- Home
- Companies
- Directed Technologies Drilling ...
- Services
- Groundwater Extraction
Groundwater Extraction
Groundwater extraction from a horizontal well is somewhat similar to a vertical well system. A screened section of casing is emplaced in the zone targeted for groundwater extraction. The screened casing is connected to blank casing leading to the ground surface. Water from the surrounding formation enters the screened section and is pumped to the surface using a submersible pump.
The similarities end here. Horizontal wells can treat a much larger area, even crossing an entire contaminant plume, than vertical wells. Since only one pump is needed, the equipment, labor, operation, and maintenance costs are typically reduced over a multiple-pump vertical well system. And, since multiple vertical wells must all be connected and manifolded, they incur an additional cost that is not needed for a horizontal installation.
The design and materials for groundwater extraction wells vary considerably depending on site-specific circumstances such as yield rate, grain-size distribution, type of contaminant, and length and depth of the well. Well material options typically considered are:
- High density polyethylene (HDPE)
- Carbon steel
- Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
- Fiberglass-reinforced epoxy (FRE)
- Stainless steel
Each of the above materials has particular advantages and disadvantages related to cost, strength, resistance to corrosion or degradation, or ease of installation. The design and materials specification for remediation system installation must also cover groundwater filtration. Typical options to prevent silting of wells include EnviroFlex or other integrated filter pipes, or pipe-based prepack well screens.