Premium
In‐House Well Drilling Operations for a Ground Water Monitoring Program, Suffolk County, New York
Author(s) -
Cary Steven V.,
Markel Richard
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
groundwater monitoring and remediation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1745-6592
pISSN - 1069-3629
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-6592.1989.tb01163.x
Subject(s) - drilling , aquifer , agency (philosophy) , groundwater , engineering , environmental science , mechanical engineering , philosophy , geotechnical engineering , epistemology
All public agencies involved in ground water monitoring and protection face the requirement of obtaining well drilling services consistent with their needs. Most will rely on contracted drilling services, but a limited number of agencies having responsibilities for long‐term aquifer monitoring and the promulgation of monitoring standards may find that implementing an in‐house well drilling program is an effective approach to achieving their ground water protection goals. Suffolk County, located on Long Island, New York, has been operating a well drilling program for 10 years, with three levels of drilling capability to meet the requirements of characterizing and monitoring an unconsolidated regional aquifer system. The program's cost and labor requirements are substantial, but this approach has provided uniformly high‐quality data and the hands‐on experience needed to test drilling innovations and produce monitoring regulations that are effective and feasible. If soundly organized and run, an agency‐directed drilling operation will be readily adaptable to changing needs and priorities. In Suffolk County, this has included emergency response and fuel‐spill monitoring. A successful program must also include a demonstrated geologic identification and well logging capability, close laboratory support, and an experienced hydrogeological or ground water engineering staff. This approach may be suitable for other regional agencies based on their ground water conditions and water‐supply protection needs.