Horizontal Remediation Well Feasibility Checklist

By: Tomas Will, Sr. Environmental Technical Scientist

Would a quick-reference feasibility checklist save you time and effort when considering horizontal vs vertical remediation wells? 

For the benefit of anyone who is considering including horizontal remediation wells (HRWs) on one of their upcoming projects, we’ve put together a useful checklist to help you uncover whether HRWs are the right tool for improving budget, schedule, and performance on your current project(s).

Are horizontal remediation wells the right fit? There are five main criteria for determining if horizontal wells have a place on a project. If your project meets any one of the following criteria, there’s a high likelihood HRWs are the right tool for the job. The more criteria your projects meet, the more benefit they will receive from incorporating HRWs.

• Would the project require more than 5 vertical remediation wells?
  • A single horizontal well can exceed the performance of multiple vertical wells.
• Would disruption to site operations or site infrastructure be an issue for your client or adjacent property owners?
  • Disruptions to site activities are not only undesirable for property users but can result in tangible financial losses due to interruptions caused by well installations and subsequent O&M. HRWs can eliminate these disruptions by installing wells out of the way of important areas while still having unparalleled access to the contaminant plume.
• Is the contaminant plume partially inaccessible due to site constraints?
  • Commercial/industrial/residential activity, subsurface utilities, sensitive environments, tight interior spaces lacking overhead clearance, areas requiring security authorization, and a myriad of other site constraints can prevent vertical well installations in areas that may be critical to treating the most heavily contaminated areas of the plume. Horizontal wells can eliminate the compromises required by vertical wells and allow for wells that are engineered for maximum screen contact with contaminated areas.
• Is the time to achieve site closure an important factor?
  • Horizontal wells have a demonstrated ability to achieve cleanup goals in less time than would be attainable by a comparable approach utilizing vertical wells. Faster cleanups and fewer total wells lead to lower O&M costs over the lifespan of a project.
• Have previous remedial efforts been unsuccessful in achieving site closure
  • Many of our successful projects had previously been part of a remedial action plan that was reliant on vertical wells. The advantages in plume interface and greatly expanded zone of influence provided by horizontal wells has often been the final step in achieving site closure.

Contact Mike Sequino, Principal Engineer, or Tomas Will, Sr. Technical Environmental Scientist, our horizontal well experts at 877-788-4479 or drilling@directionaltech.com to discuss your current project needs.