New Mexico Administrative Code › Title 19 - NATURAL RESOURCES AND WILDLIFE › Chapter 27 - UNDERGROUND WATER › Part 4 - WELL DRILLER LICENSING; CONSTRUCTION, REPAIR AND PLUGGING OF WELLS › Section 19.27.4.31 - WELL DRILLING - ARTESIAN (CONFINED) WELL REQUIREMENTS

Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 13, July 16, 2024
Artesian wells shall be constructed such that groundwater
				  does not move appreciably between hydrogeologic units nor flow uncontrolled to
				  the ground surface. For regulatory purposes, the final determination of whether
				  a well is artesian shall be based upon evaluations made by the state engineer.
				  A well driller shall ensure that well drilling activities associated with the
				  drilling of artesian wells are made in accordance with
				  19.27.4.29
				  NMAC and the following requirements:
A.
Plan of operations:
Before
				conducting any well drilling activities for an artesian well, prior approval
				from the owner of the land upon which the well drilling activity is planned
				must be granted, the permittee, well owner, or the owner's agent or attorney,
				shall provide a plan of operations describing the proposed work on a form
				prescribed by the state engineer, and the plan of operations shall be approved
				by the state engineer. The plan of operations shall provide information on the
				well design and materials to be used in the well construction, including the
				cementing and testing procedures. If the materials or cementing and testing
				procedures are not provided for in these rules and regulations, then the plan
				of operations must provide documentation to support their use. The plan of
				operations shall be signed by a well driller. Well drilling activities of an
				artesian well shall be conducted in accordance with the plan of operations as
				approved and conditioned by the state engineer. While conducting well drilling
				activities the well driller shall have a copy of the approved permit and plan
				of operations on site and available for inspection upon request.
B.
Construction inspection:
The
				casing, cementing, plugging, and testing of an artesian well shall be witnessed
				by an authorized representative of the state engineer. Alternatives to onsite
				witnessing may be utilized at the discretion of the state engineer.
C.
Artesian wells - no prior knowledge
				of artesian condition:
In the course of drilling a well, if a previously
				unidentified artesian stratum is encountered, the state engineer shall be
				immediately notified that an artesian stratum was encountered, any flowing
				groundwater to ground surface shall be controlled immediately, and a plan of
				operations shall be submitted for approval in accordance with Subsection A of
				19.27.4.31 NMAC.
D.
Casing
				and coupling material requirements:
Casing and coupling material used in
				the construction of an artesian well shall meet specifications approved by the
				state engineer prior to well drilling. The casing for artesian wells shall be
				inspected by an authorized representative of the state engineer prior to well
				construction.
E.
Casing
				installation requirements:
The casing shall be centralized in the
				borehole throughout the casing string hole and centered at the top so grout may
				be evenly placed around the casing. A commercially made float shoe shall be
				installed on the lowermost joint of the casing to be landed unless an alternate
				method for cementing has been approved by the state engineer. The casing shall
				be un-perforated and the well shall be designed in a manner to prevent the
				commingling of water from the artesian stratum with water in an overlying or
				underlying hydrogeologic unit. All threaded casing joints must be tightened to
				manufacturer's designated torque specifications during installation. Casing
				shall be set at or near the base of the confining formation or the top of the
				artesian stratum.
F.
Annular
				space:
The diameter of the borehole in which the seal shall be placed
				shall be at least four inches greater than the outside diameter of the casing
				set to include the coupling diameter. If pressure grouting from the bottom up
				is used for sealant placement then the diameter of the borehole in which the
				seal shall be placed may be reduced to three inches greater than the outside
				diameter of the casing set. If surface casing is used, the inside diameter of
				the surface casing shall be at least three inches greater than the outside
				diameter of the production casing including the diameter of the coupling on the
				casing.
G.
Annular space
				sealing requirements:
The annular seal shall consist of an office of the
				state engineer approved sealant. The seal shall originate at or near the base
				of the confining unit and shall be continuously placed to ground surface. The
				sealing process shall be witnessed by an authorized representative of the state
				engineer. When necessary, sufficient annular seal shall be placed to prevent
				inter-aquifer exchange of water and to prevent loss of hydraulic head between
				hydrogeologic units.
H.
Annular space - seal placement:
The office of the state engineer
				approved sealant shall be placed in the annular space by one of the following
				methods:
(1)
Tremie method:
The
				office of the state engineer approved sealant shall be pumped using a tremie
				pipe to fill the annular space of the well from the bottom of the seal to
				ground surface. Flow of undiluted sealant out of the top of the annular space
				shall be established with the tremie pipe suspended in the annulus. The lower
				end of the tremie shall remain immersed in the sealant for the duration of
				pumping. The tremie pipe may be gradually removed as sealant level in the
				annulus rises.
(2)
Pressure
				grout method:
The office of the state engineer approved sealant shall be
				pumped down the inside of the casing, through the float shoe, and up the
				annular space until undiluted sealant circulates out of the annulus at ground
				surface. Excess sealant will be displaced out of the casing from behind by
				pumping an industry approved drillable plug in front of the drilling fluid
				until it has bumped up sufficiently at the float shoe. The fluid volume pumped
				into the casing to displace the sealant shall equal the inside volume of the
				casing string itself to assure total displacement. Should undiluted sealant not
				be displaced out the top of the annulus in a continuous pressure grouting
				operation, the sealing job may be completed by the use of the tremie method. If
				the tremie method is employed, then a tremie pipe shall be suspended in the
				annulus to the approximate level of the competent sealing material. The office
				of the state engineer approved sealant shall be pumped to fill the annular
				space of the well from the top of the competent sealing material to ground
				surface.