guide to conducting pumping tests

7/27/2019 Guide to Conducting Pumping Tests

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Guide toConductingWell Pumping

TestsWater Stewardship Inormation Series

How is the pumped water discharged? 6

Is a water sample required or analysis? 7

Are there special conditions to be aware o when

conducting or interpreting the pumping test? 7

Who can interpret pumping test data? 8

What should be in a pumping test report? 8

Further inormation and resources on pumping tests 8

Table o Contents

Whats the dierence between a well yield test

and a pumping test? 1

When are pumping tests needed? 1

Who can conduct a pumping test? 2

What are the key things to consider when designing

and planning a pumping test? 2

What time o year should a pumping test be done? 2

Are there natural variations in the groundwater levels? 2

Should other well owners be notied about the

pumping test? 2

What type o pump should be used and at what depth

should it be placed? 2

How much time will the pumping test take? 3

How is the pumping rate selected? 3

How is the pumping rate controlled and measured? 3

How and at what intervals will changes in water levels

be measured? 4

When should neighbouring wells and/or stream levels

be measured? 6


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Figure 1. This fgure shows the impact o a pumping well on the water level

and on a neighbouring well (observation well) in an unconfned aquier.

As the water is pumped rom the well, the original water level lowers, i.e.,

drawdown in the well. A cone o d epression is ormed in the aquier around

the pumping well as the water level declines due to pumping. Note that

drawdown in the observation well is much less than in the pumping well.

Figure 2. Graph showing the dierent phases o a constant rate

pumping test the pumping phase and the recovery phase.

This guide provides general inormation and guidance on

best pumping test practices or qualied well drillers and

qualied well pump installers In addition, the guide oers

general inormation to developers and local governments on

the pumping test requirements or proving up water supplies

(ie, to determine i sucient groundwater is available or

residential developments) and an explanation o the benets o

a properly conducted pumping test This guide is not meant to

be a substitute or proessional guidance and the appropriatestandards o care

What s the derence between a well yeldtest and a pumpng test?

A well yield test is a short (eg, approximately one hour)

fow test, usually done by a qualied well driller once the well is

completed to provide a rough estimate o the wells yield It is

generally recorded in the well construction report by the driller

Well yield tests are done using bailing1 or air liting2 methods

Well yield tests are not as reliable as a pumping test in theollowing situations

when well yield is low (eg, typical bedrock well);

where maximum yield rom the well is required;

when reliable estimates o aquier properties are needed;

and

when assessing impacts o proposed pumping on

neighbouring wells

A pumping test is a practical, reliable method o estimating

well perormance, well yield, the zone o infuence o the well

and aquier characteristics (ie, the aquiers ability to storeand transmit water, aquier extent, presence o boundary

conditions and possible hydraulic connection to surace water)

A pumping test consists o pumping groundwater rom a

well, usually at a constant rate, and measuring water levels in

the pumped well and any nearby wells (observation wells) or

surace water bodies during and ater pumping (see Figure 1)

These data are used to plot drawdown and recovery as shown

on Figure 2 Pumping tests can last rom hours to days or even

weeks in duration, depending on the purpose o the pumping

test, but traditional pumping tests typically last or 24 to

72 hours

Pumping test water level measurements should be made prior

to, during and immediately ollowing the pumping periord(see

Figure 2)The inormation collected during the recovery period is

used to veriy the results o the pumping test

When are pumpng tests needed?

Wells can be pump tested solely to provide a greater

condence in the drillers estimated well yield These tests are

typically shorter in duration (eg, 4 to 12 hours) and are

commonly done on domestic or single-residence wells

Longer duration pumping tests are commonly required to:

prove up water quantity under local government bylaws or

new residential developments or regulatory requirements,

eg, Certicate o Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN);

determine the maximum sustainable well yield;

assess impacts on neighbouring wells or water bodies such

as streams rom the proposed use o the well; and/or

obtain aquier properties such as permeability and

boundary conditions

Cone ofDepression

PumpingWater Level

PumpingWell

ObservationWell

Original (Static)Water Table

Distance from Pumping Wellto Observation Well

Drawdown

Pumping Rate

Land Surface

Aquifer

Aquitard

WaterDepthBelowOriginal

Pre-PumpingStaticWaterLevel(metres)

Elapsed Time Since Start Of Pumping (minutes)

Pump

Shutdown

Pump

Start-up PumpingPhase

RecoveryPhase

Original StaticWater LevelDrawdown

Recovery

1 Water is removed rom the well in a cylindrical bailer lowered rom the drilling rig mast

2 Compressed air is injected into the well to blow air and water out o the well

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Who can conduct a pumpng test?

Under Section 70 o the Water Act, the ollowing persons can

conduct a pumping test:

a qualied well driller;

a qualied well pump installer; or

a person working under the direct supervision o the

qualied well driller, qualied pump installer or qualiedproessional with competency in hydrogeology

A qualied proessional3 with competency in hydrogeology

should be responsible to plan, design, implement and interpret

the pumping test in the ollowing situations:

where a pumping test or a well is required by an approving

agency; or

where the yield o the well needs to be maximized; or

when data needs to be interpreted, or example:

- when there is a need to assess the impact o the pumping

well on nearby surace and groundwater resources; and- when estimates o an aquiers properties are required

What are the key thngs to consder whendesgnng and plannng a pumpng test?

Designing and planning a pumping test is critical prior to

testing Lack o planning can result in delays, increased costs,

technical diculties and poor or unusable data

Some things to consider in the pre-planning stage are:

4time o year the pumping test should be done

4 natural variations in the groundwater levels that occur

during the test that needs to be accounted or

4 inorming others who may be aected

4 depth o pump setting and type o pump

4 pumping duration

4 pumping rate

4 control and measurement o the pumping rate

4 requency o measurements o the water levels

4 measuring water levels in neighbouring wells and/or

streams

4 discharge o pumped water

4 collection o water samples or water quality analysis

4 special conditions to be aware o eg, salt water intrusion

in coastal aquiers

What tme o year should a pumpng testbe done?

An approving agency may require a pumping test to be

conducted during a low recharge period (eg, dry period) or other

time o the year For ractured bedrock and other low-yielding

wells, a pumping test should be done during a dry period when

water tables are at their lowest levels to allow or a conservative

estimate o long-term yield Optimal times or testing in BC aresummer and all in coastal areas and all and winter in the Interior

Are there natural varatons n thegroundwater levels?

Natural variations in water levels caused by tidal, river and

barometric changes can infuence water levels during pumping

and recovery Even diurnal variation can occur in shallow water

tables due to the great dierence between night and day

evapotranspiration Pre-pumping and post-pumping (recovery)

water level measurements in the pumping well and any

observation well(s), can be used by the qualied proessionalhydrogeologist to lter out natural fuctuations

Should other well owners be notfed about

the pumpng test?

I the pumping test involves pumping a large volume o water or

a long duration (eg, 24 to 72 hours), owners o neighbouring wells

(ie, any well within 300 eet or 100 meters o the pumping well)

should be notied Pumping o these neighbouring wells during

the pumping test could aect the results o the test, especially i the

neighbouring wells are to be used as observation wells

What type o pump should be used and atwhat depth should t be placed?

The pump is normally placed above the well screen to maximize

the amount o drawdown or the pumping test The intake o

the pump should not be placed within the well screen as this

may cause increased velocities resulting in sanding and potential

casing deteriorization, along with screen plugging For bedrock

wells the pump is set at or just above the uppermost major water-

bearing racture (reer to the drillers well construction report)

There are several actors to consider when determining the typeo pump to use and the depth at which it should be set, including:

well diameter;

desired pumping rate;

total dynamic head including the pumping water level, the

above ground head (i applicable) and all riction losses in

the casing, pipes, ttings, etc;

reliability o power source; and

horsepower requirements3 Qualied proessionals who are registered with the Association o Proessional

Engineers and Geoscientists o British Columbia

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As well, consider whether the pump is submersible and has

variable speeds Power needs to be continuously available to

the pump during the test I power is interrupted, it may be

necessary to terminate the test, allow the well to recover and

run a new test

How much tme wll the pumpng test take?

The duration o the pumping test depends on the purpose

o the well, the type o aquier and any potential boundaryconditions Aquier types and potential boundary conditions

can be obtained rom:

well construction reports or the pumping well and any

neighbouring well(s);

inormation on the aquier and surace water bodies, such

as lakes or rivers in the vicinity o the well; and

qualied well drillers and proessional hydrogeologists

Minimum durations o traditional pumping tests are 24 to

72 hours unless stabilization occurs Local by-laws, regulatory

requirements or a qualied proessional can stipulate minimum

pumping durations Duration is generally longer, eg, 72 hours,

or bedrock wells due to uncertainties associated with bedrock

aquiers, and 48 hours or wells completed in unconned

aquiers due to the delayed release o water as the water level

goes down or delayed yield eect

How s the pumpng rate selected?

The well should be pumped at or above the required yield

and the well should not be rated above the pumping rate used

during the test

Other considerations or setting the pumping rate are:

wells should not be pumped at a rate higher than the

manuacturers recommended transmitting capacity or the

well screen to avoid damage to the well and aquier near

the well Check the well screen details in the drillers

construction report and reer to the section on entrance

velocities in Groundwater and Wells

wells completed in unconsolidated aquiers (eg, sands and

gravels) with an open bottom (eg, no well screen) should

not be pumped at a rate which could cause the heaving o

aquier materials into the well and locking up the pump

bedrock wells should not be overpumped (ie, water

levels should not be drawn down past the uppermost

water bearing racture) because turbulence at the

borehole/well interace could damage the aquier

ormation and result in excessive turbidity in the water

A qualied proessional involved in the design o a pumping

test may determine a step drawdown test is needed beore the

constant rate pumping test is conducted I a step drawdown test

is done, the well should be rested between the step test and the

constant-rate pumping test to allow or the water level to recover

A qualied proessional should determine the optimum pumping

rate or traditional pumping and step drawdown tests

Another consideration when selecting the pumping rate is

borehole storage (eg, water stored in the well casing) In most

cases, or a short period ater pumping begins, all the pumped

water comes rom borehole storage However, in some cases,

where the well is deep and the rate o intended use is low,the borehole storage may never be pumped out In these

instances, the pumping rate can be initially set higher than the

rate o intended use to remove the borehole storage and then

the pumping rate is cut back to match the rate o intended use

How s the pumpng rate controlled andmeasured?

Control o the pumping rate during the test is important as it

allows or reliable drawdown data to be collected to determine

the yield o the well and aquier properties Controlling the

pumping rate by adjusting the pump speed is generally notsatisactory It is better to use a gate valve to adjust the pumping

rate to keep it constant The discharge pipe and the valve should

be sized so that the valve will be rom to open when

pumping at the desired rate The valve should be installed at a

sucient distance rom the fow measurement device to avoid

any impacts rom turbulence Measuring the discharge o pumped

water accurately is also important and common methods o

measuring discharge include the use o an orice plate and

manometer (see Figure 3), an inline fow meter (see Figure 4), an

inline calibrated pitot tube, a calibrated weir or fume, or observing

the length o time taken or the pumped water to ll a container

o known volume (see Figure 5) The fow measurement device

should be compatible with the expected pumping rate Calibrated

in-line fow meters and orice weirs are used to measure pumping

rates or high production wells I an orice weir is used, the

discharge pipe should be straight and level or a distance o at

least six eet (18 meters) beore the water reaches the orice plate

For relatively low pumping rates (eg,


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How and at what ntervals wll changes n

water levels be measured?

Prior to the test, all water monitoring instruments should be

checked to be sure they are working properly Fresh replacement

batteries should be available or all manual sounding probes

Beore the test begins, synchronize the watches o all observers

and data loggers time-o-day settings All stop watches should

be started at the time the pump starts pumping water orstopped i doing a recovery test

Establish initial conditions by measuring static water levels

in the well and any observation well(s) or a period o time

beore starting the pumping test As a general rule, the period

o observation beore the start o the test should be at least

one week All observers should use the same measuring point

on the top o the well casing or each well I static water levels

in the aquier are changing due to recharge or other actors, a

qualied proessional should be consulted on establishing the

water level prior to the test

A sounding tube or access tube, typically a to 1 (19 to 25 mm)

diameter PVC pipe that extends rom the top o the casing

down to 3 to 4 eet (09 to 12 meters) above the pump, can

be used to take water level measurements without the probe

getting tangled in the pump wiring Water levels can be

measured using water level probes (see Figure 6) or pressure

transducers (see Figure 7) I pressure transducers are used, select

types that cover the range o drawdown anticipated Pressure

transducers should be calibrated beore and ater the test Take

manual readings o the water level prior to and ollowing the test

and periodically throughout the test to conrm the water levelmeasurements by the transducer Measurements should be taken

to the nearest 1/8 or 1/4 (03 to 06 cm)

During a constant-rate pumping test the pumping rate must

be measured correctly and recorded regularly In general, the

lower the pumping rate, the more accurate and careul the fow

measurement must be An unrecorded change o as little as

two per cent in the pumping rate can aect the interpretation

o the data, ie, indicate a alse stabilization or a boundary

condition At the beginning o the test the pumping rate should

be set as quickly and accurately as possible and should remain

constant or the duration o the test For example, the pumping

rate should not vary by more than ve per cent and should

generally be within two to three per cent or higher pumpingrates It is good practice to measure and record pumping rates

requently at the beginning o the test (eg, every 15 minutes

or the rst hour) and hourly thereater or tests o one to three

days Checking the pumping rate allows or adjustments to be

made i the rate has drited, and conrms the selected pumping

rate has been maintained Adjustments to the pumping rate

should be recorded along with the measured rate and water

levels during the pumping test Good record keeping is key to

interpreting the pumping test results

Figure 5. A ve gallon bucket (~20 liters) and a stop watch can be

used to estimate low pumping rates.

Figure 4. In-line fow meter.

Figure 6. Water level measurement using water level probe and

sounding tube.

Sounding Tube

WellWater Level Probe

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The Ministry o Environment has developed a Pumping Test

Report orm to record inormation and data collected rom the

pumping and recovery test http://wwwenvgovbcca/wsd/plan_protect_sustain/groundwater/brochures_ormshtml An

Excel spreadsheet has also been developed to record the test

drawdown and recovery data The recommended minimum

intervals or water level measurements in both the pumping and

observation well(s) during the pumping and recovery phases

is shown inTable 1 as well as on the back o the Pumping Test

Report orm Data collection at the minimum specied intervals

will establish conditions that aect groundwater fow to the well It

may not always be possible to take the drawdown measurements

at the specied intervals In these cases, water level readings would

be recorded with the actual time the drawdown was recorded

Monitoring water level recovery ater the pump has stopped is

very important because it aids the interpretation o the pumping

test Recovery data also tend to smooth out variations in the

pumping rate, should variations occur To obtain accurate recovery

data, a check valve should be installed at the bottom o the pump

discharge pipe to eliminate backfow o water into the well

Typically, the duration o the recovery test is directed by the

qualied proessional At a minimum, recovery water levels in the

well should be monitored or the same duration o the pumping

test or at least until 90 per cent recovery has been achieved

The pump should not be removed rom the well until the waterlevel has returned to 85-90 per cent o the pre-pumping or

static water level or until the supervising qualied proessional

indicates the pump can be removed However, generally or a

24-hour pumping test, 90 per cent recovery occurs within two to

three hours ater the pump is stopped and the pump can then

be removed This event should be recorded on the data sheet I

the water does not recover within the same time duration o the

pumping test (eg, 24 hours) the water level should be monitored

daily or an additional week

I the water does not return to 90-95 per cent o the starting

water level ater a week, the test pumping rate is likely higher than

the aquiers capacity to sustain this rate and urther testing (ie,

longer pumping time and lower pumping rate) may be required I

this happens, a qualied proessional should interpret the pumping

test and recovery data and recommend a course o action

Good record keeping is key to interpreting the data collected

rom a pumping test Occasionally, fuctuations in the water level

will occur, due to nearby pumping o another well, sudden rainallevents, tidal variations or changes in surace loading o the aquier

due to heavy equipment (eg, trains) It is important to accurately

Table 1

Recommended minimum intervals for water level

measurements for pumping tests.

Well being pumped

during pumping:

Every minute or the rst 10 minutes**

Every 2 minutes rom 10 minutes to 20 minutes** Every 5 minutes rom 20 minutes to 50 minutes**

Every 10 minutes rom 50 minutes to 100 minutes**




Every 200 minutes rom 1000 minutes to 2000**


Every 24 hours rom 5000 minutes onward**

Final water level measurement just prior to end o pumping

during reCovery:

Every minute or the rst 10 minutes ater end o pumping***

Every 2 minutes rom 10 minutes to 20 minutes ater end o

pumping***

Every 5 minutes rom 20 minutes to 50 minutes ater end o

pumping***

Every 10 minutes rom 50 minutes to 100 minutes ater end

o pumping***

Every 20 minutes rom 100 minutes to 200 minutes ater end

o pumping***

Every 50 minutes rom 200 minutes to 500 minutes ater endo pumping***

Every 100 minutes rom 500 minutes to 1000 minutes ater

end o pumping***


end o pumping***


end o pumping***

Every 24 hours rom 5000 minutes onward***

Figure 7. A pressure transducer can be used or automatic

measurement and recording o water level and temperature,

specic conductance or other parameters during the pumping test.

5
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wsd/plan_protect_sustain/groundwater/brochures_forms.htmlhttp://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wsd/plan_protect_sustain/groundwater/brochures_forms.htmlhttp://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wsd/plan_protect_sustain/groundwater/brochures_forms.htmlhttp://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wsd/plan_protect_sustain/groundwater/brochures_forms.html


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note down data and to record events that occur during the

pumping test Key points to note are as ollows:

changes in the pumping rate;

any periodic cycling on and o o well pumps in the area; sta changes during the pumping and recovery tests;

i and when equipment (eg, sounding probe) was

changed during the test;

i the pumping test was conducted in a well eld, or when

other wells were pumping;

when the pump was pulled out;

times and pumping rates o any observations wells;

precipitation that occurred during the test;

presence o sediments in the pumped water;

presence o any smell rom the discharged water eg,rotten egg (H

2S); and

evidence o cascading water inside the well

When should neghbourng wells and/or

stream levels be measured?

Monitoring o water levels in neighbouring wells (observation

wells) and/or streams to assess the impact o the pumping well

should be specied by the qualied proessional, especially where:

obServATion Well*

during pumping:

Every 10 minutes or the rst 100 minutes**




Every 24 hours rom 5000 minutes onward**

Final water level measurement just prior to end o pumping

during reCovery:

Every 10 minutes or the rst 100 minutes ater end o

pumping***


end o pumping***

Every 100 minutes rom 500 minutes to 1000 minutes

ater end o pumping***

Every 500 minutes rom 1000 minutes to 5000 minutes

ater end o pumping***

Every 24 hours rom 5000 minutes onward***

* I the observation well is located in close proximity to the pumping

well it may be possible to take more requent measurements

** Time since the real start time o the pumping or time immediately

ater a step change in pumping

*** Not required i time is beyond the specied duration o recovery

measurements

the pumping rate is high;

there are regulatory requirements; and/or

neighbouring wells or stream levels could be impacted by

the pumping

Existing wells may be used i they are within the same aquier

ormation and the well owner has provided consent Water

levels in at least one observation well need to be monitored i an

aquier storativity value is required The observation well should

not be pumped during the pumping test I this is unavoidable,

the times and pumping rates should be recorded Oten, water

levels may not vary as much in observation wells as they will in

the pumping well, thereore it is important to establish reliable

background conditions prior to the pumping test

How s the pumped water dscharged?

Proper discharge o the pumped water is important to

ensure there is no damage due to erosion, fooding or sediment

deposits in streams (see Figure 3) It is important to assess the

volume o pumped water, i storage or treatment are needed,

and disposal alternatives early in the planning process For land

disposal, direct the water rom the pumping well in a down-hill

direction at a sucient distance rom the pumping well This

will prevent re-circulation o the pumped water into the well

or aquier and will preserve both the pumping water level and

the integrity o the pumping test Several hundred eet or more

o discharge line may be needed (see Figure 8) I the aquier

is conned (reer to the lithology section o the drillers well

construction report), the water can generally be conveyed a

shorter distance away rom the pumping well without aecting

the pumping water level

In an urban setting, the pumped water may be discharged to

a storm sewer but local government approval may be required i

the pumping rate is above a certain threshold

For large production wells, where disposal will be to

an adjacent water body or wetland, the local Ministry o

Environment and Department o Fisheries and Oceans (DFO)

oces must be advised as an approval may be required Even i

the well water is potable, discharging the water to an adjacent

Figure 8. Discharge pipe or a large volume pumping test in Merritt.

6


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In ractured bedrock aquiers it is important to know the

depth o any major water-bearing racture(s) (usually ound in

the drillers well construction report) to:

ensure the water level is not drawn down below the

racture during the pumping test; and

enable meaningul interpretation o the pumping test and

the wells sustainable yield

A qualied proessional hydrogeologist should be consulted

i the major water-bearing racture(s) are not known

water body could mobilize sediment and impact sh habitat

To eliminate or minimize this, a proper conveyance channel

should be used Ensure the channel is either rock-lined or

vegetated to prevent erosion (see Figure 9) and that the outlet

to the receiving water body does not harm sh habitat by

destabilizing stream banks or eroding instream habitat such asriparian vegetation, river banks or beds

is a water sample requred or analyss?

A pumping test is a good time to collect water quality samples

to assess the chemical, physical and bacterial properties o the

water Water samples should be collected when conditions

have stabilized (ie, usually near the end o the pumping test)

Sanitize the sampling port or bib with isopropyl alcohol or a

dilute chlorine solution beore collecting a sample, taking care

not to introduce the sanitization fuid to the water sample

Consult with the qualied proessional responsible or the test orthe approving authority (eg, regional health authority or local

government) to determine what water quality parameters to

analyze Consult a qualied proessional i eld measurements

are required (eg, pH, temperature, conductivity, alkalinity,

dissolved oxygen and turbidity) Consult the laboratory or

sampling procedures, sampling bottles, coolers and holding

times or delivery o water quality samples to the laboratory

A th sca cts t awaf wh cct tt th

tst?Ihydroracturing (racking) has been used to increase the

productivity o the well, it may advisable to wait up to a week

beore conducting the pumping test Hydroracturing uses large

volumes o water (eg, up to 2,000 US gallons or 76 m3/min)

that either need to be pumped out or dissipate into the

surrounding rock beore the pumping test is done Dissipation

eects o hydroracturing can be checked by measuring the

water level immediately ater the hydroracturing has occurred

and over subsequent hours or days

Small unconsolidated (sand and gravel) aquifers (eg,

covering up to a ew km2 in area) have a limited storage and

recharge capacity and are oten bounded by low permeability

deposits such as silt, clay, till or bedrock (see Figure 10) The

drawdown behaviour in the early part o the pumping test may

give a alsely optimistic impression o the long-term yield The

aquiers limits are reached when the drawdown rate increases

noticeably (ie, an impermeable geologic boundary or barrier

may have been reached) Wells pumped in coastal aquifers

have the potential or salt water intrusion, particularly wherepumping occurs on ocean waterront properties (see Figure

11) In this case, a qualied proessional hydrogeologist should

be involved Monitoring a parameter like specic conductance

throughout the pumping test will indicate whether salt water

intrusion is occurring during the test For example, when specic

conductance has risen to greater than 1,000 micro Siemens

per centimetre (S/cm) which is equivalent to ~250 mg/L o

chloride, it is likely salt water intrusion is being initiated Specic

conductance can be monitored using a specic conductance

PumpingWater LevelStatic Water

Level

AquiferBEDROCK

Static Water Level

Flow of Water to Well

PumpingWater Level

EncroachingSalt Water

Figure 9. Conveyance channel constructed to reduce erosion rom

discharged pumped water.

Figure 10. Drawdown behaviour in small unconsolidated unconned

aquier bounded by bedrock.

Figure 11. Pumping test o a well adjacent to the ocean.

7


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probe or meter A qualied proessional should be consulted

The qualied proessional will design the pumping test and

determine whether sentinel or observation wells (ie, monitoring

wells located between the oreshore and aults or racture zones

adjacent to sea water and the pumping well) should be installed

or monitored, as well as the parameters to monitor where there is

a reasonable concern about salt water intrusion On the advice o

a qualied proessional, pumping should be stopped i intruding

salt water could aect the water quality in the coastal aquier

Who can nterpret pumpng test data?

Interpretation o pumping test data should be done by

a qualied proessional with expertise in hydrogeology,

especially in the ollowing situations:

when required by an approving agency;

where the maximum well yield is needed;

to assess impacts o the pumping well; or

when estimates o aquier properties are needed

Where wells are tested solely to provide greater condencein the drillers estimated yield, a qualied well driller or pump

installer with competency in pumping test interpretation may

be able to interpret the pumping test data

What should be n a pumpng test report?

The ormal report or a pumping test should contain the

ollowing:

inormation on the well (ie, the well construction report,

type o well and a diagram showing the wells location on

the property, etc); inormation on eld procedures and personnel involved in

the test (ie, person responsible or the pumping test, such

as a qualied well pump installer)

inormation on the hydrogeologic setting, including

reerences to mapped aquiers, when available;

pumping test inormation including the date o the

pumping test, all data on the pump type, depth o pump

setting, pumping rates, method o fow measurement,

observations made during the pumping test, duration o

the test, available drawdown, specic capacity, method o

water level measurements and water levels/times recorded

during the pumping test and recovery period;

analysis and assessment o the pumping test data including

an assessment o the long-term sustainable yield and

potential impacts to neighbouring wells and/or streams;

the qualied proessionals opinion on the short and

long-term capacity o the well and its ability to meet the

applicable production criteria (eg, subdivision by-law or

private sources, projected demand or water systems);

assessment o the water quality results, including copies o

laboratory results; and

signature and proessional seal o the qualied proessional

responsible or the report

Further normaton and resources onpumpng tests

Reference books and ReportsSterrett R. J., 2007. Groundwater and Wells, 3rd edition

New Brighton: Johnson Screens

Allen, D.M., 1999. An assessment o the methodologies

used or analyzing hydraulic test data in British Columbia.

Queens Press

Internet Resources

Ministry o Environment Pumping Test Report orm -

http://wwwenvgovbcca/wsd/plan_protect_sustain/

groundwater/brochures_ormshtml

Guidance document on conducting pumping tests orwells requiring a Certifcate o Public Convenience and

Necessity (CPCN) -


groundwater/library/eval_well/indexhtml

Checklist or Pumping Test Reports in Support o

Certifcate o Public Convenience and Necessity -


groundwater/library/eval_well/well-07ht m

Listing o Groundwater Consultants in BC -


groundwater/library/consultantshtml

Provincial registry o qualifed well drillers -


groundwater/wells/applications/well_drillers_regpd

Provincial registry o qualifed well pump installers -


groundwater/wells/applications/pump_install_regpd

BC Water Resource Atlas for information on aquifers and

wells - http://wwwenvgovbcca/wsd/data_searches/wrbc/

indexhtml

Photos by Vicki Carmichael, Jim Fye and Mike Simpson

ISBN 978-0 -7726-7033-5

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guide to conducting pumping tests

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