e: [The Well] Unrelenting turbity following hydrofracturing
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Fred Rothauge
Oct 3, 2009, 10:40:31 AM10/3/09
to the...@ngwa.biglist.com
Being a drilling fluids engineer and having performed many re-developments I would suggest flushing the well with approximately 10 well volumes of dispersant mixture. I have had great success with JOHNSON SCREENS NW-220. The concentration of 1 gallon of NW-220 per 500 gallons of water should do a good job. Then flush after 24 Hours hard as possible. This should help stabilize the shale and clear the water quality.
Fred Rothauge
Quality Drilling Fluids
----- Original Message -----
From: blmailer-thewell=ngwa.big...@biglist.com <blmailer-thewell=ngwa.big...@biglist.com>
To: the...@ngwa.biglist.com <the...@ngwa.biglist.com>
Sent: Sat Oct 03 09:26:22 2009
Subject: Re: [The Well] Unrelenting turbity following hydrofracturing
Being a hydrogeologist with a bedrock well in shale serving my home, I
would tend to shy away from the well flock. At my house I have
installed a simple 'whole house' particulate filter easily purchased at
a Home Depot or Lowes and installed after the pressure tank. The
filters cost about $10 to $15 each... I usually change mine out every
two to three months (I purposely try to over extend the recomended
replacement intervals; and yes, me trying to be cheap).
A others have stated hydro fracking in shale can exacerbate the influx
of fines from the fracture network. I would have had the hydrofracking
company pull my pump and as others have said install a temporary pump
to pump the well hard at different depths; i.e., "real well
re-development". Typically turbidity should drop off with time but if
one has to use the well it does pose an inconvenience. Thus, my
recommendations for the simple filter versus a complete treatment
system.
-----Original Message-----
From: Cliff Treyens <ctre...@ngwa.org>
To: the...@ngwa.biglist.com <the...@ngwa.biglist.com>
Sent: Fri, Oct 2, 2009 2:09 pm
Subject: [The Well] Unrelenting turbity following hydrofracturing
Typically, when I get a well owner inquiry, I refer the
individual to content on our Wellowner.org. Web site or refer the well
owner to
our Contractor Lookup service. Neither approach works too well for the
inquiry
below.
Any t
houghts on what might be the problem?
cliff
treyens l public awareness director l
national
ground water association l
About the middle of July our well gave us a severely
limited amount of water. A company did two hydro fracs on the well,
the last
one being done in August. We have been running the water constantly
since then
for 8 weeks to get it clean. For the last three weeks we have hit a
plateau,
with the water quality not improving. It is a silvery grey and is not
settling
out when put in a clear glass. Last Monday (1 ½ weeks ago), we decided
that
maybe the bottom arteries are not getting cleaned out because of the
head
pressure in the well, so instead of running the water all day through a
faucet
and bathtub in the house, we decided to run the well almost dry through
a hose
in the basement quickly. The first day we did it, we got extremely
grey water,
which gradually got clearer. We are again at the point where we are
getting
this silvery grey water and nothing is settling out. Lab work on the
water
said that this is shale, PH looks almost perfect
Today, we called back the guy who did the
hydro-fraccing and he said he would order floc for the well. He is
coming
Tuesday or Wednesday to do this.A
0 He said if this doesn’t work then we
need to get a water treatment system.
This past summer, my husband had to floc
our pool (on the recommendation of a pool center) and it totally messed
up our
filter for about three weeks (constantly clogged, had to backwash
constantly
– sometimes after 3 minutes)
My questions are:
1. Do you have any
experience with flocking a well, and can you offer any pointers to the
advantages/disadvantages, what to be careful of, etc.?
2. If the well is
flocked…how should the water/ solids in the water/coagulated material be
pumped out?
3. If this well is
flocked, does it mess with the screen on the well pump?
4. After flocking, what
happens to the new water from the arteries
coming into the well?
Should this
water be clean? Does it have to be flocked again?
5. Should the well pump
screen be pulled and cleaned?
6. Why didn’t we
have this problem before the hydro-fraccing?
Any help you can give to us would be more
than appreciated.
You are subscribed as mill...@aol.com
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Fred Rothauge
Quality Drilling Fluids
----- Original Message -----
From: blmailer-thewell=ngwa.big...@biglist.com <blmailer-thewell=ngwa.big...@biglist.com>
To: the...@ngwa.biglist.com <the...@ngwa.biglist.com>
Sent: Sat Oct 03 09:26:22 2009
Subject: Re: [The Well] Unrelenting turbity following hydrofracturing
Being a hydrogeologist with a bedrock well in shale serving my home, I
would tend to shy away from the well flock. At my house I have
installed a simple 'whole house' particulate filter easily purchased at
a Home Depot or Lowes and installed after the pressure tank. The
filters cost about $10 to $15 each... I usually change mine out every
two to three months (I purposely try to over extend the recomended
replacement intervals; and yes, me trying to be cheap).
A others have stated hydro fracking in shale can exacerbate the influx
of fines from the fracture network. I would have had the hydrofracking
company pull my pump and as others have said install a temporary pump
to pump the well hard at different depths; i.e., "real well
re-development". Typically turbidity should drop off with time but if
one has to use the well it does pose an inconvenience. Thus, my
recommendations for the simple filter versus a complete treatment
system.
-----Original Message-----
From: Cliff Treyens <ctre...@ngwa.org>
To: the...@ngwa.biglist.com <the...@ngwa.biglist.com>
Sent: Fri, Oct 2, 2009 2:09 pm
Subject: [The Well] Unrelenting turbity following hydrofracturing
Typically, when I get a well owner inquiry, I refer the
individual to content on our Wellowner.org. Web site or refer the well
owner to
our Contractor Lookup service. Neither approach works too well for the
inquiry
below.
Any t
houghts on what might be the problem?
cliff
treyens l public awareness director l
national
ground water association l
About the middle of July our well gave us a severely
limited amount of water. A company did two hydro fracs on the well,
the last
one being done in August. We have been running the water constantly
since then
for 8 weeks to get it clean. For the last three weeks we have hit a
plateau,
with the water quality not improving. It is a silvery grey and is not
settling
out when put in a clear glass. Last Monday (1 ½ weeks ago), we decided
that
maybe the bottom arteries are not getting cleaned out because of the
head
pressure in the well, so instead of running the water all day through a
faucet
and bathtub in the house, we decided to run the well almost dry through
a hose
in the basement quickly. The first day we did it, we got extremely
grey water,
which gradually got clearer. We are again at the point where we are
getting
this silvery grey water and nothing is settling out. Lab work on the
water
said that this is shale, PH looks almost perfect
Today, we called back the guy who did the
hydro-fraccing and he said he would order floc for the well. He is
coming
Tuesday or Wednesday to do this.A
0 He said if this doesn’t work then we
need to get a water treatment system.
This past summer, my husband had to floc
our pool (on the recommendation of a pool center) and it totally messed
up our
filter for about three weeks (constantly clogged, had to backwash
constantly
– sometimes after 3 minutes)
My questions are:
1. Do you have any
experience with flocking a well, and can you offer any pointers to the
advantages/disadvantages, what to be careful of, etc.?
2. If the well is
flocked…how should the water/ solids in the water/coagulated material be
pumped out?
3. If this well is
flocked, does it mess with the screen on the well pump?
4. After flocking, what
happens to the new water from the arteries
coming into the well?
Should this
water be clean? Does it have to be flocked again?
5. Should the well pump
screen be pulled and cleaned?
6. Why didn’t we
have this problem before the hydro-fraccing?
Any help you can give to us would be more
than appreciated.
You are subscribed as mill...@aol.com
to The Well by National Ground Water Association
EasyUnsubscribe
(by email)
--~----------------------------------------------------------------
The Well Mailing list by National Ground Water Association
EasyUnsubscribe: http://ngwa.biglist.com/unsub/22/1885576
or by email: thewel...@ngwa.biglist.com
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Mark W. Eisner
Oct 3, 2009, 1:17:56 PM10/3/09
to the...@ngwa.biglist.com
Good Saturday to everyone. The context of my response presupposes this was
a domestic well hydro-fracturing attempt to improve yield, not something
caused by an energy company exploring for (say) natural gas somewhere
nearby. My response is predicated on nearly 25 years of successful water
supply work in fractured and consolidated bedrock - a screened well in a
sand and gravel aquifer would be handled differently. (Your descriptions
support my presumptions.
I do not disagree with the other recommendations herein. My experience,
though, differs. I agree that www.wellowner.org is a fine place to start. I
am unfamiliar with the use of flocculation agents on a residential well - to
me that is treating the symptom rather than the cause. I like hitting the
cause, hard.
Like plunging a toilet, you have to make it worse on purpose before making
it better. Based on what you provided, I might consider the following
approach, starting with bringing the drilling/fracking company back out and
screaming "Lawyer" like holy hell from the rooftops. When your emotions are
in check and you have compelled a suitable discount (or free remedial
service), have them do the following (nothing here is guaranteed - my
practical advise may not be applicable to the specifics of your circumstance
- and is worth what you paid for it):
1. Remove and thoroughly clean all pumping equipment from the well. Lay it
aside before its final disinfection and reinsertion when the well water runs
visibly clear.
2. Sound the total depth of the well with a weighted water tape or other
appropriate means. If the well seems shallower than before, likely it has
particulates which have accumulated at the bottom. These will need to be
mobilized and cleaned out; usually this is best done with an air compressor
through a process called air lift development.
3. The water discharged during the remedial process should be visibly
monitored. White Styrofoam coffee cups work well as a low-tech approach -
ideally no particles should be visible. Before getting to this stage, Mason
Jars are re-useable and handy for observing qualitative improvement.
4. Sadly, a trial-and-error method consisting of over-pumping (at higher
flow-rates than sustainable in the long run), followed by waiting, usually
is in order. Pumping at sustained, prolonged rates usually asymptotically
approaches a circumstance of diminishing return. Repeatedly turning the
pump on-and-off can establish a back-and-forth surging action in the
aquifer, like plunging a toilet or other drain.
5. After cleaning the bottom of the well (if necessary), raise the pump or
air line to the top of the water column, surging each 5- or 10-foot
increment as you work your way down. Do not lower the pump until satisfied
that things are clean in the zone you are working, in on-and-off fashion.
If things stay turbid (iced tea or worse), you need a large air compressor,
of the kind on a drill rig, to be more aggressive about it.
6. It is possible that the well has become damaged at the base of its
casing, letting overlying soil in around the bottom of the casing. In this
circumstance, the well will need to be completely reconstructed or replaced
by a professional driller. No amount of redevelopment will overcome this
rare but possible circumstance.
7. Once you are otherwise convinced that the well may be returned to
service, first drain and empty your hot water heater (you pumped sediment
through it, which doubtlessly settled to its bottom. Remove and clean or
replace all sink aerators, inspect toilet tanks for excessive residue, etc.
Once things are visibly as ship-shape as they can be, thoroughly
shock-chlorinate the well (check with the local health department for
procedures). Open your taps until the house smells like a swimming pool,
shut off the taps and let the chlorine sit overnight. The next morning, run
the chlorine off using the garden hose, to a safe outdoor discharge
location. Do not purge chlorine into your septic system.
8. Consider a whole-house filter AND disinfection system if the water does
not achieve and maintain complete visible clarity, or if a lab result
indicates the presence of e coil or fecal coliform bacteria. Bacteria occurs
with particles - a particulate filter alone may not protect you from
pathogenic contamination.
Good luck. Please let us all know how things work out. Contact me direct if
you have questions.
Mark W. Eisner, P.G., President
Advanced Land and Water, Inc.
7540 Main Street, Suite 7
Sykesville, MD 21784
Tel: 410-795-4626
Fax: 410-795-4611
web: www.alwi.com
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This transmission (including any attachments)
contains information which is confidential or may be subject to work product
or other privilege, and is intended solely for the individual or entity
named above. If you are not the intended recipient, any interception,
copying, distribution, disclosure or use of this transmission or any
information contained in it is strictly prohibited, and may be subject to
criminal and civil penalties. If you have received this transmission in
error, please call 410-795-4626 immediately, delete this transmission from
all forms of electronic or other storage, and destroy all hard copies. Do
not forward this transmission. Thank you.
a domestic well hydro-fracturing attempt to improve yield, not something
caused by an energy company exploring for (say) natural gas somewhere
nearby. My response is predicated on nearly 25 years of successful water
supply work in fractured and consolidated bedrock - a screened well in a
sand and gravel aquifer would be handled differently. (Your descriptions
support my presumptions.
I do not disagree with the other recommendations herein. My experience,
though, differs. I agree that www.wellowner.org is a fine place to start. I
am unfamiliar with the use of flocculation agents on a residential well - to
me that is treating the symptom rather than the cause. I like hitting the
cause, hard.
Like plunging a toilet, you have to make it worse on purpose before making
it better. Based on what you provided, I might consider the following
approach, starting with bringing the drilling/fracking company back out and
screaming "Lawyer" like holy hell from the rooftops. When your emotions are
in check and you have compelled a suitable discount (or free remedial
service), have them do the following (nothing here is guaranteed - my
practical advise may not be applicable to the specifics of your circumstance
- and is worth what you paid for it):
1. Remove and thoroughly clean all pumping equipment from the well. Lay it
aside before its final disinfection and reinsertion when the well water runs
visibly clear.
2. Sound the total depth of the well with a weighted water tape or other
appropriate means. If the well seems shallower than before, likely it has
particulates which have accumulated at the bottom. These will need to be
mobilized and cleaned out; usually this is best done with an air compressor
through a process called air lift development.
3. The water discharged during the remedial process should be visibly
monitored. White Styrofoam coffee cups work well as a low-tech approach -
ideally no particles should be visible. Before getting to this stage, Mason
Jars are re-useable and handy for observing qualitative improvement.
4. Sadly, a trial-and-error method consisting of over-pumping (at higher
flow-rates than sustainable in the long run), followed by waiting, usually
is in order. Pumping at sustained, prolonged rates usually asymptotically
approaches a circumstance of diminishing return. Repeatedly turning the
pump on-and-off can establish a back-and-forth surging action in the
aquifer, like plunging a toilet or other drain.
5. After cleaning the bottom of the well (if necessary), raise the pump or
air line to the top of the water column, surging each 5- or 10-foot
increment as you work your way down. Do not lower the pump until satisfied
that things are clean in the zone you are working, in on-and-off fashion.
If things stay turbid (iced tea or worse), you need a large air compressor,
of the kind on a drill rig, to be more aggressive about it.
6. It is possible that the well has become damaged at the base of its
casing, letting overlying soil in around the bottom of the casing. In this
circumstance, the well will need to be completely reconstructed or replaced
by a professional driller. No amount of redevelopment will overcome this
rare but possible circumstance.
7. Once you are otherwise convinced that the well may be returned to
service, first drain and empty your hot water heater (you pumped sediment
through it, which doubtlessly settled to its bottom. Remove and clean or
replace all sink aerators, inspect toilet tanks for excessive residue, etc.
Once things are visibly as ship-shape as they can be, thoroughly
shock-chlorinate the well (check with the local health department for
procedures). Open your taps until the house smells like a swimming pool,
shut off the taps and let the chlorine sit overnight. The next morning, run
the chlorine off using the garden hose, to a safe outdoor discharge
location. Do not purge chlorine into your septic system.
8. Consider a whole-house filter AND disinfection system if the water does
not achieve and maintain complete visible clarity, or if a lab result
indicates the presence of e coil or fecal coliform bacteria. Bacteria occurs
with particles - a particulate filter alone may not protect you from
pathogenic contamination.
Good luck. Please let us all know how things work out. Contact me direct if
you have questions.
Mark W. Eisner, P.G., President
Advanced Land and Water, Inc.
7540 Main Street, Suite 7
Sykesville, MD 21784
Tel: 410-795-4626
Fax: 410-795-4611
web: www.alwi.com
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This transmission (including any attachments)
contains information which is confidential or may be subject to work product
or other privilege, and is intended solely for the individual or entity
named above. If you are not the intended recipient, any interception,
copying, distribution, disclosure or use of this transmission or any
information contained in it is strictly prohibited, and may be subject to
criminal and civil penalties. If you have received this transmission in
error, please call 410-795-4626 immediately, delete this transmission from
all forms of electronic or other storage, and destroy all hard copies. Do
not forward this transmission. Thank you.
oyin...@yahoo.com
Oct 3, 2009, 3:17:30 PM10/3/09
to the...@ngwa.biglist.com
I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Eisner's response. It is one of the most thorough responses I've seen to this kind of question and maybe it should be edited for inclusion in wellowner.org.
I would like to add that there is one remote possibility for repair of a damaged casing as stated in #6 of Mr. Eisner's list. If the casing was was installed as a separate unit to the top of the shale without screen and gravel pack (an open-hole construction), any damage to the casing seal at the base may be repairable by a grout-squeeze operation. This should be done by a conscientious well driller who is willing to take responsibility for the results (unlike certain fracking hacks who have been discussed in this list). The question of how the well was originally constructed, and whether there are screens and gravel pack or just an open hole, should be included in the well completion report. If the owner does not have the original well completion report, it may be on file with the local well permitting agency.
Bill Cocke
Delaware Division of Water Resources
I would like to add that there is one remote possibility for repair of a damaged casing as stated in #6 of Mr. Eisner's list. If the casing was was installed as a separate unit to the top of the shale without screen and gravel pack (an open-hole construction), any damage to the casing seal at the base may be repairable by a grout-squeeze operation. This should be done by a conscientious well driller who is willing to take responsibility for the results (unlike certain fracking hacks who have been discussed in this list). The question of how the well was originally constructed, and whether there are screens and gravel pack or just an open hole, should be included in the well completion report. If the owner does not have the original well completion report, it may be on file with the local well permitting agency.
Bill Cocke
Delaware Division of Water Resources
From: Mark W. Eisner <mei...@alwi.com>
To: the...@ngwa.biglist.com
Sent: Saturday, October 3, 2009 1:17:56 PM
Subject: RE: [The Well] Unrelenting turbidity following hydro fracturing
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