Development of Water Wells

Submitted To:

Engr. Dr. Muhammad Hamid Mehmood

Submitted By:

Muhammad Hannan

B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture (Water Management)

 Water Well

A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by

digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources,
usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is
a water well, to access groundwater in underground
aquifers. Water can also be injected back into the aquifer
through the well.
Wells are extremely important to all societies. In many
places wells provide a reliable and ample supply of water for
home uses, irrigation, and industries. Where surface water is
scarce, such as in deserts, people couldn't survive and thrive
without groundwater, and people use wells to get at
underground water.
 Well Development

Before any decision can be made on well development, it is

necessary to check on the exact situation that exists in the
zone to be developed. The overriding considerations are:

 Cost
 Time
 Tools, equipment and materials available
 Yield
 Likelihood of achieving the desired yield
 The risk of causing a decline in yield or loss of the well

A secondary issue, but equally as important include:

 Drilling fluids used during the drilling process

 Type of drilling method employed
 The nature of the aquifer, its permeability and chemical
composition
 Well type i.e. rock well or screen well
 Development procedures are designed to create a non-
turbulent flow into the well. As water from the aquifer flows
toward the well, the flow lines crowd together as they
approach the well. This crowding causes resistance. Any flow
resistance decreases yield. It is to lessen flow resistance and
improve permeability that we use well development
techniques to remove any flow obstructions.
A process called well development must occur whenever a
well has been installed in the subsurface. This will ensure
proper hydraulic connection with the aquifer.
Drilling fluids can be introduced into the adjacent aquifer
during the well installation. Even with hollow-stem auger
drilling which uses no drilling fluids, clays from adjacent
strata can be smeared along the borehole walls during
drilling. A fine layer of clay smeared along the well screen will
decrease the permeability of that region and alter the
hydraulic response of the well. The purpose of well
development in wells used for
water resources is to alter the
physical characteristics of the
aquifer near the borehole in order
to allow water to flow more freely
toward the well.
Well development removes fine
sediments along the well screen-
aquifer contact and some distance
into the formation.
In terms of the apparatus used and
the type of water motion created
across the well screen, the methods may differ. A back and
forth flow (alternating inflow and outflow across the well
screen) is preferred.

Necessity of Development of Water Wells

Development of water wells aims at removing the finer

material from the aquifer, thereby, cleaning out openings or
enlarging passages in the formation so that water can enter
the well more freely.

It is an essential operation in the completion and proper

operation of a water well and has the following benefits:

• It stabilizes the sand formation around a screened well so

that the well may yield sand free water.

• It increases the porosity and permeability of the natural

formation in the vicinity of the well and thereby increases the
well yield.

• Corrects any damage, which occurs as a side effect from

the drilling.

All new wells should be developed before they are put to

operation to achieve a free water movement at the highest
specific capacity. The older wells should also be periodically
developed to improve the yield. Aquifer development is done
when it will not yield enough water even after the well
developed.
Well Development Method Adopted in Pakistan

Overpumping

The simplest but least effective development method is

pumping a well at 2-3 times the designed discharge rate for a
prolonged period. This does not really agitate the soil enough
to create a real filter around the screen and it tends to
develop only a short section of the length of screen.
However, it is useful because if the well can be pumped sand
free at a high rate, it can be pumped sand free at a lower
rate. If the water level is within 3.05 to 4.57 m (10 to 15 ft) of
ground surface, it is sometimes possible to use the mud
pump as a suction pump to pump water from the well for 2
to 3 hours. If this can be done, do not pump continuously:
start-stop cycle pumping is best for developing a well.
If this is not possible, install the bush pump and use a
separate cylinder for the development process since
particulate matter removed during development can cause
an abnormally high rate of wear on the pump resulting in
early pump failure. Using a larger pump cylinder than
planned for the final installation will enhance the
effectiveness of the well development.
The effectiveness of overpumping can also be enhanced by
attaching a rubber gasket around the top of the pump
cylinder and lowering it into the well until it is adjacent to the
top of the well screen.
Mechanical Surging

Mechanical surging is the first of two methods of well

development that removes particles and clogging materials
by the force of water impinging on them. A development
method such as mechanical surging is a vigorous
development method not suited to all aquifer types.
Mechanical surging has less potential for aquifer damage if a
continuous flow of water into the well from the aquifer is
maintained.

Mechanical plungers may be fitted with one-way valves

allowing them to lift water and fine sand out of the hole.
Solid plungers do exist but have more potential to damage
the aquifer. The results of mechanical surging should be
measured by checking the well yield periodically, every hour
after the process begins. Surge plunger should be a good fit
in the casing. The plunger may be attached directly to the
drill stem or operated by hand depending on well depth.

Water is forced to flow in and out of a screen by raising and

lowering a plunger apparatus within the well casing. The
surge block is attached to PVC pipe and raised and lowered
causing water flow through the well screen.
This is the most common method which use in Pakistan for
mostly domestic wells development.

Backwashing

This is also a relatively simple method of development which

requires a water lifting device and a container in which water
can be stored and then from which it will be allowed to flow
easily back into the well. Water is pumped to the surface
until the container is full; it is then rapidly dumped back into
the well. Repeating this motion many times can provide
some development of the surrounding water bearing
formation.

It is crucial that the water which is pumped to surface be

allowed to sit until the suspended material has settled. The
clear water should then be decanted into a second container
and from there dumped back into the well. This will ensure
that fine particulate is not inadvertently re-introduced into
the well.

If a gasket has not been attached to the top of the pump

cylinder, it may be possible to combine over pumping with
backwashing by collecting water from the over pumping
process, allowing it to settle and then rapidly pouring the
decanted water back into the well.
 Well Development Basics

Well development is the act of cleaning out the clay and silt
introduced during the drilling process as well as the finer part
of the aquifer directly around the well screen before the well
is placed in service.
By boring fewer boreholes, it will ensure that wells are
developed to the best possible technical standards. The well
will be less likely to fail within a few years.

Development should continue until the discharge water is

clear and all fine material from the well and adjacent aquifer
have been removed. The time required for development
depends on the nature of the water bearing layer, the
thickness of screen slots relative to aquifer particle size, the
amount of material rinsed from the well prior to placing the
filter pack, and the type of equipment and degree of
development desired. Large amounts of development energy
are required to remove drilling fluid containing clay additives.

There are two main objectives to be achieved through well

development. Better well yield will be accomplished
whichever method is used.

 Repair any damage done to the formation surrounding

the borehole by the physical operation of drilling.
Repairing the damage to the formation involves:
Removing any “clay smear” or “mud cake” covering the
aquifer surface Flushing out of the borehole drilling fluids,
which were introduced during the drilling process. Reverse
any chemical or physical changes to the formation
surrounding the borehole, which was brought on by the
drilling activities and or drilling fluids.
 Improve near-well permeability and stability. By
improving the permeability and stability of the area
immediately adjacent to production zones, water flow
into the well is maximized.