The rampant drilling of wells in times of water crises has raised concerns among geologists and specialists in the field. During periods of long droughts, residents of large cities have resorted to drilling wells to quickly supply their needs. Lack of knowledge about the area, combined with meeting the urgent demand for access, leads many people to hire clandestine companies. These do not have the slightest concern about the damage that drilling without planning and preparation can cause.
“The situation can be avoided with a hydrogeological study.”
This may be one of the reasons for the scarcity of this resource in large cities. It is observed that with each drought the drilling depth increases in an attempt to find water. In addition to cases of contamination that made consumption impossible for an entire neighborhood, due to the high levels of magnesium and iron found in the water. They are an example of how natural resources can be destroyed in an inconsequential way.
How can I guarantee that this won’t happen to me?
Despite this and a series of environmental and economic issues involved in this activity, it is important to have assistance so that geological and historical data from each region is used in favor of each new drilling. Each state has records of wells already drilled, but it is possible to count on information from the drilling companies themselves, such as Tec-Drill, which has already surpassed the mark of 3,000 wells drilled since its foundation in 1997, where they were drilled in several Brazilian states ( SP, MG, RJ, PR, GO). Of the projects carried out, 20% of the wells were drilled in “sand and clay” sedimentary formations and these met 95% of the client’s needs. The other 80% of them are wells in locations where crystalline rocks were found, which in 87% of cases met the flow rate requested by the client, with up to two wells drilled.
Therefore, we recommend that you look for a quality company, with specialized professionals, such as geologists and engineers and that acts in accordance with current safety standards and legislation. This will ensure that all practical and technical precautions will be taken, practically eliminating the possibility of something like this occurring.
There is also a very controversial issue regarding procedures for searching for water, which is the use of Radiesthesia. Historically, many clients report that they had a good result using this technique, but this resource does not exempt the company from providing the client with an adequate Hydrogeological study when obtaining the license to drill.
What if the water runs out?
But, if even after studying all the measures taken, in compliance with all current legislation, the water disappears? Is rock bottom reached? No, this is another difference that makes you choose a specialized company.
Firstly, the water flow must be tested using a pumping test. When drilling a well, many companies perform a flow test after completing the drilling. This flow may only be apparently continuous, so be careful! Following the procedure: the pump is inserted below the water inlet, if there is no rockfall and the examination is carried out every few minutes for 24 hours to find out the volume of water, or even if it exists in that location, as sensors and research indicated.
In this case, companies that provide this service normally charge for drilling, regardless of the finding. The first thing you will have to do then is pay for the service and look for a new drilling point. And if you didn’t contract the geophysical study the first time, don’t hesitate to do it the second time, at the risk of getting a new unproductive well.
Reasons that can cause a well to dry up
A contaminated resource can directly influence the reduction in flow or even complete extinction of the water in the well. But like other biomes in nature, it shows some warning signs before drying out completely. When what can be pumped is a type of thick water, with a different odor and dark color, something has negatively interfered in that location, which is usually related to damage to the coating or lack of preventive maintenance and consequently closure of the inlets. water through the filters.
- Hydrogeological assessment
To reverse the situation, however, some measures can be taken: carry out a thorough analysis of the equipment regarding its production capacity, flow rate and quality of the liquid, check each point in detail and evaluate the possibilities: what could have caused that and what the resulting consequences were. Once the problem has been identified, it is time to carry out a hydrogeological assessment, with selective tests and, inevitably, internal filming of the well.
If the flow rate in the well decreases compared to the original flow rate, in the filming it is possible to visually observe encrustations on the filters, which, in fact, fatally compromises the flow rate and causes supply problems. It will also be possible to see the pump cavitating due to lack of water, as the pump was originally designed for a higher flow rate and head. When a remote monitoring system is installed, it is possible to detect these problems early on and thus bring security to the supply.
- Recovery of the well when the casing broke
If a well rupture is proven through optical logging, there are some recovery measures that can be used before deciding on a new well. Initially, a thorough technical assessment by a Geologist will be necessary, as it will be necessary to assess whether there has been a break in the filters or in places where there are welding or threaded joints.
There is a method to seal the rupture with PAKER, however the use of this resource requires an analysis of useful well diameters and evaluation by a professional who has experience with this type of services.
Another resource would be casing the well, which consists of lowering a column of casings with tubes and filters (these have to be evaluated to decide on viability). This solution is palliative and not definitive. It is still likely that the descent of this new column will cause some damage, primarily in terms of flow, due to loss of pressure or even due to not completely filtering the water from the solids and producing particles. It is important to carefully consider the costs of a new well and the risks of opting for repairs and not having them perfect.
Another very important point is controlling the flow as opposed to the extraction. As already discussed, the uncontrolled use and technical study of water as if it were an inexhaustible resource can lead many to this final surprise. Therefore, if you didn’t find water, carried out all the test procedures and still couldn’t solve it, the solution is to carry out a new study for a new drilling and use the geophysics method.
The electricity-conducting capacity of soils and rocks can make it easier to find water wells. In addition to minerals and oil, the technology is increasingly assertive. This is because the presence of water in cracks in the rock generates an increase in electrical conductivity. In other words, the more energy there is there, the more water there will be in that location.
And wanting to know a little more about the steps necessary to drill an artesian well, we have prepared an article explaining this subject in detail, click here for more information: EVERYTHING ABOUT WELLS