South Dakota Administrative Rules › Title 74 - Department of Environment And Natural Resources › Article 74:02 - Water rights › Chapter 74:02:04 - Well construction standards › Section 74:02:04:35 - Alternative well construction requirements for certain Dakota aquifer wells

Current through Register Vol. 51, page 10, July 15, 2024
The well construction described in this section may be used for private
	 and reasonable domestic use wells and for noncommercial livestock watering
	 wells as an alternative to the construction required by §
									74:02:04:28. All other wells,
	 including public water supply wells, shall be constructed as required by §
									74:02:04:28. If any of the
	 following requirements cannot be met, the well construction must comply with
	 requirements of §
									74:02:04:28. The following
	 alternative well construction may be used to construct wells which are
	 completed into the Dakota aquifer in the Kennedy Basin, Sioux Ridge, the
	 Canadian Shield, and the eastern portion of the Williston Basin if the
	 following requirements are met:
(1)
  The drill bit used to drill into the Dakota aquifer is no larger than four and
  one-half inches in diameter;
(2)
  The vertical distance between the ground surface and the top of the Greenhorn
  formation is more than 300 feet;
(3) The size of the production casing
  installed to the top of the production aquifer, below any larger upper casing
  which is installed to allow installation of a pump is no larger than two inches
  in diameter and is type K hard copper, schedule 80 thermoplastic, brass, or
  stainless steel. The casing must be installed in accordance with the
  manufacturer's recommendations;
(4)
  Packers are located above the Dakota as necessary to help form a seal to stop
  movement of mud, silt, or other aquifer water into the Dakota aquifer well.
  Packers made from burlap bags, gunny sacks, or similar materials are
  prohibited. Local conditions may require use of other construction techniques
  in lieu of packers; however, the well driller shall construct the well to
  prevent movement of mud, silt, or other aquifer water into the Dakota aquifer
  well;
(5) The production casing and
  packers are not installed unless the weight of the drilling fluid is heavy
  enough to overcome aquifer pressures;
(6) If any flow of water at the surface
  outside the casing does not stop within a reasonable length of time, the well
  driller shall pressure-grout the upper portion of the casing with cement grout
  using a tremie pipe to a depth of 300 feet or into unweathered clay or shale,
  whichever depth is greater;
(7)
  Only one casing is placed into the production aquifer of a new well. New wells
  double-cased into the production aquifer are prohibited. However, if the
  original casing becomes defective, the well may be rehabilitated by placing new
  casing inside the old defective casing; and
(8) In those locations where pressures
  greater than 50 pounds per square inch at the surface may be encountered in the
  Dakota aquifer, to assure compliance with §
									74:02:04:73, surface casing is
  installed and pressure-grouted with cement grout to a depth of at least 300
  feet or into an unweathered clay or shale formation, whichever depth is
  greater.
See Appendix F at the end of this chapter.
General Authority:
SDCL
		46-2-5,
		46-6-20,
		46-6-27.
Law Implemented:
SDCL
		46-6-6.1,
		46-6-10,
		46-6-20,
		46-6-27.
Note:
Although this type of well construction may be
		less expensive, it is more likely to fail than a well constructed and grouted
		pursuant to §
											74:02:04:28. The success of this
		type of well construction is dependent upon the use of packers or other sealing
		techniques outside the casing above the Dakota aquifer and the sloughing off of
		the shale above the Dakota to fill and seal the drill hole annulus outside the
		casing, preventing movement of water, mud, or silt into the Dakota aquifer well
		or movement of water on the outside of the casing between aquifers or to the
		surface. When aquifer pressures above the Dakota are great enough to overcome
		the Dakota pressure, the success of the well is also dependent upon
		establishing a packer and shale seal just above the Dakota before the remainder
		of the annulus toward the surface is sealed. Water may flow outside the casing
		to the surface for a short period of time until an annulus seal is established
		even though the well does not produce a flow from the Dakota. If any flow
		toward the surface is sealed off first, the packer and shale seal may not be
		established and the well may produce silt or muddy water or water of a
		different chemical quality.