Challenge

Leavens Ranches sought to replace an existing irrigation well with a new, deeper well to increase irrigation water production and improve the water quality. Nearby agricultural properties had wells completed to depths of 800-1,000 feet. The client needed to determine the feasibility of drilling a deeper well to increase the irrigation water supply and groundwater quality.

Solutions

Geo-Logic Associates (GLA) was contracted to provide comprehensive hydrogeological support services for the new well that included a feasibility study, well construction bid specifications, well construction oversight, optimized well design, final well performance testing, and project documentation in a well summary report.

Our team began with a feasibility study that investigated groundwater in neighboring wells in an approximately one-mile radius, tabulating data from well completion reports, groundwater levels, and water quality data from the wells. We summarized these data in a Hydrogeologic Tech Memo that included recommendations for the preliminary design of the replacement well.

GLA also assisted with the bidding process by developing specifications and assisting in selection of the drilling contractor. The preliminary well design recommendations were included in the GLA-prepared bid packet to prospective well drilling contractors. The bid packet included a recommendation to conduct groundwater flow profiling and discrete depth water quality sampling in the new well to determine which zone(s) within the screened interval are yielding the highest concentrations of undesirable compounds.

Once the contractor was selected, GLA provided construction oversight, including direction of well construction, development, and aquifer testing. The geologic samples, borehole geophysical logs, aquifer zone tests, and water quality results were used to develop a final well design. Upon completion of the well construction, GLA designed and supervised an aquifer testing program that included step and constant rate pumping tests, all included in our final summary well installation report.

Results

The well was successfully completed in a deeper aquifer, meeting all of the client’s needs. Our well design resulted yielded over 150% of the target production capacity and maximum well extraction rates of 250% of the target design. The water quality has also proven to be much higher than the original well.