Full Description

For the water supply company Hydron South Holland in theNetherlands, clogged wells constituted a significant problemthat lowered production capacity of the well field,disrupted the purification process at the treatment plant, anddecreased overall revenues. This study was undertaken todevelop a better understanding of the clogging process, thenature of the clogging materials, and the exact position of thesematerials in the well.The Hydron South Holland wells pump anaerobic groundwaterfrom aquifers consisting of Pleistocene, sandy, and fluvial sediments.Samples were collected from a number of wells with areduced specific capacity. Light microscopy and electronmicroscopy were performed on undisturbed samples, and particlesize distribution and chemical analyses were conducted on bulksamples. On the basis of study results, a new two-pronged rehabilitationprocedure was developed for seriously clogged wells.Initial findings indicate that the procedure offers both good immediateresults and a significantly lower clogging rate over the longterm. Hydron South Holland is conducting further research toprevent initial clogging and fine-tune well drilling techniques andwell design. Utilities experiencing well clogging in similar aquiferconditions can use these findings to optimize their own rehabilitationprocedures or as a jumping-off point for new research on wellclogging and well design. Includes 9 references, table, figures.

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Edition: Vol. 95 - No. 8 Published: 08/01/2003 Number of Pages: 7 File Size: 1 file , 1 MB