Need to Rehab Your Well?
By Jim Palmer Jr.

It is common for some water wells to experience loss of production and experience a loss of water quality over time.  Minerals in the water can create fouling deposits on rock, gravel pack and well screens that will reduce the optimum flow of the well.  It could take a few years or may take many years for that flow to be reduced to the point that it is noticeable and measurable.

When wells are high in minerals such as iron or calcium, property owners frequently install filters that mitigate the effects of those minerals, especially those that affect taste, smell and create visible staining, but the well and plumbing structures on the front side of that filter system can still be adversely affected and therefore may need reliable “unplugging” efforts to be restored to its original working capacity.

There are well rehabilitation companies that specialize in restoring original water volumes and quality.  Effective well rehabilitation requires removal of all those deposits of collected material allowing capacity and volume to be restored.

One of the most effective treatment processes is the use of liquid carbon dioxide because of its ability to effectively disrupt and remove a wide variety of mineral deposits in many different types of well structures.  It offers superior deposit removal without adversely effecting well construction.
This process can be used in vertical or horizontal wells, shallow wells or very deep wells, small diameter to large diameter wells. Many of the wells treated are rock formations like granite, dolomite, limestone, basalt and sandstone.
The success of CO2 treatment results from a combination of carbonic acid agitation, and localized freezing, which results in disruption and detachment of encrusted material.  The agitation from the liquid CO2 is similar to when dry ice is placed in water.  Because this process is not overly aggressive, it is effective without causing damage to well components. Most companies also offer mechanical rehab methods such as wire brushing, swabbing and simultaneous airlift swabbing.

Certain permanently installed energy injection equipment can also be installed that allows for routine and consistent treatment. This type of treatment is efficient and possibly more economical than other treatments because well and geological formation surfaces are kept clean resulting in better raw water quality.  All such treatments can be accomplished with the pump and pipe in place.

In wells that experience severe and rapid fouling, periodic treatment or permanently installed treatment systems offer a financial and efficiency benefit from the onset.