Questions/Contact Information Responsibility for …

1 Responsibility for well AbandonmentA well must be permanently abandoned or repaired if it acts as a source or channel of contamina-tion. The well owner is responsible for having the well permanently abandoned if it is requiredexcept in the following situations:(a) the well Contractor must abandon the well if they have not installed the casing in the well orhave removed the casing from the well ;(b) the well Contractor must abandon the well if it is required because the driller improperlylocated, constructed, repaired or completed the well ; or(c) the person who installed, removed or repaired the pump must abandon the well if it is requireddue to improper pump installation, removal, or repair. (15A NCAC 2C .0113 (e) (2) )Any person abandoning a well must submit a record of abandonment (form GW-30) to theGroundwater Section within 30 days after completion.

2 The procedures for abandonment applyregardless of the age of the well or length of time the well has been used. A certified wellcontractor must be used to abandon all wells in North Carolina. However, the well owners mayabandon their own well if done in accordance with 15A NCAC 2C . are two major categories of wells: Drilled Wells are usually 2-10 inches in diameter, havesteel or thermoplastic casing and are typically punched or drilled into unconsolidated sedimentsor consolidated bedrock. Bored Wells are usually 18-36 inches in diameter, have clay or concretecasings and usually are hand dug, or bored with a large diameter power auger into unconsolidatedsediments or weathered bedrock. The requirements for well abandonment are different for thesetwo well CarolinaNorth CarolinaABANDONMENTABANDONMENTWELLWELLQ uestions/Contact InformationIf you have any questions about abandoning yourwell, please call the Groundwater SectionRegional Office for your following is a list of Regional Regional OfficeInterchange Building, 59 Woodfin PlaceAsheville, NC 28801 Phone:( 828) 251-6208 Fayetteville Regional Office225 Green Street, Suite 714 Fayetteville, NC 28301 Phone: (910) 486-1541 Mooresville Regional Office919 North Main StreetMooresville, NC 28115 Phone: (704) 663-1699 Raleigh Regional Office3800 Barrett Drive, Suite 101 Raleigh, NC 27609 Phone: (919) 571-4700 Washington Regional Office943 Washington Square MallWashington, NC 27889 Phone.

3 (252) 946-6481 Wilmington Regional Office127 Cardinal Drive ExtensionWilmington, NC 28405 Phone: (910) 395-3900 Winston-Salem Regional Office585 Waughtown StreetWinston-Salem, NC 27107 Phone: (336) 771-4600 Water well abandonment procedures are outlined in Title 15 ANorth Carolina Administrative Code, Chapter 2C, The Information in this pamphlet is a summary ofthose requirements. To get complete copies of these rules youmay download them from our web page at or contact us at the following address:DWQ, Groundwater Section1636 Mail Service CenterRaleigh, NC 27699-1636 Phone (919)733-3221 Fax (919)715-0588 of Water QualityGroundwater SectionKnow the rules to protect yourselfand our of Bored Wellno standing watercement grout,benetonite grout,concrete grout, dry clay, orexcavated well materialcasing that was leftAbandonment of Bored Wellwith standing watercement, bentonite, orconcrete grout, dry clay,or excavated well materialcement or concretegrout plugcement, bentonite, orconcrete grout, dry clay,or excavated well material2000 copies of this public document were printed onrecycled paper at a cost of $ or per copy.

4 (f) pour a 1 foot cement or concrete groutplug that fills the entire excavated area abovethe top of the casing, including the areaextending on all sides of the casing out to awidth of at least 12 inches on all sides; then(g) complete the abandonment process byfilling the remainder of the well above theplug with additional concrete grout, cementgrout or well AbandonmentAny casing not grouted must be removed orproperly grouted. Casing that is grouted canbe removed if such removal does not contrib-ute to contamination of the entire depth of the well has to besounded to ensure freedom from obstructionsthat may interfere with sealing well should be disinfected using a solu-tion made from calcium hypochlorite contain-ing 65% - 75% available chlorine, such asHTH. Do not use calcium hypochloriteproducts containing fungicides, algicides, orother disinfectants.

5 Do not use a commonhousehold bleach, as it is too weak. A com-plete description of disinfection procedurescan be found in Title 15A NCAC 2C .0111If the well is gravel-packed and the casing andscreen have not been removed, neat cementor bentonite grout must be injected into thewell, completely filling it from the bottom ofthe casing to the top of the constructed in unconsolidated forma-tions shall be completely filled with cementBored well AbandonmentFor bored wells that do not have standingwater in them at any time during the year:(a) remove all plumbing or piping, along withany obstructions in the well ;(b) remove as much of the well casing aspossible; then(c) fill the entire well up to land surface withcement grout, bentonite grout, concretegrout, dry clay, or material excavated duringconstruction of the well and then compactedin bored wells that do have standing waterin them during any part of the year:(a) remove all plumbing, piping or obstruc-tions.

6 (b) disinfect the well using a solution madefrom calcium hypochlorite containing 65%-75% available chlorine and following therequirements of Title 15A NCAC 2C .0111;(c) remove as much of the well casing aspossible, but no less than 3 feet below landsurface;(d) remove all soil or other subsurface mate-rial present down to the top of the remainingwell casing and extending to a width of atleast 12 inches outside of the well casing;(e) fill the well to the top of the remainingcasing with cement grout, concrete grout,bentonite grout, dry clay, or material exca-vated during construction of the well andthen compact in place;Other WellsThis pamphlet has summarized the abandon-ment procedures for water wells. However,there are many other types of wells in NorthCarolina that must be abandoned Injection well abandonment procedures,refer to the Title 15A NCAC 2C.

7 0200rules: Criteria and Standards Applicable toInjection Wells. For monitoring wells andother miscellaneous wells, refer to Title 15 ANCAC 2C .0100: Criteria and StandardsApplicable to Water Supply and CertainOther lb. 8 lbs. 1 lbs. 7 lbs. 14 lbs. 15 orCasingDiameter(inches) well Disinfection TipThe following table can be used to determinehow much chlorine compound is needed todose 100 feet of a water filled well to at least100 ofWater per100 ft ofWater FilledWellIf you have additional questions, pleasecontact the Groundwater Section RegionalOffice in your area for more Information onwell ofCalciumHypochlorite(65%-70%available chlorine)grout or bentonite grout by introducing itthrough a pipe extending to the bottom of thewell. The pipe is then raised as the well isfilled (commonly called a tremmie pipe).Wells constructed in consolidated formationsmay be filled with cement grout, bentonitegrout, sand, gravel, or drilling cuttings up to 10feet below the top of consolidated rock or 5feet below the bottom of the casing.

8 Theremaining well void space must be filled withcement or bentonite grout to the top of thewell or land of Drilled Wellcasing that was leftRagolithBedrockcement or benetonite grout(unconsolidated formations)orcement or beneonite grout, sand,gravel, or drill cuttings(consolidated formations)