WorldWide Drilling Resource

Are We Taking Groundwater Infrastructure for Granted? Adapted from Information by the National Ground Water Association When it comes to drinking water infrastructure, out of sight, out of mind, seems to be the overall attitude. However, maintaining critical infrastructure is essential to providing comfort, security, goods, and services for the U.S. economy. “Even though groundwater and the subsurface environment is not visible, we rely on it daily,” said National Ground Water Association (NGWA) CEO Kevin McCray, CAE. “The essential products and serv- ices of this unseen natural infrastructure must be managed and protected to sustain the well-being of the nation.” Meeting water supply for the 21st century will largely depend on groundwater. NGWAhas created a five-step guidance for public supply well operators to use when collaborating with consulting hydrologists and water well system professionals to max- imize their systems’ water and energy efficiency. Here is a brief summary of the steps: Step 1: Well Design - Efficiency begins with proper well design including water yield as affected by the lithology of the aquifer, casing diameter, and the well’s water intake area. Well yield is ul- timately dependent on the ability of the water to flow through and out of the aquifer. Step 2: Well Development - Well development is another critical process for maximizing the flow of water from the aquifer into the well. Well development opens the cracks, crevices, and pore spaces of the aquifer; repairs any damage caused during drilling; and removes the fine material from the immediate vicinity of the well. Step 3: Water Use Calculation and Management - Water use cal- culation is extremely important. Extracting more groundwater than what is actually needed, for any application, is wasteful and inefficient. Water use calculations show users their water consumption practices, informing them of where the most water is being used so conservation efforts can have the most impact. Step 4: Pump Selection - Proper selection of the pumping system used to move water from the well to the first point of distribution is an- other critical factor. Pump sizing includes determining the aquifer’s capability of supporting the desired flow rate, and the total dynamic head, which is a sum of pumping level, vertical rise, and friction loss. Step 5: Well Operation and Maintenance - Failure to maintain the water well system in good working order can result in inefficient operation, which ultimately re- sults in higher overall operating costs. Research has demonstrated more expen- sive initial water well component costs may actually pay for themselves in the early life of the well. An estimated 262,000 public water supply wells rely upon the natural stor- age of water in aquifers. Transmission of groundwater to a well’s intake is used by 137,900 public systems serving a com- bined 102.6 million Americans. Sadly, civil engineers have graded the country’s over- all drinking water infrastructure with a D. Now would be a great time for America’s businesses, groundwater associations, and policymakers to strengthen the coun- try by rebuilding our infrastructure, before it fails. %576 /2'%7)( %1( 63%5)6 3529-()( *25 );-67-1+ )48-30)17 ? 527%5< 7%&/)6 12: 352(8')( :-7, /%5+) 5-1+ +)%5 %1( 3-1-21 ))( !)3%-56 !27%5< 7%&/)6 = 8( 38036 = %.25 '20321)176 1-( 5-// "<67)06 1' $) %5) ()(-'%7)( 72 7,) :%7)5 :)// -1(8675< $ ,)67187 9) 1-( ,21) %; ::: )1-((5-// '20 21@7 *25+)7 5()5 <285 '23< 2* >#5%16*)5 2* #)',12/2+<? :5-77)1 &< 2,1 @ 632-5 & $ & & !' & "$!(! & ! % "$ & $ ( & % & #' % % ) & +!' ) $ ( ! !$,% ( %& *" $ % & !& ( & ! % % & $% " %" $ !( $ "$ % & & ! % !' &$ % " '% ) " +!'$ ' " !+ % &!& + 27 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® AUGUST 2016