When a homeowner, business or farm has a well that they no longer need or use, sometimes we can forget about the well.  There can be a tendency to neglect the care and upkeep of that well. If you have a well on your property that no longer has a use, either now or in the future, it should be properly filled and plugged when it is no longer of service – a process called Well Abandonment. But what exactly is Well Abandonment?

Abandonment is a term used to describe the actual filling and plugging of the well so that is can no longer be used. In the process the well is filled and capped making sure that water does not continue to flow or pose a risk to the aquifer or surrounding wells. This also includes any drill holes or exploratory boreholes that may have been drilled as well.

State Mandate

Because of the potential issues that can arise from a well that is no longer in use or is in a state of disrepair, the State of Florida requires that for a well to be properly and legally abandoned, the work must be permitted and completed by a properly licensed water well contractor.

Importance of Properly Abandoning a Water Well

People understand the importance of properly drilling a well, but they do not think about potential issues that can arise form a well that is no longer in use but has not been properly abandoned.

Abandoned or unused wells pose a great threat to the safety and quality of groundwater drinking water supplies and aquifers.

• Open wells can be a safety hazard for people and animals.
• If you have a free-flowing artesian wells that is no longer of use, it can potentially waste many millions of gallons per day of our precious water resources.
• Wells that are not free flowing can pose a risk as they can provide a direct path for contaminants and pollutants to the underground aquifers that supply working wells.

All wells that are no longer needed need to be properly filled when they are removed from service.

Well Abandonment Procedure

Location, size, and depth and type of a water well will determine the actual procedures and materials used in any well abandonment project, there is no one size fits all approach.

In general terms, the Well Abandonment process involves:

• A site visit to inventory the well.
• Creation of an abandonment plan.
• A permit for the well abandonment is applied for and granted.
• Scheduling a time for a permanent well abandonment by a licensed well driller.

Wells can typically be abandoned in a single day, depending on the depth and size of the well. Our experienced technicians are professionals in determining the proper solution for a safe and environmentally sound water well abandonment.

Well Rehabilitation

There are times that you well may slow or stop producing water altogether. This does not necessarily mean that the well is no longer useful and need to be abandoned. Sometimes we can inspect a well and bring it back to life with a Water Well Rehabilitation.