By Christopher S. Johnson
The struggle afoot between Counties and GSA’s, regarding new well permits, continues a slow course towards improvement. In the meantime, agriculture needs water. And so agriculture is turning to old wells, some drilled but never equipped, others ancient by the measure of a well’s reasonable lifespan, and still others pumped but never maintained.
Well maintenance and even rehabilitation are often times afterthoughts, and now as agriculture must turn to these hidden assets, what is being encountered is poor performance to outright failure. There is hope, but it must be coaxed and guided towards success, using knowledge and good planning.
Breathing life back into an existing well, new and unused, or old and well used, is a matter of planning and execution. There are fast and inexpensive means of nudging a bit more performance from a well, or there are methodical and not so inexpensive means of genuinely “tuning up” a well.
Let me be clear, wells age. The become less efficient with time, mineral or biological plugging affects their efficiency, and this all translates to less water requiring more power, i.e. an inefficient well. It may also mean sanding, or it could mean the pump in the well now, is not enough, and getting a new pump these days is a bit challenging.
If you are contemplating rehabilitating an existing well, then I would recommend you contact a qualified drilling or pump contractor, who can demonstrate successful experience with the well rehabilitation process. You could also contact a qualified professional hydrogeologist, with similar experiences. Regardless, seek the advice of a professional who can steer you away from gimmicks, and to processes that have proven results.
There really are no silver bullets, magic chemicals, or secret Government death rays to clean your well. It does take effort, time and money, but there may be few better ways to use your money, then in keeping one of your most important assets in top form.
In general, well cleaning or rehabilitation can involve mechanical operations (scrubbing, brushing, swabbing, etc.) and chemical cleaning (acids, caustics, etc.) and likely both, all designed to reduce the obstruction(s) to water entering the well, while protecting the structural integrity of the well itself.
Ask for a plan, specifically what is being done and why, and how the effectiveness of the rehabilitation will be assessed. Properly done, well rehabilitation can gain back lost well efficiency, increase well yield and decrease energy consumption. Routine maintenance will reduce the frequency for well rehabilitation, in other words, take care of your assets.
Christopher S. Johnson, PG, CHg is President and Principal Hydrogeologist at Aegis Groundwater Consulting, LLC, 1177 East Shaw Avenue, Suite 101, Fresno, California 93710
559 981 2313 chris@aegisgw.com http://www.aegisgw.com
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