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Cathodic Protection Wells and Ground‐Water Pollution a
Author(s) -
Ritchie Edwin A.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
groundwater
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1745-6584
pISSN - 0017-467X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-6584.1976.tb03094.x
Subject(s) - cathodic protection , galvanic anode , pipeline transport , environmental science , corrosion , pollutant , anode , usable , environmental engineering , waste management , engineering , materials science , metallurgy , chemistry , computer science , electrode , organic chemistry , world wide web
Any improperly constructed or inadequately destroyed water well can endanger ground‐water quality by providing a path for pollutants to reach usable water. Another kind of well, the cathodic protection well, can also present a hazard to ground water. Cathodic protection wells house devices used to alleviate electrolytic corrosion of pipelines, tanks, and other installations situated in a corrosive environment. They are widely used in the petroleum and gas industry. Cathodic protection is a technique used to prevent or minimize this corrosive action by redirecting the current to a substitute anode which then deteriorates instead of the pipeline. To offset the disadvantages of horizontal, or shallow vertical, anodes, and since almost all ground water has enough salt to conduct electricity, the vertical deep anode (cathodic protection well) was developed. They normally range from 100 to 500 feet in depth and 8 to 10 inches in diameter. To prevent cathodic protection wells from acting as conveyances for pollutants, they must be properly designed and constructed at the outset and, when their useful lives are over, properly destroyed. This is best done by following standards of good practice. California has developed and is implementing such standards as part of its program for ground‐water basin protection.