Installation of Observation Wells on Hazardous Waste Sites in Kansas Using a Hollow-Stem Auger

Noncontaminating procedures were used during the hollow-stem auger installation of 12 observation wells on three hazardous waste sites in Kansas. Special precautions were taken to ensure that water samples were representative of the ground water in the aquifer and were not subjected to contamination from the land surface or cross contamination from within borehole. Precautions included thorough cleaning of the hollow-stem auger and casing, keeping drill cuttings from falling back into the borehole while drilling, and not adding water to the borehole. These procedures were designed to prevent contamination of the ground water during well installation.
Because the use of water during well installation could contaminate the aquifer or dilute contaminants already present in the aquifer, two methods of well installation that did not introduce outside water to the borehole were used. The first method involved using a slotted 3/4-inch coupling that was attached to the bit plate of the hollow-stem auger, allowing formation water to enter the auger, thereby preventing sand-plug formation. This method proved to be adequate, except when drilling through clay layers, which tended to clog the slotted coupling. The second method involved screened well swab that allowed only formation water to enter the hollow-stem auger and prevented sand from plugging the hollow-stem auger when the bit plate was removed.