Module 7 — Troubleshooting Water Well Problems
61
Symptom #2 — Sediment in Water
Possible causes:
What to check for:
How to correct:
Improper well design or construction.
Sediment appears in water shortly after well
completion. Well production does not improve
with pumping.
Have the licensed water well contractor return
to assess and repair the construction problem.
Insufficient well development after
construction.
Sediment appears shortly after well
completion. Well production may improve
with pumping.
Have the licensed water well contractor return
to redevelop the well.
Continuous over-pumping of well.
Sediment appears in water. Compare current
discharge rate of well with the recommended
rate at the time of construction.
If the current flow rate is higher than the
recommended rate, install a flow restrictor on
pump. If required, install additional storage to
meet peak water requirements.
Corrosion of well casing, liner or screen
causing holes.
Sudden appearance of sediment in water when
there was no previous problem. May be coupled
with a change in water quality. Calculate
the Ryznar Stability Index to determine the
water's corrosion potential.
Consult a licensed water well contractor.
Depending on the well construction, repair
or replace well using alternate construction
materials. Plug old well. See Module 9
"
Plugging Abandoned Wells”.
Failure of the annular or casing seal.
Sudden appearance of sediment, coupled
with a change in water quality. Test water
quality regularly and investigate when quality
changes occur
Consult a licensed water well contractor. It
may be possible to re-establish the seal. If
repair is not economical, plug the well and
redrill. See Module 9 "Plugging Abandoned
Wells”.