How to Install a Groundwater Monitoring Well

Tutorial showing the step-by-step installation of a 2 m-deep groundwater monitoring well within a Louisiana floodplain characterized by clayey soils (Sharkey clay). In this case, a long-term data logger measuring barometric pressure is deployed. Post-processing correction for atmospheric pressure allows for the capture of the long-term hydrograph of the site. Wells such as this one can be used at almost any type of wetland site, including those with frequent overbank flooding, permanently inundated sites, or sites without flooding. This particular floodplain has been hydrologically disconnected from the river and only experiences flooding in the form of precipitation-driven ponding.
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[@pawanwable9729]

I am starting new monitoring wells. This video will be of great help.

[@jassibo]

Great video! Thanks for the tutorial.

[@judgemamad]

Great Video 😀😀😀

[@mackenziemartin7538]

Awesome job! What size pipe did you use?

[@whitneykroschel648]

Thank you! We used 2-inch PVC. Other sizes could certainly be used too. We chose 2" because it worked well with the size of the water level loggers we deployed.

[@mackenziemartin7538]

@@whitneykroschel648 Thank you! I just rewatched it and noticed that was in there, so sorry to make you restate it! Also, did you all need to get any sort of permitting to drill this small well?

[@whitneykroschel648]

@@mackenziemartin7538 We needed permission from the agency and/or landowners managing the properties where we established the wells. And no worries at all, I am happy to answer questions.

[@sergioestebanaldanaalonso7381]

Great video! Are results of monitoring available?

[@whitneykroschel648]

They are! I will link them.

[@whitneykroschel648]

Some of these results can be found in the LSU dissertation "Characterization of Shallow Subsurface Hydrology in Large Fine-Grained Floodplains" which is publicly available through LSU. An example of a peer-reviewed study which used this method is: Gee et al. 2014. Tree growth and recruitment in a leveed floodplain forest in the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley, USA. Forest Ecology and Management, 334:85-95.

[@jeffbennett7061]

Was the screen you used just plain ole window screen?

[@whitneykroschel648]

Hi Jeff! We have used the no-see-um mesh screen (20 x 20) which has worked well.

[@jeffbennett7061]

@@whitneykroschel648, I've always had a budget for slotted screen. My next project won't have that kind of budget and will likely try something like this. Have you noticed sediment getting around the screen? Or dug any up to see how the screen held up?

[@whitneykroschel648]

​@@jeffbennett7061 The screen does well, both staying intact and keeping sediment out. But it depends on how long it will be deployed. We used our wells for 4 years with good reliability, but beyond that I cannot say how long they would hold up. The biggest issue we had with sediment was filling in the bottom of some wells by 5-10 cm over the course of several years. (Soils at our sites ranged from clays to silty loams.) Regular measurements of the well depth and adjusting the position of the data logger were ways we accounted for the sedimentation.

[@rtothes936]

The title should read, "How to install a monitoring well incorrectly". Duct tape to connect pipe 🤣 Already contaminated. Pushing the well in through the slough. 🤣 Post the correct installation techniques unless this is an attempt to provide false information. -NWFL ( geo-tech, auger & Sonic drilling hand)

[@whitneykroschel648]

Hi! Thanks for your comment! There are numerous ways you can install gw monitoring wells. As mentioned in the description, these particular wells are used for characterizing the long term hydrology of a floodplain/wetland site. With multiple wells such as these, a better understanding of hydrologic connectivity in a modified basin can be achieved. These particular wells are not appropriate for water quality monitoring, other methods and equipment would be required for that, as you’ve implied.

[@chippendale888]

Hahahaah. Ok folks, duct tape I’d made with petroleum never , never add that to your well screen. Number two they did not use gloves and that makes me wonder if the hand auger was cleaned properly and stored properly so no contamination was introduced to it in travel time. This is not the correct way to install a well a permanent or temp well. You would want to spread plastic out so u can put all your soil on Incase it as contaminated. This was a joke. How to install a lazy mans well by hand. I would never hire this company.

[@whitneykroschel648]

Hello! Thanks for your comment! There are many, many ways you could do something like this. It depends on your question(s) and what you want to examine, and perhaps your budget, too. The purpose of these temporary wells (1-3 years) was to capture groundwater and surface water levels in a highly modified floodplain. Access is difficult and the site is relatively remote. This method has worked very effectively for us across many different sites and wetland types (with regular maintenance). I agree, if you are monitoring other variables, such as water quality, or something similar, contamination would be something to avoid, and another method would be more fitting.

[@CruznN4th]

im guesssing since this is just a piezo and not a well for monitoring contamination, then normal guidelines dont matter.

[@CruznN4th]

and they used kitty litter as a ben seal. lol. whatever works.