Key Stages for Clients to Monitor During Drilling Operations

Key Stages for Clients to Monitor During Drilling Operations

As a client, you don't need to be present throughout the entire process, but attending and confirming several key stages of the drilling operation is crucial to protecting your rights and ensuring the quality of the finished well. These stages determine the lifespan, water yield, and water quality of the well.

I. Pre-Construction Preparation: Location and Communication

This sets the right tone for the entire project.

Jointly Confirm the Well Location:  Work with the drilling company to determine the final drilling point on-site. The location must be far from septic tanks, garbage dumps, livestock pens, and other sources of pollution, and should consider future water use and accessibility.

Verify Materials and Equipment: When equipment arrives on-site, verify that the drilling rig, well casing (material, diameter), and filter material (gravel) match the specifications in the contract.

II. Key Stages During Drilling: Depth Decisions

Drilling is the process of exploring underground conditions, and your participation is crucial for decision-making.

Observe Cuttings and Understand the Strata: Pay attention to the soil and rock samples brought up from the borehole. When there is a significant change in the soil layer (such as the appearance of sand or gravel), the drilling company should explain this to you, as it may indicate proximity to an aquifer.

Jointly Confirm the Final Drilling Depth: When the drilling reaches the predetermined depth, or when the cuttings indicate that a good aquifer has been reached, you must jointly measure and confirm the final well depth with the drilling company. This is a critical decision point that determines whether to continue drilling deeper or stop, directly affecting subsequent costs and the effectiveness of the well.

III. Core Stages of Casing and Well Completion: The Foundation of Quality

This is crucial for constructing the permanent structure of the water well; there is no room for error.

Confirmation Before Casing Installation: On-site, inspect the well casing (usually PVC pipe) before it is lowered into the well. Confirm its material, diameter, and especially the location and length of the filter pipe (perforated section) meet the specifications. Watch as the well casing sections are securely connected and smoothly lowered into the well.

Supervise Filter Material Filling (The Most Critical Stage): The annular space between the well casing and the borehole wall must be filled with clean, appropriately sized gravel (commonly known as "pea gravel").  Absolutely do not use the excavated soil and sand for backfilling. A high-quality filter layer effectively filters out sediment, increases water yield, and protects the well casing, ensuring the longevity of the well. It is crucial to supervise this process to ensure it is continuous and uniform.

Wellhead sealing: Ensure a tight seal is created above the filter layer (usually with clay) to prevent surface water contamination.

IV. Well Completion Testing and Acceptance: Based on Results

Testing before the end of construction is the only criterion for verifying the results.

Witness the well cleaning process: Observe the contractor thoroughly cleaning the well with high-pressure air or water until the water changes from cloudy to consistently clear. This removes mud that entered during drilling.

Request a pumping test: Install a water pump and pump continuously for several hours (usually 4-8 hours). You need to focus on:

Water yield: Whether the stabilized water yield meets your needs.

Water level recovery: The speed and height of water level recovery in the well after the pump is stopped, which reflects the adequacy of the water source.

Water quality: Whether the water remains clear and free of odor and impurities.

Receive completion documents: Request the contractor to provide a simple "Well Completion Record," including the final well depth, static water level, casing depth, and filter material filling depth. This is the well's "identity card."

In summary, as a client, your core involvement should focus on:

1. The beginning (determining the well location);

2. The middle (determining the depth, observing casing installation, and monitoring filter material);

3. The end (measuring water yield and receiving documentation).

By effectively witnessing and confirming these crucial stages on-site, you can transform from a passive funder into an active participant in ensuring project quality, working with the contractor to create a good well with sufficient water, good water quality, and long-term usability.