PROJ02181

• Contract/PO #: FS0014X
• Contractor Name: Southern High Plains Ground Water Management DistrictSouthern High Plains Ground Water Management Di
• Contract Type: Loan
• Water District: 0
• County: Baca
• County: Prowers
• County: Las Animas
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Report

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4.4 ABANDONED AND REPLACED WELLS
The State Engineers Office database includes wells that are either abandoned or have
been replaced by another well. A list of these wells is presented in Table 4-4 and these
wells are located on Map 5. According to SEO well construction rules and regulations,
all abandoned and replaced wells must be properly plugged in accordance with
prescribed procedures. unless an alternative use has been permitted, such as a
monitoring and observation well. Rule 16 "Standards for Plugging, Sealing, and
Abandoning Wells and Boreholes", (See Appendix B for a copy of Rule 16, 17, and 18)
provides direction for plugging wells that were developed in both unconfined (Type II and
Type III Aquifers) and confined aquifers (Type I aquifers). Since many of the wells in the
District were developed in multiple aquifers, Rule 16.3 applies. This rule requires such
wells to:

1. have a cement grout plug placed at the confining layer above each aquifer;
2. if the well casing was not grouted opposite each confining layer when thewell
was installed, the well casing must either be completely removed from the
hole, or perforated, or ripped above each confining layer prior to placing the
grout plug;
3. a concrete plug at least 40 feet in length must be placed in the well opposite
the confining layers, the concrete plug must be designed to withstand the
hydrostatic pressure differential between the aquifers.

Well completion reports and information provided by Max Smith indicates several of the
wells in the list of abandoned wells have surface casing to a depth of 50 feet or less
below land surface and the remainder of the well bore is "open hole". These wells would
be relatively simple to plug in accordance with the regulations. However, for wells that
are cased the entire depth of the hole, there would be a significant cost to the well owner
to either have the casing pulled or "ripped" at intervals above the confining layers unless
multiple water-producing zones are considered to be a single aquifer. Rule 18 provides
the State Board of Examiners authority to grant a variance if in applying the rules
"practical difficulties or unusual hardship" would result.

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