are easily assessable
however further design and engineering is likely since this kind of source may be under the
influence of a surface water and likely requires treatment. The rest of the chapter is focused on
wells and the design and construction of wells. Figure 2 shows a typical well profile.
Figure 2: Typical well profile with various levels of ground and aquifer48
(Santa Clara p. 4)
There are two types of aquifers: confined and unconfined. Unconfined aquifers are
restricted below a certain depth by an impervious stratum. Confined aquifers are not restricted
by a barrier.
Well System Description
Types of Well Systems
A well system is usually placed in a pump house in order to protect the equipment. There
are two versions of a well system: above-ground discharge (figure 2) and below-ground
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discharge (Figure 3). With above-ground, the well system equipment is more accessible. With
below-ground, the well equipment is less accessible.
Figure 2: Example of above-ground discharge with submersible pump in a pump house
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Figure 3: Example of below-ground discharge with submersible pump
Types of Well Pumping Systems
Table 1: Types of Well Pumping Systems49
(Water Well Standards 74-81, p. 37)
Type of WellPumping System
Description Diagram of Installation49
(WaterWell Standards 74-81, p. 37)
Turbine Pump The turbine pump, which isdescribed in detail in Chapter 6, iseasier to maintain than thesubmersible pump for wellsystems.
Submersible Pump For deep water wells, thesubmersible electric pump is themost common choice. The pumphas several stages to generateenough pressure to lift the waterout of the well and to pressurize itsufficiently for use. The electricmotor is long and narrow so it canfit down into the well casing forwells as small as 4 inches in
diameter. Overall, submersiblepumps are good for deep wells andare highly efficient.
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Type of WellPumping System
Description Diagram of Installation49
(WaterWell Standards 74-81, p. 37)
Jet Pump Jet pumps recirculate partof the water delivery back to thesuction line to raise the pressure inthe suction line sufficiently to
prevent pump damage bycavitation (low-pressure boiling) inthe pump impeller. The deeper thewell, the greater the fraction ofdelivered water must berecirculated. The maximumpractical lift is limited toapproximately 200 feet byeconomics.
Pressure Tank
A pressure tank is usually included in a well system to delay pump turn-on and
eliminate frequent, short on/off cycles. When water is used, the pressure tank drains
water into the plumbing system to delay pump turn-on. If the well system pressure
lowers to the turn-on pressure typically 20 psi then the pump turns on and it does not
turn off until the air in the pressure tank is compressed to the turn-off pressure, which is
typically 40 psi. With a pressure tank, the well pump does not burn up as fast and pump
run time is extended. The pressure tank is not meant to provide water storage.
Pressure tanks can contain a diaphragm or bladder that is charged by an air
compressor to roughly 75% of the turn-on pressure. These pre-charged tanks allow a
smaller tank volume to produce a larger useable storage volume.
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Figure 4: Typical pressure tank set up (left) and pre-charged pressure tanks (right)
Well Construction and Abandonment
Wells are typically constructed using a drilling method with steel casing and
bentonite or soil concrete grout sealer. Older methods include well construction by
digging and pile driving (see Figure 5). However, digging wells can be extremely
dangerous because of possible cave-ins and are more susceptible to surface water
contamination.
Figure 5: Well construction methods
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In present day, well construction is fairly standardized with an established collection of
steps. The major construction steps include:
Well drilling by cable, air hammer and drill bit, or reverse rotary
Welding the steel casing or sealing PVC
Placing the casing in the well
Mixing bentonite or soil concrete grout
Pumping in the bentonite soil concrete grout
Most wells are constructed by drilling about 10 to 20 feet at a time and placing the casing
section by section instead of drilling the entire well at one time and then placing all the casing.
Wells that are abandoned or not used should be decommissioned to prevent surface
contamination from entering the well and affecting the underground aquifers. To decommission,
a well casing is pulled then grout is pumped to fill and seal the well.
Figure 6: An abandoned well (left) and a properly decommissioned well (right)
Well Design
California Well Standards
Standards for well design, construction, and operation in California are set by the
Department of Water Resources (DWR) under bulletins 74-81 and 74-90 (see Figure 7). The
standards in both bulletins must be met for water wells, monitoring wells, and cathodic
protection of wells.
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Figure 7: Timeline of California DWR well standards50
(California Well Standards 74-90 p. 5)
Well Offset
Well offset is the distance from a well to certain activities or objects to help prevent well
contamination. Requirements for well offsets are set by California and often depend on the
potential contamination impact of the activity or object (see Figure 8).
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Figure 8: Example of well offset requirements for various activities 48(Santa Clara p. 7)
Well Seal and other Contamination Prevention
Well seal is used to prevent surface water from running along the well line and is
typically applied along sections of the well line that may contact poor quality water (see Figure
9).
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Figure 9: Typical well seal profiles49
(Water Well Standards 74-81 p. 47)
To prevent well contamination from surface water, sealing a well to a certain depth is required
(see Table 2). This depth varies based on well location and type.
Table 2: California rules for well seal requirements50
(California Well Standards 74-90 p. 14)
Well Type Minimum Depth Seal Must Extend BelowGround Surface
Community Water Supply 50 feetIndustrial 50 feetIndividual Domestic 20 feetAgricultural 20 feetAir-Conditioning 20 feetAll Other Types 20 feet
Sealing the submersible pump and a water tight well cap are other ways of preventing well
contamination (see Figure 10).
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Figure 11: Well screen (left)
51
(How Wells are Designed) , submersible pump seal (center)
52
(Ground WaterManual) and water tight cap (right)53
(Home*A*Syst: Protecting Well Water Supply)
Pressure Tank Design
The amount of water that is drained from a pressure tank between the turn-on and turn-
off points of the pump is called useable storage capacity and depends on the tank volume and the
set points. Normally the turn on point is at 20 psi, but may be as high as 30 psi. Turn off usually
occurs at 40-psi but may be 50 psi. The spread between the on and off points is normally 20 psi.
Only a small fraction of the tanks volume is useable storage, 6.5 gallons for a 42 gallon tank
between 20 and 40 psi (see Figure 11).
Figure 11: Design and useable storage capacity of uncharged pressure tanks
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The recommended size of a pressure tank is 10 times the pump flow rate for 1 minute for
non-charged tanks, and 6 times the pump flow rate for 1 minute for pre-charged tanks. So a 10
gpm pump should have a 100 gallon non-charged tank or a 60 gallon pre-charged tank. This
insures the pump will operate for nearly 2 minutes before shut-off every time it start and frequent
starting and stopping is avoided.
Specific Capacity Calculation
To design a well, the specific capacity is a key factor that must be determined. Well
drawdown is one concept used in specific capacity calculations (see Figure 12) and it is the
change in water level from static water level to the level when the well pump is running for at
least and 8 hour period.
Figure 12: Well drawdown diagram and calculation54 (Understanding Your Water Well [website])
A pump capacity test is used to determine specific capacity. In Figure 13, the pumping test was
run for 24 hours at 2,500 gpm with a 21 feet drawdown. Specific capacity is calculated as:
Specific Capacity = 2,500 gpm/21 feet = 119 gpm/ft
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Figure 13: Example of pump capacity test results 55(Specific Capacity [website])
Transmissivity
Transmissivity is a factor determined for wells that is simple to calculate once specific
capacity is known. It measures how large of an area the well pumping affects the aquifer.
Below are the equations used to calculate transmissivity:
T = 1500 * Q/s (for an unconfined aquifer)
T = 2000 * Q/s (for a confined aquifer)T = Transmissivity, in gallons per day per foot, gpd/ft
Q/s = Specific Capacity, in gallons per minute per foot, gpm/ft
With greater transmissivity, the wells radius of influence is greater (see Figure 14). Also, the
effect of drawdown is less when transmissivity is greater.
Figure 14: Diagram of well drawdown and radius of influence for two transmissivities
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Safe Yield
Safe yield is a measure of the highest flow rate possible without any risk of drawdown to
the well screen. Below is the equation for safe yield:
SY = AW * SC
SY = Safe Yield (gpm)
AW = Available Water (ft.)
SC = Specific Capacity (gpm/ft.)
Available water is the distance between the static water level and the top of the well screen.
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Well Inspection
Figure 15 is a good general guideline to follow when inspecting wells for potential
failures or hazards.
Figure 15: Guidelines for well inspection48
(Santa Clara p. 5)
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References
47. Water Science for Schools: The Water Cycle. 7 Nov. 2008. United States Geological
Survey. 26 Feb. 2008. .
48. A Guide for the Private Well Owner. May 2001. Santa Clara Valley Water District. 20April 2009. .
49. Water Well Standards: State of California (Bulletin 74-81). December 1981. California
Department of Water Resources. 20 April 2009. .
50. California Well Standards: Bulletin 74-90. June 1991. California Department of WaterResources. 20 April 2009. .
51. How Wells Are Designed. American Ground Water Trust. 16 March 2009.
.
52. Ground Water Manual for Small Water Systems. 1999. Montana State University:
The Montana Water Center. 16 March 2009. < http://watercenter.montana.edu/training/
gw/default.htm>.
53. Home*A*Syst: Protecting Well Water Supply. 2002. North Carolina State University
Cooperative Extension Services. 16 March 2009. .
54. Understanding Your Water Well. July 2001. Ohio Department of Natural Resources. 16March 2009. < http://dnr.state.oh.us/Water/pubs/fs_div/fctsht62/tabid/4149/
Default.aspx>.
55. Specific Capacity A Measure of Well Performace, Well Problems, and Aquifer
Transmissivity: Part 1 of 2 (WRD Technical Bulletin Volume 2, Winter 2005). 2005.
Water Replenishment District of Southern California. 16 March 2009..