TGPC GWI white paper outline, 05Sep2018



Abandoned Water Wells and the Challenges They Pose?White Paper Prepared by the Texas Groundwater Protection Committee (TGPC) Groundwater Issues (GWI) SubcommitteeDate:Month Date, YearExecutive SummaryWill complete when other sections are finished. DISCUSS WATER WELLS NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLD IN TEXAS WHO RELY ON WATER WELLWHAT IS A WATER WELLWHO REGULATES WHATDISCUSS ABANDONED/DETERIORATED WATER WELLSWHAT THEY AREHOW MANY ARE THEREDESCRIPTION OF WHITE PAPERIn this document we will discuss the hazards associated with abandoned/deteriorated wells as well as the challenges of finding and plugging these wells.Acronym ListABWAbandoned WellGCDGroundwater Conservation DistrictMOUMemorandum of UnderstandingppmParts Per MillionTACTexas Administrative CodeTCEQTexas Commission on Environmental QualityTDLRTexas Department of Licensing and RegulationTGPCTexas Groundwater Protection CommitteeTWRSRSTexas Online Well Report Submittal and Retrieval System IntroductionA water well is an artificial excavation into the ground to access groundwater in an underlying aquifer. Texans rely on water wells for drinking water, agricultural needs and other industrial purposes. NEED TO GET DATA ON WATER USE.The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) is responsible for regulating water well construction in the State of Texas. Minimum well construction standards and siting specifications are found in Title 16 Chapter 76 of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC). Locally, GCDs may have additional well constructions standards for water wells in their districts.A properly constructed water well should allow access to groundwater while preventing contaminants at the surface from reaching the aquifer and preventing the commingling of aquifers with different water quality in the subsurface. For a water well to be installed correctly it must include:Watertight well casing to prevent the well from collapsing; Grout (i.e., bentonite or cement) to seal the annular space of the well;A sleeve or slab at the surface to protect the casing above land surface; A pump to pull water to the surface; andA sealed cap to prevent contaminants from entering the well head.Throughout the years, millions of water wells have been drilled in Texas, with more than 550,000 being drilled since 2002. If installed correctly, a water well can last for decades. Over time, water wells are abandoned when they are no longer needed for their intended purpose (e.g. land use change, home connected to community water supply, etc.) or quit working (e.g. water level drops in an aquifer, water turns salty, etc.) and are replaced with new ones. If an abandoned well is left alone long enough it will become deteriorated. In Chapter 1901 of the Texas Occupational Code, abandoned and deteriorated wells are defined as: "Abandoned well" means a well that is not in use. A well is considered to be in use if:the well is not a deteriorated well and contains the casing, pump, and pump column in good condition;(B) the well is not a deteriorated well and has been capped;(C) the water from the well has been put to an authorized beneficial use, as defined by the Water Code;(D) the well is used in the normal course and scope and with the intensity and frequency of other similar users in the general community; or(E) the owner is participating in the Conservation Reserve Program authorized by Sections 1231-1236, Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. Sections 3831-3836), or a similar governmental program."Deteriorated well" means a well that, because of its condition, will cause or is likely to cause pollution of any water in this state, including groundwater.Abandoned and deteriorated water wells pose not only a significant threat to groundwater resources in the state, they also pose a hazard to humans and livestock. In this document we will discuss how abandoned and deteriorated wells pose a threat to groundwater and the challenges in locating and plugging them.FIGURE X. Illustration of lifecycle of well.Full Issue Information and DiscussionThreat to GroundwaterThere are four main issues associated with abandoned/deteriorated wells:Groundwater contaminationImproperly sealed wells at the surfaceContamination of wells during flooding eventsSafety to humans and livestockUncapped wellsCommingling of different aquifersAnother less obvious impact of ABWs is when a well is allowing commingling of aquifers. If the water quality in the source aquifer is poor it can have detrimental effects on the other aquifer. (e.g. Gonzales well field)Improper annual sealDeteriorated casing (e.g. EAA example)Loss of pressure in an aquiferWater in the aquifer under higher pressure will flow to the aquifer under lower pressure. Can cause water level declines in nearby wells.Artesian Wells (e.g. Pecos wells)A good example of the negative impacts an abandoned well under artesian pressure can cause is Boehmer Lake in far West Texas (PECOS COUNTY). An artesian well near the center of the lake was once used for agricultural purposes in the early to mid 1900’s. By the late 1900’s the water flowing from the well turned salty and the well was abandoned. Over the past few decades, the salty water corroded the casing and began gushing onto the land surface. The water flowing from the well has now created a lake that is almost ? mile wide and growing. Water samples collected by the USGS in 2015 from the lake directly above the well head, had a TDS concentration of 130,131 ppm, almost 4 times that of sea water. The GCD in Pecos County has identified dozens of similar wells throughout the County. There are other incidences of these types of wells in other parts of the state.Figure 1. Aerial photos taken of Boehmer Lake (Pecos Co). The photo on the left was taken in 2003. The photo on the right was taken in 2015.Abandoned wells also pose a threat to nearby wells that might be used for domestic or public supply.Figure 2. Illustration showing how an uncapped deteriorated well can introduce contaminants to an aquifer and have negative impacts on nearby working wells. (Graphic provided by the Edwards Aquifer Authority)Challenges of locating and plugging ABWsThe actual number of ABWs in Texas is unknown, however it is thought to be very high. A group of State agencies in the early 1990’s came up with a conservative estimate of 150,000 ABWs across the state. Since then, many more have been abandoned and the actual number is most likely much higher than that original estimate. For example, state officials in ND, a state roughly 1/4th the size of Texas, estimated there are more than 100,000 abandoned wells in that state (ND, 2016). Texas would benefit from a new statewide survey.Locating ABWs is often difficult. ABW in urban areas. As cities continue to grow and take over rural areas, old abandoned and deteriorated irrigation wells are being covered up. These pose a significant risk if landowners install domestic wells near the ABWs. Methods to locate buried ABWs.Geophysical techniquesAerial photographsWells drilled prior to 2002 did not have GPS locations on well report.Landowners are required to report wells to a buyer when a property is sold. This information is not reported to state. Sometimes sellers are not aware of an ABW well.Properly identifying ABWs.TGPC offers information on how to identify old wellsTDLR ABW checklistProperly plugging ABWs.Discuss standards for plugging wells Goal of plugging well is to restore, as far as possible, the geological conditioned which existed before the well was drilled. Well owner may not know how the well was constructed.Issues with properly plugging wells.If not plugged properly, the well could continue to be a source of contamination (e.g. open annulus)High cost of plugging wells.Landowner responsible for plugging well. Cost of plugging well can be extremely high in some cases, sometime more than the value of the property.Plugging costs depend on construction of well, depth, and access to well head. Sometimes landowners can plug a well themselves, other times they need to hire a licensed individual to plug the well, which increases cost.No state plugging fund. Some GCDs offer some assistance. If a state plugging fund were started, how would it be run? Who would administer it? GCDs have the structure but GCDs do not cover the whole state. GCDs are the preferred method of groundwater management.Efforts to Address Abandoned and Deteriorated WellsTDLR currently administers the ABW Notification Program. There are various mechanisms for referrals and notification. The current process for addressing ABWs is for TDLR to receive a complaint on a possible abandoned or deteriorated well. The landowner is identified, usually through the CAD, and an inspection is then performed on the well. If the well is determined to be abandoned or deteriorated, the landowner is notified of the condition of the well and any corrective actions needed. Chapter 1901 states that Not later than the 180th day after the date a landowner or other person who possesses an abandoned or deteriorated well learns of its condition, the landowner or other person shall have the well plugged or capped under standards and procedures adopted by the commission.Under 1901, GCDs have the authority to enforce abandoned well compliance.In 2003, The Texas Legislature enacted Senate Bill 279 (78R) authorizing TDLR, TCEQ, and GCDs to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to coordinate efforts relating to investigative procedures for referrals of complaints regarding abandoned or deteriorated wells. Public Supply Wells (PSWs) are routinely checked by TCEQ field staff. When a PSW is abandoned, TCEQ will notify the operator of the well and TDLR. TDLR will then perform an inspection to determine the status of the well and begin the notification process. GCDs will refer ABWs to TDLR when they are having trouble notifying the landowners or the GCD does not have the resources to investigate an ABW. Additionally, TDLR offers training to any state or local agency with field inspectors on how to identify and report ABWs.In 2004, TDLR developed an online Abandoned Well Reporting System (AWRS) (), giving the public and other water-related agencies and entities the ability to report concerns about possible abandoned or deteriorated water wells. As of January 2021, TDLR has received 520 complaints on possible abandoned or deteriorated wells. REF _Ref63944537 \h Table 1. shows the outcomes of those 520 complaints (Note: This does not include departmental complaints or referrals on ABWs.). The majority of complaint wells were either corrected (capped, plugged, or recompleted) or referred to GCDs. 101 complaints were closed for various reasons (e.g. landowner could not be located on CAD, insufficient information was provided with complaint, or well determined not to be abandoned or deteriorated), and 95 are currently in the notification process.Table 1. Results of AWRS complaints.Outcome of Complaints Filed on AWRSCapped57Plugged168Recompleted41Referred to Local GCD58Closed101Currently in Notification Process95When a water well is plugged in Texas, a plugging report is required to be submitted within 30 days. In 2002, The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) and TDLR developed the Texas Online Well Report Submittal and Retrieval System (TWRSRS). This database contains the number of wells plugged by well type. Since 2002, 44,486 wells have been plugged (Note: this figure does not include Dewatering, Injection, or Monitoring/Environmental wells plugged). Table 2 shows the breakdown of types of water wells plugged. Table SEQ Table \* ARABIC 2. Number of wells plugged since 2002.Total 44,486 Withdrawal of Water 30,256 Domestic 7,961 Rig Supply 2,092 Irrigation 1,613 Stock 1,360 Public Supply 516 Industrial 337 Fracking Supply 177 Extraction 174 ConclusionklkjkljslkklklkContinuing Research Need(s)klkjkljslkklklkif applicableStatewide assessment needed?Recommendation(s) or Policy Option(s)klkjkljslkklklkrecommendation(s) if there is consensus on the issuepolicy option(s), including the pros and cons for each option, if there isn’t consensus on the issueHave landowners report wells to the state/GCD when they sell a property?State plugging fund created?TGPC GWI Subcommittee members include, but are not limited to:Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ);Texas Water Development Board (TWDB);Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC);Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS);Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA);Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB);Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts (TAGD);Texas A&M AgriLife Research (AgriLife Research);Bureau of Economic Geology of The University of Texas at Austin (UTBEG);Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR);Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD);Texas Tech University (TTU);Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service (AgriLife Extension); and,United States Geological Survey (USGS).The primary goals of the TGPC GWI Subcommittee are to:Facilitate interagency communication for assessment programs addressing groundwater contamination;Coordinate and assist member agencies with monitoring programs for:Ambient groundwater conditions;Pesticides; and,Emerging contaminants or constituents of concern;Support the intent of the Texas Groundwater Protection Strategy () by:Reviewing published data reports, and evaluating data independent of published reports, to assist in the determination of the effectiveness of existing regulatory programs and to identify potential groundwater contaminants not addressed by existing regulatory programs;Developing recommendations for consideration by the TGPC to address potential groundwater contamination identified through monitoring and data review; and,Developing white papers on the groundwater issues listed in their biannual Activity Plan which summarize the best available scientific data on a specific groundwater issue, identify areas where there is insufficient scientific data to thoroughly assess the issue, evaluate the effectiveness of existing regulatory programs to address the issue, and provide recommendations or policy options to the TGPC regarding the issue.The above recommendations or policy options represent the opinion of the TGPC GWI Subcommittee and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of each participating organization. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) may have contributed scientific information, only.For more information about this white paper, please contact the TGPC ().Subject Matter Experts:Contact 1 Name (Affiliation, email address, phone number)Contact 2 Name (Affiliation, email address, phone number)Contact 3 Name (Affiliation, email address, phone number)Etc.References:Reference 1Reference 2Reference 3Etc. ................
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