Section 812.26. Well and drillhole filling and sealing.

 

(1)   Purpose. The filling and sealing of noncomplying, unused, abandoned, or contaminated wells or drillholes and noncomplying water systems is an important step in the protection of the local groundwater quality. Wells or drillholes, especially those with structural defects, may act as conduits for the vertical movement of contamination from or near the ground surface into the groundwater or from one aquifer to another.

(2)   Criteria for filling and sealing.

(a) The well owner shall hire a registered water well drilling or pump installing business or licensed water well driller or pump installer to fill and seal a well or a drillhole under any of the following conditions:

1. The well water is contaminated with biological agents, bacteriological, viral or parasitic and 3 attempts at batch chlorination by a licensed or registered water well driller or pump installer fail to eliminate the problem.

2. The well or drillhole poses a hazard to health or safety, or to groundwater,

3. The well or drillhole construction or well location does not comply with the minimum standards of this chapter, or

4. No later than 90 days after the well or drillhole has been removed from service. The 90-day time period in this subdivision does not apply to seasonal water systems or to high capacity irrigation wells.

5. The well construction is noncomplying.

5m. The heat exchange drillhole will not be used as part of the heat exchange system.

6. The pump installation is not operational or it does not comply with the requirements of this chapter.

(b) The department may require the well owner to hire a registered water well drilling business or a licensed individual water well driller or a registered pump installing business or a licensed individual pump installer to fill and seal a well or drillhole under the following conditions:

1. The well water is contaminated with a substance in exceedence of the drinking water standards specified in s. NR 812.06 .

2. The well or heat exchange drillhole was not constructed by the well owner or by a licensed water well or heat exchange driller or registered water well drilling business.

(c) A water well driller or well constructor shall, no later than 30 days after receiving notice from the department, fill and seal a well or drillhole, which the individual constructed or reconstructed, under the following conditions:

1. The well or heat exchange drillhole construction or location does not comply with the minimum standards of this chapter at the time the well or heat exchange drillhole was constructed, or

2. The drillhole is an unsuccessful attempt to construct or reconstruct a well.

(d) The department may require any person who has filled and sealed a well, with a method, material or in a manner not in compliance with this section, to hire a registered water well drilling business or licensed individual water well driller or a registered pump installing business or a licensed pump installer to take corrective action so that the well is filled and sealed in a complying manner.

(3)   Requirements for wells removed from service. Any well or drillhole removed from service shall be properly filled and sealed according to the criteria and procedures in this section except as exempted by s. NR 123.23 (3) (c) . Any well or drillhole removed from service shall be properly filled and sealed prior to any demolition or construction work on the property. A well driller or well constructor who removes a well from service or constructs a replacement well on a property shall inform the property owner that the department requires that any well replaced or removed from service to be filled and sealed according to the requirements of this section no later than 90 days after the well was removed from service or 90 days after the completion of the replacement well. A well driller or well constructor shall report, on the well construction report, any well he or she removes from service for any replacement well he or she constructs on the property.

- See PDF for diagram Figure 19. Specifications for spring boxes.

(5)   Well or drillhole casing pipe. The well casing pipe or drillhole casing pipe shall be left in place when a well or drillhole is filled and sealed, except under par. (a) , (b) , (c) , or (d) and only if the well or drillhole is completely filled and sealed with the sealing material as the well casing pipe is pulled or before it is pulled; and only if any concrete or neat cement grout that settles in the well or drillhole is replaced.

(a) The well casing pipe may be removed from a dry drillhole and reinstalled in a well on the same property within 30 days of original drillhole construction,

(b) The well casing pipe may be removed from a well or drillhole as part of reconstruction ordered or requested by the department. The well casing pipe may only be reinstalled on the same property if the reconstruction takes place within 120 days of the original construction,

(c) The well casing pipe may be removed from a dewatering well or a drillhole. Such well casing pipe may only be reused for dewatering wells.

(d) The well casing pipe may be removed from a recently constructed well or drillhole and reused if the well casing pipe is inspected and approved for reuse by a department representative.

(6)   Requirements prior to filling and sealing a well or drillhole.

(a) All debris, pumps, piping, ungrouted liner pipe and any other obstruction known to be in the well or drillhole shall be removed if possible before the well or drillhole is filled and sealed. When a pump is or becomes stuck within the well, a reasonable attempt using the best available technology shall be made to pull it out. If the pump cannot be pulled, a tremie pipe shall be placed in the well to a depth just above the top of the pump and neat cement grout shall be pumped in to entomb the pump and fill and seal the entire well.

(b) In a badly fractured or highly permeable geologic formation sodium bentonite drilling mud may be circulated in the drillhole or in the well prior to the filling and sealing procedures.

(c) The sealing material to be used to fill and seal a well or drillhole greater than 3 inches in diameter shall be placed through a conductor (tremie) pipe or by means of a dump bailer except when approved bentonite chips are used for wells 4 inches or larger in diameter. Conductor (tremie) pipe used shall be any of the following:

1. Metal pipe,

2. Rubber-covered hose reinforced with braided fiber or steel
and rated for at least 300 psi, or

3. For use at depths less than 100 feet, thermoplastic pipe
rated for at least 160 psi including:

a. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC);

b. Chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC);

c. Polyethylene (PE);

d. Polybutylene (PB); and

e. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).

(d) The bottom end of the conductor pipe shall be submerged in the filling and sealing material at all times, except when an alternate procedure is approved by the department.

(e) The flow from a flowing well or drillhole shall be reduced as much as possible with a packer by extending the well casing pipe or by other approved means including those depicted in figures 20 to 22 before it is filled and sealed.

(f) Filling and sealing of wells or drillholes with inadequate grouting or sealing of the annular space outside the well casing pipe or liner shall be performed to ensure complete sealing of the annular space. Techniques are situation dependent and may include reaming a new annular space outside the well casing pipe, use of pressure grouting methods or perforation of the well casing pipe. When perforation of the well casing or liner pipe is undertaken, it shall be done in a manner according to par. (h) .

(g) The well casing pipe and filling and sealing material may be terminated as much as 3 feet below the ground surface or to a depth below any future building foundation at the time of the filling and sealing procedure.

(h) When an ungrouted well casing pipe or liner cannot be pulled, it shall be perforated or ripped in place prior the filling and sealing according to the following procedures:

1. The casing pipe or liner shall be perforated using projectiles fired perpendicular to the length of the string of pipe. The perforations shall extend completely through the casing or liner pipe. As an alternative the casing pipe or liner may be vertically ripped.

2. Four perforation shots or one rip shall be provided for each 5-feet of casing or liner.

3. Each perforation shot shall be a minimum of 0.4 inches in diameter. Each rip shall have a minimum width of 0.25 inches and a minimum length of 12 inches.

4. The orientation of each successive perforation shot or rip shall be rotated by 90 degrees along the string of pipe.

5. After the well casing or liner has been perforated or ripped, the well shall be completely filled with neat cement from the bottom up to the ground surface. The well shall be filled both inside and outside the string of casing or liner pipe using a pressure grouting method in accordance with the requirements of s. NR 812.20

(i) When a well has a gravel pack that extends up to or within 20 feet of the ground surface, at least the top 20 feet of it shall be jetted out or removed in some other manner. Once the gravel pack has been removed the open annular space shall be filled and sealed with neat cement grout or concrete applied with a pressure method injected through a conductor (tremie) pipe.

(7)   Filling & sealing of wells and drillholes, methods, and materials.

(a) Methods. Once obstructions have been removed from a well or a drillhole, it shall be filled and sealed, from the bottom up, with the materials specified in this paragraph and in Table C with the use of a conductor (tremie) pipe, except where the use of a conductor pipe is specifically exempted, by using one of the following methods:

1. `Wells and drillholes completed in unconsolidated formations'.

a. Drilled wells and drillholes or driven-point wells larger than 3 inches in diameter in unconsolidated formations shall be filled and sealed with neat cement grout, concrete (sand-cement) grout, concrete or with department-approved bentonite chips as provided and specified in subd. 3. for wells 4 inches or larger in diameter.

b. Wells and drillholes less than or equal to 3 inches in diameter completed in unconsolidated formations shall be filled and sealed with neat cement grout which may be poured or pumped down the drive pipe or drillhole. The use of a conductor pipe is not required.

2. `Filling and sealing bedrock wells and drillholes'. Wells and drillholes completed in bedrock formations shall be completely filled and sealed from the bottom up with neat cement grout, concrete (sand-cement) grout, concrete or approved bentonite chips as provided in subd. 3. As an alternative for uncontaminated bedrock wells and drillholes deeper than 250 feet, chlorinated, sand-free pea gravel may be used to fill and seal the well or drillhole from the bottom up to 20 feet below the bottom of the casing pipe, or up to the 250-foot depth, whichever is deeper. This alternative may be used provided that for wells having drillholes extending through the Maquoketa Shale formation, a neat cement grout, concrete or bentonite chip plug at least 40 feet thick is placed and centered at the contact surface between the Maquoketa Shale and adjacent geologic formations, both above and below. Additionally, a neat cement grout, concrete or bentonite chip plug at least 40 feet thick shall be placed and centered at the top of the uppermost Cambrian Sandstone formation and at the top of the Eau Claire Formation of the Cambrian Sandstone whenever these layers are present in the open bedrock drillhole. When pea gravel is used for this alternative, it may be poured without the use of a conductor pipe provided the well is sounded at 50-foot intervals to ensure that bridging of the gravel in the well does not occur.

3. `Use of bentonite chips to fill and seal wells and drillholes'. Approved bentonite chips may be used to fill and seal both unconsolidated formation and bedrock wells and drillholes with the following restrictions:

a. For wells and drillholes 4-inch diameter and larger the total depth may not be deeper than 500 feet and the number of feet of standing water in the well or drillhole may not be more than 350 feet. As an alternative for uncontaminated wells and drillholes deeper than 250 feet, chlorinated, sand-free pea gravel may be used to fill and seal the well or drillhole from the bottom up to 20 feet below the bottom of the casing pipe, or up to the 250-foot depth, whichever is deeper. This alternative may be used provided that for wells or drillholes extending through the Maquoketa Shale formation, a bentonite chip plug at least 40 feet thick is placed and centered at the contact surfaces between the adjacent geologic formations, both above and below. Additionally, a neat cement grout, concrete or bentonite chip plug at least 40 feet thick shall be placed and centered at the top of the uppermost Cambrian Sandstone formation and at the top of the Eau Claire Formation of the Cambrian Sandstone whenever these layers are present in the open bedrock drillhole. When pea gravel is used for this alternative, it may be poured without the use of a conductor pipe provided the well is sounded at 50-foot intervals to ensure that bridging of the gravel in the well does not occur.

b. Not allowed for wells and drillholes less than 4-inch diameter, and

c. Not allowed for any well or drillhole filled with drilling mud or bentonite slurry.

d. Fine particles and dust, typically present in the bags of chips, shall be prevented from entering the well by pouring the chips across a coarse-mesh screen such that they tumble under their own weight across the screen before falling into the well.

e. The chips shall be poured at a rate such that a 50-pound bag is emptied in a time period not less than 3 minutes. Once the chips rise above the water table, the rate of pour may be increased.

f. The depth of chips shall be monitored during the filling process, at a minimum of once every calculated 10 bags, to ensure the chips are not bridging in the well or drillhole. Any bridge of the chips shall be removed.

g. Water from a clean, bacteriologically safe and uncontaminated source shall be poured into the well in order to hydrate the chips. Water shall be introduced until the water level rises to the top of the well casing and the well will not accept any additional water at the time the individual who performs the filling and sealing operation leaves the site.

4. `Filling and sealing dug and bored wells'.

a. Dug or bored wells shall have the cover removed and the top 5 feet of curbing or concrete wall removed. Rock curbing may be caved into the drillhole as the well is being sealed only if done in a manner to prevent bridging. The well shall be filled and sealed using clean clay or silt, clean native soil, approved bentonite chips, concrete, concrete (sand-cement) grout or neat cement grout if constructed in unconsolidated formations.

b. Dug wells and drillholes constructed partially or completely into bedrock shall be filled and sealed with neat cement grout, concrete (sand-cement) grout, concrete or approved bentonite chips to a point at least 2 feet above the top of the bedrock. The remainder of the well or drillhole may be filled and sealed using any of the materials listed in subd. 4. a.

c. Dug or bored wells 18 inches in diameter and smaller shall be filled and sealed by means of a conductor (tremie) pipe, except when bentonite chips are used as specified in subd. 3. or when clean clay or silt or clean native soil is used and the dug or bored well is 25 feet deep or less.

5. `Well pits'. When a well terminating in a pit is filled and sealed, the pit shall also be filled and sealed except when the pit is a subsurface pumproom (alcove) adjoining a basement. When a well terminating in a pit is extended above grade, the pit shall be filled and sealed. Pits shall be properly filled and sealed by first removing from the pit, all water system features, including but not limited to the pressure tank, pump, discharge piping, electrical wiring and conduit, any treatment equipment, and then by perforating the floor, knocking out or perforating one wall with several holes and filling and sealing the pit with clean native soil less permeable than the soil surrounding the pit. If the pit will only be used for the purpose of housing valves and the pit complies with NR 812.36 (1), the pit may be kept.

6. `Non-pressure conduits'. When wells having non-pressure conduits are filled and sealed, the basement end of the conduit shall be permanently sealed with a watertight cap or seal.

7. `Filling heat exchange drillholes'.

a. If the loops for a heat exchange drillhole have not been grouted in place and can be removed from the drillhole, then the loops shall be removed and the drillhole shall be filled with grout.

b. If the loops for a heat exchange drillhole have been grouted in place and cannot be removed from the drillhole, then the loops shall be evacuated of all fluids and grout shall be pumped into the loops. The drillhole shall be grouted. The loops may be left in place after the grouting procedure or may be cut off below ground surface.

- See PDF for diagram Figure 20. Inflatable packer method for permanently abandoning a flowing well.

- See PDF for diagram Figure 21. Method for reducing flow in a flowing well by extending the well casing pipe before permanently abandoning the well.

- See PDF for diagram Figure 22. Method for reducing flow in a flowing well by first adding gravel to the bottom before permanently abandoning the well.

(b) Materials.

1. Neat cement grout or concrete (sand-cement) grout as described in s. NR 812.20 (1) , or approved bentonite chips shall be used to fill and seal wells and drillholes where the use of such materials are required in this section. The grout mixture shall be measured with a mud balance and shall have a slurry weight of at least 15.2 pounds per gallon unless powdered bentonite is added. Approved powdered bentonite may be added to the neat cement grout mixture, using a ratio of up to 5 pounds of bentonite per 94-pound bag of cement. When added, the resulting mixture shall meet the specifications of Table VI. Bentonite used for this purpose shall be 90-barrel per ton yield meeting the specifications of API 13A, Sec. 9. High yield drilling mud bentonite, also known as beneficiated bentonite, may not be used for this purpose. Any other ingredients or additives, to increase fluidity, control shrinkage or time of set may only be used with approval.

Table VI

(To Be Used When Adding Approved Powdered Bentonite to

Neat Cement Grout for the Purpose of Filling and Sealing a Well) - See PDF for table

2. Concrete shall consist of a mixture of cement, water, sand, and gravel in the proportion of one bag Portland cement (94 pounds) (ASTM C 150, Type I or API-10A, Class A), an equal measure of sand and an equal measure of gravel, by weight or by volume, and not more than 6 gallons of water. As an alternative, a commercially prepared mix may be used providing the mix has at least 6 bags of cement per cubic yard. The gravel size may not exceed 1/3 of the inside diameter of the conductor (tremie) pipe used for filling and sealing the well or drillhole.

(8)   Well and drillhole filling and sealing reports.. A well and drillhole filling and sealing report shall be filed with the department no later than 30 days after the well or drillhole is filled and sealed. The filling and sealing report shall be filed by the person performing the filling and sealing work on forms specified by the department and shall include a complete, true and accurate detailed description of the location of the well or drillhole that was filled and sealed, materials and method of filling and sealing, construction and geologic features and Wisconsin Unique Well Number, if known. Water well drillers, heat exchange drillers, well constructors and pump installers shall report any unused wells or drillholes that are not filled and sealed for which they have knowledge to the department. Beginning July 1, 2016 filling and sealing reports shall be filed with the department electronically.

(9)   Well and drillhole filling and sealing license or registration requirements. In order to fill and seal a well or drillhole, or to verify that a well or drillhole was properly filled and sealed, a person must be licensed or registered in accordance with ch. NR 146 and ch. 280 , Stats.

History: Cr. Register, January, 1991, No. 421 , eff. 2-1-91; am. (2) (a) 4., (3), (6) (c) (intro.), (7) (a) (intro.) 1. b., 2., 3. a., 4. a. and c. and 5., cr. (2) (d), (7) (a) 6. and Table C, Register, September, 1994, No. 465 , eff. 10-1-94; CR 13-096 : cr. (2) (a) 5m., am. (2) (b) 2., (c) 1.,cr. (7) (a) 7., am. (8), CR 13-099 : am. (title), (1), (2) (a) (intro.), 1., 2., 4., cr. (2) (a) 5., 6., am. (2) (b), (c) (intro.), (d), (3), r. (4), am. (5) (intro.), r. (5) (e), am. (6) (title), (a), (b), (c) (intro.), 3. (intro.), (d) to (g), cr. (6) (h), (i), am. (7) (title), (a) (intro.), 1., 2., 3. (intro.), a., cr. (7) (a) 3. d. to g., am. (7) (a) 4. to 6., (b), cr. Table VI, r. and recr. Table C, am. (8), cr. (9) Register September 2014 No. 705 , eff. 10-1-14; correction in numbering in (2) (a) 5m. made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 1. , Stats., Register September 2014 No. 705 ; 2015 Wis. Act 197 ss. 47 , 48 Register April 2016 No. 724 .

Note

Note: Table VI is based on Halliburton Cementing Tables Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 TABLE C Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 ACCEPTABLE MATERIALS AND METHODS FOR WELL FILLING AND SEALING Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 - See PDF for diagram Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1