Utah Administrative Code
Topic - Natural Resources
Title R655 - Natural Resources, Water Rights
Rule R655-4 - Water Wells
Section R655-4-14 - Abandonment of Wells
Universal Citation: UT Admin Code R 655-4-14
Current through Bulletin 2024-18, September 15, 2024
14.1 Temporary Abandonment.
14.1.1 When any well is
temporarily removed from service, the top of the well shall be sealed with a
tamper-resistant, watertight cap or seal. If a well is in the process of being
drilled and is temporarily abandoned, the well shall be sealed with a
tamper-resistant, watertight cap or seal and a surface seal installed in
accordance with Subsection
R655-4-11 (11.4). The well may be temporarily abandoned during construction for a maximum
of 90 days. After the 90 day period, the temporarily abandoned well shall be
completed as a well that meets the standards of Section
R655-4-11 or permanently abandoned in accordance with the following requirements, and an
official well abandonment report, also known as an abandonment log, must be
submitted in compliance with Section
R655-4-4.
14.2 Permanent Abandonment.
14.2.1 This section applies to the
abandonment of the type of wells listed in Subsection
R655-4-1 (1.2) including private water wells, public supply wells, monitor wells,
cathodic protection wells, and heating or cooling exchange wells. A licensed
driller shall notify the state engineer before commencing abandonment work of
an existing well and submit a complete and accurate abandonment log following
abandonment work in accordance with Section
R655-4-4.
Before commencing abandonment work, the driller shall obtain a copy of the well
log of the well proposed to be abandoned from the well owner or the state
engineer, if available, to determine the proper abandonment procedure. Any well
that is to be permanently abandoned shall be completely filled from bottom to
top in a manner to prevent vertical movement of water within the borehole as
well as preventing the annular space surrounding the well casing from becoming
a conduit for possible contamination of the groundwater supply. A well driller
who wishes to abandon a well in a manner that does not comply with the
provisions set forth in this section must request approval from the state
engineer.
14.3 License Required.
14.3.1 Well abandonment shall be
accomplished under the direct supervision of a currently licensed water well
driller who shall be responsible for verification of the procedures and
materials used.
14.4 Acceptable Materials.
14.4.1 Neat cement
grout, sand cement grout, unhydrated bentonite, or bentonite grout in
accordance with Subsection
R655-4-11 (11.4) shall be used to abandon wells and boreholes. Other sealing materials or
additives, such as fly ash, may be used in the preparation of grout upon
approval of the state engineer. Drilling mud or drill cuttings shall not be
used as any part of a sealing materials for well abandonment. The liquid phase
of the abandonment fluid shall be water from a potable municipal system or
disinfected in accordance with Subsection
R655-4-11 (11.6.5).
14.5 Placement of Materials.
14.5.1 Neat cement and sand
cement grout shall be introduced at the bottom of the well or required sealing
interval and placed progressively upward to the top of the well. The sealing
material shall be placed by the use of a grout pipe, tremie line, dump bailer
or equivalent to avoid freefall, bridging, or dilution of the sealing materials
or separation of aggregates from sealants. Sealing material shall not be
installed by freefall or gravity unless the interval to be sealed is dry and no
deeper than 30 feet below ground surface. If the well to be abandoned is a
flowing artesian well, the well may be pressure grouted from the surface. The
well should be capped immediately after placement of seal materials to allow
the seal material to set up and not flow out of the well.
14.5.2 Bentonite-based abandonment products
shall be mixed and placed according to manufacturer's recommended procedures
and result in a seal free of voids or bridges. Granular or powered bentonite
shall not be placed under water. When placing unhydrated bentonite, a sounding
or tamping tool shall be run in the sealing interval during pouring to measure
fill-up rate, verify a continuous seal placement, and to break up possible
bridges or cake formation.
14.5.3
If seal material settlement occurs during placement and set up, the top of the
abandoned well casing or borehole shall be topped off with approved sealing
material until the seal top remains at the natural ground surface.
14.5.4 Abandonment materials placed opposite
any non-water bearing intervals or zones shall be at least as impervious as the
formation or strata before penetration during the drilling process.
14.5.5 Before well or borehole abandonment,
all pump equipment, piping, and other debris shall be removed to the extent
possible. The well shall also be sounded immediately before it is plugged to
make sure that no obstructions exist that will interfere with the filling and
sealing. If the well contains lubricating oil that has leaked from a turbine
shaft pump, it shall be removed from the well before abandonment and disposed
of in accordance with applicable state and federal regulations.
14.5.6 Verification shall be made that the
volume of sealing and fill material placed in a well during abandonment
operations equals or exceeds the volume of the well or borehole to be filled
and sealed.
14.6 Termination of Casing.
14.6.1 The casings of
wells to be abandoned shall be severed to the natural ground surface or deeper
if necessitated by development of the area. If the casing is severed below
ground surface, compacted native material shall be placed above the abandoned
well upon completion.
14.7 Abandonment of Artesian Wells.
14.7.1 A neat cement grout, sand cement
grout, or concrete plug shall be placed in the confining stratum overlying the
artesian zone so as to prevent subsurface leakage from the artesian zone. The
rest of the well shall be filled with sand cement grout, neat cement grout,
bentonite abandonment products, or bentonite grout. The uppermost ten feet of
the well shall be abandoned as required in Subsection R655-4-14 (14.5.3).
14.8 Abandonment of Drilled and Jetted Wells.
14.8.1 A neat cement grout or sand cement
grout plug shall be placed opposite all perforations, screens or openings in
the well casing. The rest of the well shall be filled with cement grout, neat
cement, bentonite abandonment products, concrete, or bentonite slurry. The
uppermost ten feet of the well shall be abandoned as required in Subsection
R655-4-14 (14.5.3).
14.9 Abandonment of Gravel Packed Wells.
14.9.1 All
gravel packed wells shall be pressure grouted throughout the perforated or
screened section of the well. The rest of the well shall be filled with sand
cement grout, neat cement grout, bentonite abandonment products, or bentonite
grout. If gravel pack extends above or below the perforated or screened
interval in the annular space between the casing and borehole wall, additional
perforations in that blank interval of casing shall be required. The uppermost
ten feet of the well shall be abandoned as required in Subsection R655-4-14 (14.5.3).
14.10 Removal of Casing.
14.10.1 Where possible, it is
recommended that the well casing be removed during well abandonment, and when
doing so, the abandonment materials shall be placed from the bottom of the well
or borehole progressively upward as the casing is removed. The well shall be
sealed with sand cement grout, neat cement grout, bentonite abandonment
products, or bentonite grout. In the case of gravel packed wells, the entire
gravel section shall be pressure grouted. The uppermost ten feet of the well
shall be abandoned as required in Subsection R655-4-14 (14.5.3).
14.11 Replacement Wells.
14.11.1 Wells which are to be removed from
operation and replaced by the drilling of a new well under an approved
replacement application, shall be abandoned in a manner consistent with Section
R655-4-14 before the rig is removed from the site of the newly constructed
replacement well, unless written authorization to remove the rig without
abandonment is provided by the state engineer. Also refer to the requirements
provided in Subsection
R655-4-4 (4.4).
14.12 Abandonment of Cathodic Protection Wells.
14.12.1 The
general requirements for permanent well abandonment in accordance with Section
R655-4-14 shall be followed for the abandonment of cathodic protection
wells.
14.12.2 A cathodic
protection well shall be investigated before it is destroyed to determine its
condition, details of its construction and whether conditions exist that will
interfere with filling and sealing.
14.12.3 Casing, cables, anodes, granular
backfill, conductive backfill, and sealing material shall be removed as needed,
by re-drilling, if necessary, to the point needed to allow proper placement of
abandonment material. Casing that cannot be removed shall be adequately
perforated or punctured at specific intervals to allow pressure injection of
sealing materials into granular backfill and all other voids that require
sealing.
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