Closing the Conduit: How Well Decommissioning Protects Your Groundwater

Decades of changes to our rural landscape and farm consolidation have left thousands of unused wells scattered across the country. Do you have a forgotten well on your property that no longer provides drinking water? Wells left ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ that could threaten yours or your neighbor’s groundwater?

A well is a direct line from the earth’s surface to our drinking water. These can range from a dug well with a concrete cover and a casing, a drilled well with a casing to the surface, an old windmill tower with a well below, or even an old-style pump/well house. Regardless of what kind it is, unused wells are a significant threat to groundwater quality.

Groundwater flows deep in soil and bedrock formations called aquifers. As contaminated water gets into these forgotten wells it does not stay local. It travels by natural groundwater flow, threatening nearby wells using that aquifer to provide drinking water for their families.

Additionally, several unwanted materials can flow off our surfaces, enter an unused well and instantly pollute the aquifer. If not responsibly abandoned, unused wells can act as a direct conduit that sends contaminated material to clean groundwater sources. Decommissioning is the permanent filling, plugging and sealing of an out-of-service well. It is not just “capping” a well; it is a permanent closure/abandonment. 

So, check over your property and make sure there is not an unused well hidden under overgrown brush. Get them abandoned as soon as possible and prevent any pollution of your groundwater resource.