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Checking Your Well
System Checklist
Contractors and scientists may differ on their
maintenance checklists, but they both strive for
the same goal: providing clean water to consumers.
E
By Mike Price
ven though the National Ground
Water Awareness Week took place
DATE
March 7-13, the National Ground
10
Water Association supplies information
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005
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5/18/2
1 relating to private water well systems
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T and groundwater to well drillers and
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consumers every day of the year.
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Never is this truer than on NGWA’s
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2009
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consumer-focused Web site—Wellowner
e
.org—where throughout the site the
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importance of regular well maintenance
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and water testing is demonstrated time
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and again.
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sional,
you know that’s because a water
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proper
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than
worth
it
for
the consumer.
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So
when
it
comes
to contractors or
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K
scientists
tasked
with
checking a well
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VE L
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system,
each
have
specifics
in what
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H
IS C
LOP they’re looking for. This article takes a
E
V
E
D
NTLY
look at both.
RESE
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S
I
MP
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PUMP
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W
DATA
A Contractor’s Well
ICAL
R
T
C
orm Maintenance Checklist
n
ELE
b
a
y
o te a n
UM
KS: (NREASED. P
R
A
Eric Neubecker, MGWC, vice presiM
RE
&G
GED
N
A
dent
of Raymer Co. Inc. in Marne,
H
C
O
Michigan,
is no stranger when it comes
S
N
OH
PAT J
:
Y
to
interacting
with the public in helping
B
CTED
INSPE
to promote groundwater awareness.
Mike Price is the associate
editor of Water Well Journal.
He can be reached at
mprice@ngwa.org.
NGWA.org
Neubecker appeared on the RFD-TV
Network for an hour-long program
sponsored by NGWA in September
2008. He was part of a three-man panel
of NGWA members who answered
questions from viewers on proper well
location, construction, and maintenance;
water testing and treatment; and groundwater protection.
The following list is a 10-point protocol Neubecker’s company generally
follows for a high-capacity well inspection/rehabilitation/routine maintenance
program.
1. Review records of the pumping rate
and pumping water level (if available) to look for a decline over time.
2. Conduct a pumping test to determine
the current specific capacity and
pump efficiency; compare to historical data.
3. Collect water samples for a chemical
and bacteriological analysis.
4. Remove pumping equipment from
the well.
5. Thoroughly examine all components
such as the column, shafting, bearings, impellers, and wear surfaces.
6. If the pump is vertical turbine, send
the motor to an authorized service
center for teardown, cleaning, and
complete inspection. If the pump
is submersible, check the winding
resistance and thrust bearing wear.
CHECKLIST/continues on page 20
Water Well Journal April 2010 19/
A routine well/pump maintenance and rehab job by Raymer Co. of
Marne, Michigan, takes place in 2009 at an Oakland County Department of Public Works well site near Lake Orion, Michigan. The well is
a 16-inch diameter screened glacial drift type with lineshaft turbine
pumps. Production from the well is approximately 1000 gpm.
A typical backyard well with no provisions for
above ground safety is something Water System
Engineering of Ottawa, Kansas, looks for in its well
maintenance checklist.
7. Conduct a video inspection of the
well to determine the condition of
the casing and screen.
“Don’t wait until capacity has decreased to the point of no return,” he
says. “Determine a schedule for routine
inspection/rehab based on the history of
the well.”
8. Determine the best plan for rehabilitation, if necessary, based on a visual
and chemical/bacterial analysis.
A Scientist’s Well
Maintenance Checklist
CHECKLIST/from page 19
9. Present a proposal for necessary
repairs and rehab to the owner.
10. Upon the owner’s approval, conduct
the proposed scope of work.
Neubecker notes that good records
can be very helpful in determining the
condition of a well and pump when used
in conjunction with current testing data.
Seconding that notion is Robert R.
Webb II, MGWC, vice president and
CEO of R. Webb & Son Well Drilling in
Hale, Michigan.
“To start with, information on the
wells and any history of performance
will help you measure the success of
your maintenance/cleaning/rehabilitation program,” Webb says. “You can’t
make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”
Then there is the chemical and bacteriological analysis.
Neubecker says chemistry used in
the rehabilitation process can be tailored
to the specific agents responsible for a
production decrease rather than using a
“one size fits all” approach.
Lastly, Neubecker touches upon the
importance of “frequency.”
20/ April 2010 Water Well Journal
Like Neubecker, John Schnieders,
Ph.D., appeared as a member of the
RFD-TV program panel, relying on his
40 years of experience in the study of
microbial and chemical processes in
well rehabilitation, potable and industrial water systems, and disinfection
chemistry to answer consumers’ call-in
questions.
Schnieders is a certified professional
chemist and the lead chemist in charge
of research at Water System Engineering Inc., an independent water testing
and consulting group specializing in
groundwater source wells, located in
Ottawa, Kansas.
Michael Schnieders, John’s son, is a
graduate hydrogeologist and has been
president and headed up Water System
Engineering the last two years.
After John and Michael discussed the
issue and asked several employees in
the consulting group and laboratory,
they came to a consensus on their 10point checklist used on wells to ensure
clean water.
1. Location, location, location. Is the
well located in a clean area where
there are no possibilities of contamination? Placement of the well should
take into account more than just
a 100-foot distance. It should be
placed at a higher elevation, preferably with a natural barrier to prevent
flow from the septic tank to the well.
Is the well secure from wildlife, rodents, or domestic animals? Is the
well placed at a distance from animal pens, pastures, and feeding
areas and upstream of the natural
flow of groundwater under these
areas? Does the topography slope
away from the well, preventing
drainage from impacting the well?
Is the well under the influence of
local surface water?
2. Was a corrosion test for the water
run before the casing material was
chosen? Corrosive water will require
either PVC or stainless steel casing.
3. Has the well been properly constructed? Has the well been cased
at least 50% of its depth or at the
minimum required by law? Has a
proper seal been put into place at
least 25% of the well depth or the
minimum required by law? Is the
pump placed at or near the well bottom to eliminate anaerobic growth in
the bottom zone? Was the well properly developed?
4. Has a base line for chemistry and
biology been established?
NGWA.org
Water System Engineering uses a
“streak plate” for bacterial growth to
aid in identification of problematic
bacteria.
“Given the importance
of water to both health
and home, it is foolish not
to test your well at least
once a year.”
iform and anaerobic activity at least
annually.
8. Has the distribution line from the
well to the first discharge point been
cleaned at least every five years?
6. Has the well been cleaned at least
every five years? Minimal cleaning
should remove the pump and clean
the well bottom. The well pump
should be serviced at this time.
9. The area around the well should be
inspected and serviced annually.
Ground surface should be sloped
away from the well. No break in the
contact between the soil and the well
that could be a conduit to the well
seal should exist. All growth of
weeds, trees, shrubs, or grasses with
extended root systems should be removed from a 10-foot area around
the well.
7. Provided the initial chemistry was
acceptable and there has not been
any chemical activity within the
well vicinity, the minimal laboratory
checks for a well should be for col-
10. Considering that the well mechanics
are checked every five years with
the well cleaning, the chemistry and
biology of the well should be run
every 10 years to ensure there are no
5. Is the well being operated properly?
Is it pumped at least every four to
seven days to prevent extended periods of inactivity that might lead to
excessive bacterial growth?
NGWA.org
changes in groundwater quality or
contamination.
Conclusion
NGWA recommends that well owners schedule routine annual maintenance
checks of their well systems to assure
the proper operation of the well, to prolong its years of service, and to monitor
the quality of the water.
“Wells and aquifers are subject to
a wide range of potential influences,”
Michael Schnieders says. “So often we
take our wells for granted, not realizing
what a precious and fragile resource
they are until we have trouble. Given
the importance of water to both health
and home, it is foolish not to test your
well at least once a year.”
While each driller’s well maintenance checklist may indeed differ,
Wellowner.org provides consumers with
a list of what a water well contractor
who is licensed or certified should do
during a well checkup. WWJ
For more information on well maintenance, including a homeowner’s checklist to give to your consumer, visit
www.Wellowner.org.
Water Well Journal April 2010 21/