WorldWide Drilling Resource

68 OCTOBER 2014 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Triplex Well Installation Overcomes Nitrate Problem by Tracy Keck Hose Solutions, Inc. A small Midwest city does not have an existing water treatment facility and does not use aboveground water stor- age. The city’s water demand is supplied through water wells which have always met potable water standards. The wells in the water system come on and off to maintain the needed water pressure, and the aquifer acts as the water storage. The city is at risk of not meeting po- table water standards as the nitrate lev- els in the groundwater have continued to increase year after year. The excess of nitrates in the groundwater come from fertilizer being used in nearby fields which eventually find their way into the aquifer. To overcome this problem with tra- ditional methods would require they build an $80 million water treatment facility. In an effort to save tax dollars, the city looked at alternative methods to solve their nitrate problems. They discovered the water pumped from the top of the aquifer had a higher concentration of nitrates. Therefore, the city has taken an existing well and in- stalled three pumps into it, each approxi- mately ten feet deeper than the other. All drop pipe op- tions were explored. For a variety of rea- sons, flexible drop pipe was selected as the best material for the application. Since the pump set at the top of the aquifer pumps the water with a higher concentration of ni- trates, this water is used for irrigating crops . The l ower pumps are used to supply potable drink- ing water to the city. As shown in the above photo, flex- ible drop pipe was brought into the well house through the front door and low- ered into the well by a crane through the roof. The well head was lowered into position. There were 3-inch x 5-inch hoses installed into a well that was 17 inches in diameter! Happy campers al l around and problem solved. Tracy Tracy Keck may be contacted via e-mail at admin@ worldwidedrillingresource.com " # # # " "# # ! #! % # !! " ! " "# ! & ! % ! # ' ! & !! #' " $!"# " # " ##" " " " " $# " !!! Minnesota to Start Cracking Down on Irrigation Well Permits Adapted from an Article by Mark Steil with Minnesota Public Radio News Although crop irrigation has in- creased in Minnesota over the past few years, hundreds of farmers appear to be irrigating crops without required state permits. Permits are required when a water well extracts either 10,000 gallons per day, or one million gallons a year. According to a Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) News investigation of public well records, of the approximately 1200 crop irrigation wells drilled between 2008 and 2012, more than 200 are probably operating without a permit. Additionally, nearly 200 others operated without a permit until the past year or so. Irrigating without a permit is a mis- demeanor, and the state requires farmers to file annual pumping reports in addition to paying for the water used. In addition to avoiding fees, farmers who irrigate without the required permits are pumping millions of gallons of water without the state’s knowledge. This is im- peding the state's ability to manage groundwater supplies. MPR News contacted some of the farmers whose wells had no permits and discovered a lot of farmers were not aware of state requirements. One farmer in particular said he supports the idea of the state playing a role in regulating irrigation, and he was surprised to discover one of his wells showed up as unpermitted. It turns out he has a state water permit, but when his permitted well stopped producing, he drilled a new well. He was supposed to update his permit with a new well num- ber. A simple oversight, but this is a common situation, and easily solved by amending the existing permit. Another central Minnesota farmer with an unpermitted well went through his files to locate his irrigation records. He found a document showing his well paperwork was sent. The paperwork went to the health department because the well drilling company sent it there. Farmers typically get a copy of the fil- ing, but many farmers wrongly assume the filing is sufficient. Many don't realize they need to take the additional step of getting a DNR (Department of Natural Resources) permit for the well. Irrigation plays a vital role to today’s farmers. One farmer said despite last summer being very dry, he harvested 210-240 bushels of corn per acre on irri- gated land. On his unirrigated land, the harvest was a sixth of that, closer to 35 bushels an acre. The state's more than 5000 irrigation units have pumped as much as 130 billion gallons of water in a single summer, most Every well in Minnesota is given a unique number by the Department of Health. Photo by Mark Steil courtesy of MPR News. Minnesota cont’d on page 72.