Water supply

The abandoned artesian well plugging program

Uncontrolled, improperly constructed or deteriorating artesian wells can have an adverse impact on the quantity and quality of water in aquifers (the groundwater source) and other water bodies. Florida law requires well owners to control the discharge from artesian wells, limiting the flow to only the amount of water needed for an intended use.

The St. Johns River Water Management District’s abandoned artesian well plugging program is designed to assist well owners in complying with Florida law in properly abandoning artesian wells. Assistance is offered through cost-share programs, technical guidance and oversight of licensed well contractors while the well is being permanently “abandoned,” or plugged.

Program officials actively encourage public participation in identifying problem wells. Since the early 1980s, the District has aggressively worked with other agencies and the public to detect, evaluate and control abandoned artesian wells.

What is an abandoned
artesian well?

An artesian well is a well that has been drilled into an aquifer in a location where the underground pressure is great enough for the water to rise inside the well. In some cases, the water is under enough pressure to rise from the aquifer to the land’s surface without using a pump. These artesian wells are known as free-flowing wells.

Decades ago, many free-flowing wells were used by farmers for agricultural purposes but are no longer needed.

The Florida Legislature has enacted regulations requiring well owners to control the flow of artesian wells by installing valves or other flow-control devices. Wells that cannot be controlled due to deterioration of the casing must be permanently plugged. In the legislation, abandoned artesian wells are defined as having one or more of the following characteristics:

• Does not have a properly functioning valve or flow control.
• Has no present or future beneficial use.
• Does not meet current well construction standards.
• Is discharging salt water into a drinking water aquifer.

A worker prepares to cap a free-flowing well.

Why plug free-flowing wells?

In addition to the obvious waste of our precious water resources, old free-flowing wells typically tapped a deeper portion of the aquifer that may be susceptible to an increase in salinity at some locations. As a well ages, deterioration of the well casing occurs, which can allow poor quality water to move upward into fresher zones used for drinking water supplies. Proper plugging of these wells helps to prevent contamination of our water supply.

The abandoned artesian well plugging program

Free-flowing abandoned artesian wells can potentially waste many millions of gallons per day of our water resource. Non-flowing abandoned wells may also act as a conduit for sources of contaminants to enter the aquifer.

The goal of the District’s abandoned artesian well plugging program is to assure the continued availability of groundwater resources by detecting, evaluating and controlling abandoned artesian wells.

The program seeks, and is designed to actively encourage, public participation in detecting problem wells. Control and remediation of abandoned wells is achieved by sharing plugging costs with other governmental entities and well owners.

Workers tighten a cap to ensure the free-flowing well no longer wastes water.

What is involved in properly abandoning a well?

The process of abandoning a well involves a site visit and well inventory, correspondence with the land owner and governments to formalize participation, temporarily capping the well, geophysical logging of the well and permanent well abandonment by a licensed well contractor.

Abandoned wells are plugged by pumping neat cement (grout) through a PVC pipe or drill rod, which is lowered to the bottom of a well. The cement is pumped until it reaches land surface.

Costs to abandon a well can vary depending on the size and depth of the well and the plugging method required, but it generally costs (districtwide) several thousand dollars to properly abandon a well.

Public involvement

With more than 7 million acres of publicly and privately owned land within the District’s boundaries, finding the wells is the biggest challenge.

Most of the artesian wells are on private property. The District relies on private property owners to identify wells and to work cooperatively with the District to permanently halt the waste of water. Funds to support this program have historically been supplied cooperatively by the District, individual well owners and several counties.

Please direct any questions or referrals to Wesley Curtis at (386) 329-4252, (800) 741-WELL or wcurtis@sjrwmd.com.