Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/451364
it's important to begin development as soon as practicable following well com- pletion. Getting the hydraulic head off of the production zone as soon as possi- ble following well completion will limit the invasion of fluids and fines into the aquifer. A long period between well completion and beginning of develop- ment will generally increase well devel- opment time and associated costs. In some cases the aquifer near the well will become irreversibly damaged by becoming plugged with drilling fluid or fine-grained material that was present in the drilling fluid. I've had the misfortune of working with drillers who, immediately upon completion of a well drilled using re- verse or direct-mud rotary methods, took days off without removing the head off the aquifer. This unfortunate timing in some cases resulted in wells that could not be fully developed and final production rates were less than half of those documented in similar nearby wells completed in the same aquifer system. In one case, the owner of the well became upset with me because he felt I was too demanding of the drilling contractor by requesting some minimal amount of development to remove the fluid column off of the production zone before the contractor left for days off. The owner was able to find another hydrogeologist who agreed with him that leaving a recently completed well loaded with drilling fluid was not detri- mental to well production. This may have made the owner feel better, but unfortunately the final well production was quite poor. Well development is not a one- approach-fits-all type of process, but rather a process that is variable depend- ing on the type of aquifer, drilling meth- ods, screen length, depth to water, and overall saturated thickness. Simply because one development technique generally works for a given hydrogeologic setting and well comple- tion doesn't mean that it's appropriate for all situations. When well develop- ment is complete, the well should produce water efficiently and the water should be essentially free of sediment. If the well still makes sand at the end of development, the wrong gravel pack or screen slot size was used—but that's a story for someone else to tell. Roger Peery, CPG, PG, is a principal hydro- geologist for John Shomaker & Associates Inc. in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was a mem- ber of National Ground Water Association task groups that aided in the completion of the ANSI/NGWA Water Well Construction Standard. WWJ DACUM Codes To help meet your professional needs, this article covers skills and competen- cies found in DACUM charts for drillers. DO refers to the drilling chart. The letter and number immediately following is the skill on the chart covered by the article. This article covers: DOE-3, DOE-4, DOE-7, DOE-14, DOG-1, DOG-5, DOG-6 More information on DACUM and the charts are available at www.NGWA.org. 24 February 2015 WWJ waterwelljournal.com STANDARD from page 23 National Groundwater Awareness Week Promote the resource that provides your livelihood! Educate your customers about the importance of annual water testing and well maintenance during National Groundwater Awareness Week, March 8-14, 2015. You will be helping them, yourself, your business, your industry, and the resource. NGWA is here to help you spread the word! From sample letters-to-the-editor and radio spots to print ads, posters, and fliers, NGWA has materials for you to use. www.NGWA.org/AwarenessWeek 800 551.7379 • 614 898.7791