Wells

Cross-section view of a bioretention cell with a shallow monitoring well. For further details click here for STEP's, Low Impact Development Stormwater Management Practice Inspection and Maintenance Guide (Pg. 195 - 204). A note: The following is an "image map", feel free to explore the image with your cursor and click on highlighted labels that appear to take you to corresponding pages on the Wiki.

This article gives tips on the design and installation of monitoring wells into LID practices. It does not address the much deeper wells used to monitor groundwater levels. Monitoring wells are frequently installed on infiltrating systems such as bioretention, bioswales, infiltration trenches and hybrids thereof. The two questions most frequently addressed are:

1. How quickly is surface ponding being infiltrated beneath the surface?
2. How quickly is the facility draining through exfiltration to native soils and/or through an underdrain?

Shallow wells

For bioretention cells, stormwater tree trenches and enhanced swales featuring surface ponding areas, to measure the depth of ponding on the surface of the practice, and rate at which the ponded water drains, install a shallow well with a water level logger:

• Use a section of perforated pipe or well screen with a geotextile sock that will allow ponded water to enter the well while preventing sediment from accumulating within it.
• Locate the well in the deepest portion of the surface ponding area or where ponding most frequently occurs.
• Measure the depth of the water level sensor in the well, relative to the filter media surface to translate sensor readings into surface ponding depth measurements.
• Ensure there is a solid cap on the bottom of the well to provide a small water reservoir (e.g., 100 mm deep) to keep the water level sensor submerged during dry conditions. This practice also helps with checking calibration of the sensor.

Deep wells

Many types of LID practices are designed to retain water within an internal water storage reservoir or layer (e.g. full and partial infiltration [[Bioretention|bioretention], stormwater tree trench and [permeable pavements|permeable pavement]] designs, infiltration trenches and chambers, and exfiltration trenches). To facilitate measurement of water level in the internal water storage reservoir or layer and periodically evaluate drainage performance over the operating life cycle of the facility, include a monitoring well located in the lowest elevation portion of the practice or system:

• Include monitoring wells in design drawings and details and install at an appropriate time during construction, or as part of repair work for facilities in need of rehabilitation.
• Ensure the perforated section of the well is located within the internal water storage reservoir or layer only, and that it extends to the bottom elevation of the practice at a minimum.
• Design and install the well so that surface water will not affect water level readings.
• A standard monitoring well casing and cap or monument to protect, secure and provide access to the well should also be included.
• Ensure there is a solid cap on the bottom of the well to provide a small water reservoir (e.g., 100 mm deep) to keep the water level sensor submerged during dry conditions. This practice also helps with checking calibration of the sensor.
• Where possible, wells should be located in areas with little or no vehicular traffic for ease of access.

Cross-section view of a partial infiltration bioretention cell with a deep monitoring well. For further details click here for STEP's, Low Impact Development Stormwater Management Practice Inspection and Maintenance Guide (Pg. 195 - 204). A note: The following is an "image map", feel free to explore the image with your cursor and click on highlighted labels that appear to take you to corresponding pages on the Wiki.

Monitoring Well Specifications

Feature	Notes
Pipe	Should consist of 100 to 150 mm diameter solid and perforated pipe sections joined together by threading or straight couplings. Perforated pipe section should consist of well screen pipe or smooth interior walled, rigid HDPE or PVC pipe with slot perforations along the full length.
Geotextile sock	The perforated or well screen section of the well pipe should be wrapped with a geotextile filter fabric sock to prevent sediment from accumulating in the well over time.
Bottom cap	The bottom of the well should be sealed with a cap to provide a small (e.g., 100 mm deep) reservoir of water to keep the water level sensor wet during dry weather.
Length	Shallow wells should extend into the filter media by a minimum of 150 mm. Deep wells should extend into the native soil below the facility by a minimum 150 mm. If the underdrain perforated pipe is installed in a shallow trench below the bottom of the facility, the well should extend 150 mm below the invert of the perforated pipe. Top elevation should be above the surface overflow outlet elevation or maximum ponding depth to prevent surface water from entering the well.
Top cap or monument	The well top should be finished with a lockable cap or standard monitoring well casing and monument to protect, secure and provide access to it.
Well casing	For deep wells, the well casing should be sealed at the surface to prevent surface water from flowing along the sides of the well and affecting internal storage reservoir water level readings. Bentonite clay is often used for this purpose.

A shallow excavated surface depression containing prepared filter media, mulch, and planted with selected vegetation.

Low Impact Development. A stormwater management strategy that seeks to mitigate the impacts of increased urban runoff and stormwater pollution by managing it as close to its source as possible. It comprises a set of site design approaches and small scale stormwater management practices that promote the use of natural systems for infiltration and evapotranspiration, and rainwater harvesting.

The downward movement of water through the soil, the downward flow of runoff from the bottom of an infiltration BMP into the soil.

Loss of water from a drainage system as a result of percolation or absorption into the surrounding medium (e.g., the infiltration of water into the native soil through a perforated pipe wall as it is conveyed).

A shallow constructed channel, often grass-lined, which is used as an alternative to curb and channel, or as a pretreatment to other measures. Swales are generally characterized by a broad top width to depth ratio and gentle grades.

Filter fabric that is installed to separate dissimilar soils and provide runoff filtration and contaminant removal benefits while maintaining a suitable rate of flow; may be used to prevent fine-textured soil from entering a coarse granular bed, or to prevent coarse granular from being compressed into underlying finer-textured soils.

Soil, sand and minerals washed from land into water, usually after rain. They pile up in reservoirs, rivers and harbors, destroying fish-nesting areas and holes of water animals and cloud the water so that needed sunlight might not reach aquatic plans. Careless farming, mining and building activities will expose sediment materials, allowing them to be washed off the land after rainfalls.

The engineered soil component of bioretention cell or dry swale designs, typically with a high rate of infiltration and designed to retain contaminants through filtration and adsorption to particles.

An underlying bed filled with aggregate or other void-forming fill material that temporarily stores stormwater before infiltrating into the native soil or being conveyed by an underdrain pipe.

A shallow excavated surface depression containing prepared filter media, mulch, and planted with selected vegetation.

An alternative practice to traditional impervious pavement, prevents the generation of runoff by allowing precipitation falling on the surface to infiltrate through the surface course into an underlying stone reservoir and, where suitable conditions exist, into the native soil.

Filter fabric that is installed to separate dissimilar soils and provide runoff filtration and contaminant removal benefits while maintaining a suitable rate of flow; may be used to prevent fine-textured soil from entering a coarse granular bed, or to prevent coarse granular from being compressed into underlying finer-textured soils.

The natural ground material characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin.

A perforated pipe used to assist the draining of soils.

1. A mineral soil separate consisting of particles less than 0.002 millimeter in equivalent diameter. 2. A soil texture class. 3. (Engineering) A fine-grained soil (more than 50 percent passing the No. 200 Sieve) that has a high plasticity index in relation to the liquid limit. (Unified Soil Classification System).