Well Abandonment

Introduction

Improperly abandoned water wells are a serious liability. Once ground water is contaminated, it is difficult, if not impossible, to clean up, and the process is always expensive. The logical course of action is to remove the liability by properly plugging, and sealing, or decommissioning all abandoned wells.

The purpose of this course is to refresh the awareness of the course completer as to the reasons for proper water well abandonment. Several real life examples are given which clearly point out the damage than has been done, is being done, and can be done by water wells that are unused and yet not properly abandoned. The course content is limited to water well abandonment only as distinct from issues related to petroleum or natural gas wells.

Many states are active in the regulation of and the promotion of proper well abandonment methods. As well, many of these same states offer financial incentive programs for well owners to properly abandon unused well on their land with the aid of state licensed water well contractors (see example of one state’s abandonment approach within the following text).

The text below reviews the 3 main dangers of improperly abandoned wells. It briefly describes a common approach to well abandonment common to most states. The text ends with a review of methods of finding improperly abandoned wells.

THE SIZE AND HISTORY OF THE PROBLEM Estimates conducted by various states have shown from one to four abandoned wells for every five wells in service. Another projection is that one abandoned well exists for each generation a homesite has been occupied. The highest concentration of abandoned wells is expected to be in urban and suburban settings where municipal water has been extended into areas of dense housing concentration that were once served by on-site wells The construction of water wells using drilling machines dates back to the early to mid-1800’s. By the turn of the century, drilled wells of 1½ inch to 4 inch diameter steel casing were common. Many early water wells were hand dug and lined with stone, brick, wood, or concrete. Historically, when household wells were taken out of service, they were abandoned without plugging. When a replacement well was needed, the water service line from the old well was often just severed. Sometimes the end of the water pipe was capped. On early wells, with hand pumps, the pump was often disconnected leaving the pump rods and plunger in the well. Some abandoned wells were filled with fieldstones and some drilled wells were merely capped by jamming something into the top. Occasionally, a municipal well was abandoned by shearing off the pump column, allowing it to drop to the well bottom. The pump motor was salvaged and a cover was placed over the well.

Well owners traditionally did not wish to spend money plugging a well, nor did they recognize the potential threat to their new water well. Some older wells were buried 4 to 5 feet to protect against freezing. Once they are abandoned, well locations can be easily forgotten. Vegetation grows around above grade casings obscuring their location. Buried wells are not visible at all. When property with an abandoned well is sold, existence of the well is often unknown to the new landowner. Many reports of well casings being bulldozed during demolition or paved-over during road building projects have been received. _______________ THE PURPOSE OF PROPER ABANDONMENT

One of the best ways we can protect the quality of our groundwater is to promote and carry out proper

abandonment procedures. Well abandonment has a single main objective:

TO RESTORE THE GEOLOGY TO ITS’ ORIGINAL

HYDROGEOLOGIC CONDITION While this simple statement is indeed the overall objective of proper abandonment, there are three specific and concrete reasons why it is very important to carry out proper abandonment procedures.

1. To prevent physical hazards. 2. To prevent pollution entrance. 3. To prevent the intermixing of aquifers.

1. To Prevent Physical Hazards.

Perhaps the strongest impression that can be made for the proper abandonment of unused wells from the hazard perspective is the retelling and updating of the

Baby Jessica Story (October 16, 1987)

Midland, Texas was in the midst of an oil bust, with many in the population struggling to make ends meet. Two of those struggling were Chip and Cissy McClure, poor teenagers with an 18 month old daughter, Jessica.

While visiting her sister, Mrs. McClure left Jessica in the yard playing while she went inside to answer the phone. Moments later Jessica happened upon an 8” open borehole and innocently touched off a global event.

The publicity surrounding the rescue effort for Baby Jessica rivaled the attention given to the untimely death of Princess Diana a decade later. For 58 hours rescuers worked feverously to free the toddler. That was almost 18 years ago (1987-2005)! . In 1989 ABC TV aired a movie of the events of Jessica’s ordeal and successful rescue, “Everybody’s Baby.”

Occasionally she is overcome by claustrophobia, but otherwise Jessica McClure today is a normal teenager as the following recent update demonstrates.

'Everybody's baby' graduates from high school By Cory Chandler, Staff Writer

he Midland Reporter-Telegram T 05/30/2004

A small grin slid onto Greenwood High School Principal Scott Knippa's lips as he prepared to read the name "Jessica Arron McClure" Friday evening.

But this subtle indicator was the only clue that something momentous was happening.

There were no television crews on hand to capture the event. There were no screaming throngs of well-wishers gathered to watch McClure march onto the floor of Midland College's Chaparral Center Friday evening, her brown hair flowing from beneath a baby blue mortar board, a Gerber daisy clutched in her hands.

When she crossed the stage to shake hands with Greenwood Independent School District board of trustees President Price Robinson a little later, there was little to set McClure apart from the 112 robed GHS seniors receiving a diploma that night.

And that may be appropriate.

McClure's parents have long striven to shelter their daughter from the spotlight her accidental celebrity may

have attracted.

Family and friends in Midland County have remained tight-lipped as the girl known once as "Everybody's Baby" prepared for graduation. Those who know her describe her as a "sweet" girl. However, they declined interview requests from the Reporter-Telegram.

"We're just trying to get back to having a normal life," said her mother, Cissy Porter, responding on behalf of both herself and her daughter.

The real Jessica McClure told VH-1 she still gets claustrophobic. She bears scars on her thigh and her forehead.

These symptoms, along with the media attention, are the remnants of an event she doesn't remember.

"I don't have any memory of it at all," McClure said. "Everybody asks me that question. I answer 'I don't know.'"

She's been answering that question as long as she can remember.

"I know I was stuck in a well and they got me out," McClure told the Reporter-Telegram in 1992. She was then 6 years old. "I know people want to talk about it a lot. They were scared for me."

One time, McClure was watching the television show "Rescue 911" and saw footage of the rescue.

"It broke my heart to think that happened to a little girl and someone told me, 'honey, that's you.’ It made me

cry."

And now, that little girl who snagged the world's heart has grown up.

She was everybody's baby, but as she prepared to walk the stage Friday night, she was just one of the crowd.

Maybe her life is getting back to normal.

Sadly the Jessica story is not an isolated event. Although other similar events have not gathered the worldwide media coverage of Jessica’s story, these events occur frequently as the summaries below show: 1995 – Port Orchard, Wash. A construction foreman fell into an abandoned well at a site where a shopping complex was under construction. He plunged 20 feet into the well after stepping on rotted boards that covered the well. At the time of the accident, he was making preparations to seal the well. The local health department asked him to remove oil jugs and automobile batteries that someone discarded near the well. The worker was struck on the head by chunks of brick and crumbling plank and briefly knocked unconscious. He awoke in the water, not knowing how deep it was because he never touched bottom. He climbed out of the well by grabbing bolts protruding from the wall of the well. He was treated for cuts and abrasions at a hospital.

(Source: Port Orchard Independent newspaper, August 2, 1995)

1994 – Home, Washington A 7-year old boy was rescued after falling 40 feet to the bottom of an abandoned well, landing in two feet of mucky water. The boy and his 9-year old companion were roaming around a field when they came across an old shed. After entering the structure, which turned out to be an abandoned well house, they fell through rotten boards covering the well. The older boy caught hold of some piping, climbed out and summoned the help of a neighbor who tried unsuccessfully to reach the boy with a ladder. A firefighter who was an experienced rock climber, was lowered into the well to rescue the boy. The boy was in the well about an hour and suffered cuts and bruises. He was taken to a hospital where he was treated and released. (Source: Gateway Newspaper article from September 21,

1994) 1991 - Hungary A 19-year old man falls to bottom of a 74 feet deep, 4 feet diameter well. After several attempts, he manages to climb out after being confined for nearly 24 hours. He was treated for a toe fracture, gangrene, lacerations, frostbite, and dehydration.

(Source: Readers’ Digest, September 1994, "Trapped in a Well", by E. Kovats)

1986 – Texas 6-year-old child steps off school bus and falls into snow-covered abandoned well (Rescued) 1986 - Colt’s Neck, New Jersey 2-year-old boy falls 12 feet into abandoned 12-inch borehole in yard (Rescued).

1983 - Frascati, Italy 6-year-old boy falls over 200 feet into 16 inch abandoned well (Fatality). 1983 – Louisiana 10-month-old child falls to bottom of 40 foot deep 10 inch abandoned well (Fatality). 1981 – Texas 4-year-old child falls 260 feet into well (Rescued). Alabama Deerhunter fell into 30 feet deep abandoned well - lands waist deep in muck and water and a loosened board falls and hits him on the head - crawls out by digging hand holds in clay walls with knife - drove himself to hospital - wood splinters removed from scalp.

(Source: Outdoor Life magazine feature called "This Happened to Me: Trapped in Hidden Well. A True Tale"

by Steve Lovin, Aliceville, Alabama) _____________________

2. To Prevent Pollution Entrance

Unused wells that have not been properly abandoned allow all manner of pollutants to enter the well.

The actual cases below, from state files, illustrate the wide range of damage resulting from the surface entry of pollutants into improperly abandoned wells.

Case 1 - State health department conducted an investigation following a complaint from a homeowner that water from a new well turned salty shortly after it was put into service.

Before drilling a replacement well, a well drilling contractor deepened the existing 131 feet well to 356 feet in an attempt to improve well yield. Salt water under artesian pressure was encountered in a shale bedrock formation. The contractor abandoned the well and drilled a replacement well 60 feet away to the same depth as the old well. During the investigation, the contractor admitted plugging only the upper 5 feet of the old well. Removal of the cement plug revealed that a pair of long underwear had been stuffed into the well casing as a bridge for the cement. The state ordered the contractor to cement the old well from bottom to surface as required by the well code. The owner was advised that water quality was expected to improve after the plugging. The owner notified the state within a few months after the plugging and reported that the water no longer tasted salty. The salt contamination is believed to have entered the new well by moving upward in the abandoned well. The following table shows water quality before and after proper plugging of the abandoned well. Chemical parameter Before plugging After pluggingChloride 1693 mg/l 315 mg/l Sodium 954 mg/l 263 mg/l Hardness 1079 mg/l 180 mg/l Iron 0.8 mg/l not detected Case 2 - Officials from the state public health and agriculture departments and the local health department conducted a joint investigation following a complaint

from a farmer about decreased milk production and dairy herd illness. Coliform bacteria and iron bacteria were found in the new well. Two old abandoned wells (110 and 120 feet deep) were found on the site. The farmer was advised to plug them before proceeding with further redisinfection of the new well. While preparing one of the wells for cementing, it was found that gray water from the basement laundry in the farmhouse drained into the well. Improper sewage disposal into the well was a likely source of the well contamination. Case 3- Officials determined that a private residential well became contaminated from illegal disposal of waste into an abandoned dug well. The property owners used the old well to dispose of household trash, including old oil cans. The old well was 30 to 40 feet away from their water supply well. The contaminants found in their drinking water included benzene, toluene, xylene, and other hydrocarbons. Case 4 - The state and local health departments investigated the bacteriological contamination of a residential well. The house was for sale and contamination was discovered when water samples were collected by the local health department as part of an evaluation requested by the realtor. The 105 feet deep well contained high levels of coliform bacteria and several attempts to disinfect the well with chlorine were unsuccessful. Water tests from five surrounding homes in the subdivision were negative.

The interior of the well was inspected using a downhole camera and no defects were found. A state health department investigator contacted the person who owned the land at the time it was subdivided and found that the contaminated well was located in the vicinity of an abandoned dug well that once served the farm. The unplugged well may have contributed to the contamination. The contaminated well was plugged and a successful replacement well was drilled about 50 feet away. Case 5 - A water well contractor improperly capped an unsuccessful well drilled at a campground. A campground employee later observed a camper preparing to dump the sewage holding tank from his travel trailer into the well. The well was 185 feet deep and the water level within the well was about 90 feet. The state health department ordered the well properly sealed and a replacement well was drilled. The state initiated action to revoke the contractors certificate of registration as a result of this incident and other code violations. The case was settled with the contractor entering into a Consent Agreement which included payment of a $2000 penalty and a one year probation. Although this incident did not involve ground water contamination, it illustrates the potential threat posed by unplugged abandoned wells. Case 6 - A state health department official investigated a complaint of unpleasant taste and odor from water obtained from a private well.

The change in taste and odor occurred about a year after completion of a replacement well. Several unsuccessful attempts had been made to disinfect the well with chlorine. Water sampling revealed contamination with Pseudomonas bacteria. These bacteria are secondary pathogens commonly found in soil. The investigator found that the old 2 inch abandoned well was never plugged. It had been capped and buried in the old well pit. The homeowner was instructed to excavate and plug the abandoned well. After plugging of the well, the replacement well was chemically treated. Follow-up sampling showed negative results and elimination of the taste and odor. Case 7 – A plume of corrosive, contaminated ground water moving in a surficial aquifer, crossed corporate property lines from a Superfund site to an adjoining property. The "black liquor " contaminant migrated into at least two other deeper aquifers. Movement was aided by numerous abandoned and poorly maintained brine wells and water wells. Company employees, who routinely used well water (from the lower aquifer) for drinking purposes, alerted corporate officials of the problem. It was determined that many of the old well casings had corroded at the upper aquifer interface and allowed the contamination to migrate to the lower formations. The drinking water wells serving this major industrial complex and all old well casings were required to be properly plugged. The responsible party was required, through court action, to pay for the replacement of neighboring water supplies. This involved installing a specially designed water line approximately one mile under a lake.

Case 8 - State health department officials investigated the accidental plugging of a large volume production well at a state correctional facility. The case demonstrates the existence of a hydraulic connection in the sandstone bedrock between the production well and a nearby abandoned test well and illustrates the contamination threat posed by unplugged abandoned wells. The abandoned test well was about 300 feet deep and located 11 feet away from the production well. The test well casing terminated flush with ground surface and had a steel plate cover spot welded to the casing pipe. The well drilling contractor reported observing ponded surface water being drawn into the test well when the production well’s pump turned on. The production well had positive coliform bacterial contamination afterwards. While plugging the abandoned test well, cement inadvertently traveled horizontally and plugged the production well. A new well was constructed. Case 9 - Vandals overturned a fuel oil tank at a home causing about 110 gallons of fuel to spill on the ground. While excavating contaminated soil, the remediation contractor uncovered an old 12 inch diameter, 65 feet deep dug well. The loose fitting concrete cover was buried under 2 feet of soil. The well terminated at the top of the bedrock. The well had been abandoned when the home was connected to municipal water about 10 years ago. An open annulus was present between the well casing and the borehole wall. Fuel oil was found floating on the water within the well about 10 feet below surface.

It was estimated that 4 to 5 gallons of fuel entered the well. The well contamination was cleaned up and the well was plugged its entire length with concrete.

________________

3. To Prevent the Intermixing of Aquifers

Proper well abandonment is a must in the case of a multi-aquifer system where the water quality is different in each aquifer. For example, if the upper aquifer is contaminated and is not sealed through the restrictive or confining layer, the potential exists for contaminating of the lower aquifer. Contamination occurs because the natural restrictive barrier has been pierced and, if left open, will render the lower aquifer unusable because the poorer quality water in the upper aquifer will be able to migrate downward in the lower aquifer. Another reason to properly abandon a well is to prevent further loss of confining pressure. Sealing a well that penetrates a confined aquifer helps to preserve the confined conditions. These confining conditions allow the water to reach a certain level in a well. A reduction in the confining pressure may cause water levels in neighboring wells to drop. ________________________ States actively promote and enforce proper well abandonment Many states, including Florida, have strictly enforced regulations concerning proper well abandonment procedures. As well promotional efforts and funding

programs complement regulations in this important area. Following are excerpts taken from one state’s policy on well abandonment. While the particular agencies involved may vary from state to state, the excerpt following is a good example of the importance placed by many states on well abandonment. “Unplugged abandoned wells can threaten the quality of drinking water that is obtained from privately owned and community public drinking water supply wells. It is estimated that there may be as may as 2 million unplugged abandoned wells in our state. The Water Division has implemented a comprehensive Abandoned Well Management Program to coordinate statewide abandoned well location and plugging activities. Plugging abandoned wells protects the drinking water aquifers that supply nearly one-half of state citizens. The goal of the program is to identify and then properly plug as many abandoned wells as possible. The program’s strategy incorporates the following elements:

1. Regulatory Activity

Authority to conduct regulatory activities is established in the Public Health Code. The Water Division conducts compliance and enforcement actions in cooperation with the Office of Criminal Investigations), the State Office of the Attorney General), and through Local Health Departments).

The Abandoned Well Management Program is implemented at the local level through local health department Operations Grants which are funded pursuant to the Public Health Code. Local health departments enforce abandoned well plugging requirements through field inspections and review of plugging records submitted by registered well drilling contractors and property owners.

2. Grant Programs Grant program activities may include: public education and outreach activities, conducting abandoned well search activities, contracting with registered well drilling contractors to plug abandoned wells, mapping active and abandoned wells, and development of local ordinances that discourage or prohibit the presence of abandoned wells inside community well head protection areas. Other common grant programs include 100% state reimbursement of the costs of proper well abandonment carried out by a licensed well contractor adhering to grant program requirements.

3. Training Activities The water department conducts multimedia-training programs associated with abandoned well management for well drilling contractors, local health department staff, personnel from other state and county agencies, and the public. Training has been provided to the Department of Agriculture, Department of Transportation, the Department of Natural Resources, County Conservation District staff, and Americorps

staff. Field and classroom training opportunities are utilized to illustrate the hazards associated with unplugged abandoned wells and how to effectively plug them.

______________________

HOW TO PLUG AN ABANDONED WELL (Generic description only- Regulations vary by jurisdiction. The 4-step procedure below is approximately accurate for all jurisdictions have abandonment regulations). STEP 1: Pumps, drop-pipes, pump rods, packers, wire, check valves, and all other debris or obstructions must be removed from the well. Registered well drilling contractors have the knowledge and proper equipment to perform this very important task. STEP 2: The well depth and diameter must be measured in order to calculate the necessary amount of plugging material. Also, different well types (i.e. dug, drilled, driven) that terminate in different geologic formations (i.e. rock, drift) require different types of plugging material and different plugging methods. The water well record has this information. (In some states mandatory geophysical logging is required prior to abandonment) STEP 3: The well is plugged by a registered well drilling contractor. STEP 4: An Abandoned Well Plugging Record is completed and submitted to the local health department,

the well owner, and to the state within 60 days upon completion of the well plugging project. HOW TO LOCATE AN ABANDONED WELL? Landowners suspecting there may be old and unused wells on their property have several recourses. TALK TO INDIVIDUALS

• Property owner. • Previous owner(s). • Relatives or acquaintances who may know about

the property. • Neighbors (neighboring wells may give a clue as to

well location, depth, etc.). • Contractors (well drillers, plumbers, builders) who

have worked on the property. • Inspectors (well, plumbing, building, septic

system). • Current or former employees, maintenance

personnel. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE

• Windmills or wishing wells. • Casing visible above ground, concrete slab or

basement floor. • Small outbuildings (may be well house). • Circular ring in cement or patch in the floor. • Basement offset (small room off of basement). • Patch in step or concrete (access for well below). • Pit in yard or basement. • Manhole cover. • Crock, brick or stone structures.

• Handpump, hydrant, or faucet in yard. • Waterline or patched hole through basement floor

or wall. • Water system components (pressure tank, pump,

control box). • Damp circular depression in yard. • Additions, false walls, access panels which may

"hide" well. • Old building sites recognizable by an old

foundation. • Ornamental shrubs, flowers, or trees outlining old,

home or farm sites. RECORDS SEARCH

• Water Well Record or Water Well Plugging Record at local health department or DEQ.

• Water well or sewage disposal permits at local health department.

• City, township or county officials – zoning or building permits

• Municipal water department - records on water line extensions to homes previously served by water wells.

• Old photographs of the property. • Aerial photographs of the property (showing

windmills, well houses). • County plat book, soils map, or topo map showing

locations of buildings, roads. • Owner’s records (bills, deed easements) or

information written on pressure tank, control box, etc.

EQUIPMENT AND TOOLS

• Metal detector. • Tape measure or "snake" to follow pipes.

• Digging equipment including shovels, hammers, chisels, backhoe.

• Magnetometer or electro-magnetic anomaly detectors (these are available through groundwater consultants).

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