Need help my decommissioned well is over flowing at the cap!


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Old 10-02-09, 03:04 PM
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Need help my decommissioned well is over flowing at the cap!

I drilled a new well 9/2007 after my existing well went dry.
The decommissioned well is 88 feet deep w/casing 8 feet.
We have had the wettest spring & summer ever here in the Northeast so this Spring the well began to overflow.
It is only 2’3” from the foundation and shows signs of water infiltration w/effervescence on the slab inside.

I have been told by the well driller, who drilled the new well
That the only thing I can do is add a pitless adapter & bury a 1” poly pipe to discharge the water away from the house.

Is there any other simpler was to do this?
Can it be capped, or will this add pressurized water under the slab?

Thanks in advance for your help!
 
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Old 10-02-09, 08:54 PM
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How much water is coming out of the well?
Is the well pvc or steel?
Was the casing sealed/cemented in?


Travis
 
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Old 10-03-09, 02:30 PM
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I don't know what they require in NY, but I know that in Florida that to properly and legally decommission a well, you need a whole lot of grout and a whole lot of concrete. Just capping it off, doesn't get it legally and for good reason.

Having lived in both places, it would be hard to believe that the NY water well regulations are less strict than Florida's and that means in tiny Columbia County as well as tiny Gilchist County.

This doesn't help you much with your current problem, although a small surface pump might. If you can set up the pump not to run dry (using a valve on the out put line) then maybe you can suck down enough to keep up with the outflow. Balancing will be the problem.
 
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Old 10-06-09, 05:07 PM
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I agree wasnt decomissoned correctly but maybe this thing would work..

Well Busters I Flowing Well Packer
 
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Old 10-08-09, 03:45 PM
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More Info

Water is not overflowing now, 6" steel casing, when it was overflowing was between 1-2 gpm. It stopped 2 weeks ago.
The cap is a normal cap for an operating well, which is not the case now, the pump was removed.
This property is in Mt. Washington, Mass., the south western corner of the state bordering Salisbury Ct. & Copake Falls NY.
Looking for a better/easier solution.
-Thanks for your help
 
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Old 10-08-09, 04:38 PM
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The best, easiest and legal solution is to call a pro and let him decommission the well properly. Mass tightened up it's regs in 1992. All wells are supposed to be registered now. I don't think you are allowed to DIY decommission in Mass anymore.

In Mass, I think a report of well decommissioning needs to be recorded and made a part of the property chain-of-title. Something like that.
 
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Old 10-08-09, 04:46 PM
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I can do that, I just need to know the best solution so I know before having a professional do it.
 
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Old 10-09-09, 06:27 AM
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The other option is what the well man told you.
Because you are in an area that freezes, you would need a pitless adapter and let it flow.

It you try and cap it, the pipe will freeze and burst. Also, if there is any leak in the well casing, the water will come out there. This could cause underground erosion. In Florida, we have thousands of these "aretesian" or flowing wells which flow year round and can be used for irrigation of crops, but your only flows when it is wet, so no good for that. Capping worked fine until the well casing rusted out, so the State is on a big eradication effort.

The reason sending the water elsewhere isn't the best way, is because you have to send the water somewhere. This will cause a wet spot, probably encourage breeding mosquitoes, upset the neighbors if it a small lot, etc. Also, the local gov't may take a dim view of this since it's considered a waste of fresh water.
 
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Old 10-15-09, 05:19 PM
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Your solution is to have it properly abandoned. In Ohio we are required to abandon a well we are replacing at the time it's replaced or they do not give a final approval on the permit. The reason is because the well if not being used becomes a source of contamination for not only your current well but possibly the entire aquifer your well was created in. Why didn't the well driller of your current well abandon it properly when he drilled the new well?

In Ohio we are allowed to pressure grout wells with bentonite to abandon them. Check your state regulations as they may require concrete. For what it's worth, I calculated that my company would charge $883.44 to abandon that well That includes the required permit, pressure grouting to within 2 feet of grade, removing the top 2 feet of casing and back filling the hole after casing is cut off.
 
 

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