Groundwater Protection in the Southern Willamette Valley Abandoned Wells Groundwater Protection in the Southern Willamette Valley

What your well should look like The first picture is a well that is freshly drilled and has just been inspected by the Oregon Water Resources Division. The second is an example of a capped well. Notice on this picture that they well has a well ID plate links this well to its individual well log. These logs are housed on the Oregon Water Resources Division. Well logs can be viewed online.

Type of Well Heads

Finding Unused Wells Some clues: Rocks in depression Old windmills Cut off pipe History of property Unused, forgotten, and unknown wells can be direct pathways for contamination to enter the aquifer. To help protect groundwater finding and fixing these pathways will help reduce the potential for groundwater contamination.

Rocks in depressions – commonly old wells would have a ring of rocks around them. Think about an older movie – where there was the quaint little well out back with a little bucket to lower in a get water out. These weren’t uncommon, but were easily forgotten with new wells, fires, and time.

A broken or cut-off pipe can certainly be a clue to an unused well.

A forgotten well with obvious casing breach that was found on a rural property during a home inspection. The homeowner was unaware of the well existence until the home inspector discovered it.

This well certainly was still in use not that long ago – but is open to whatever might want to crawl in. What types if things might be able to get into the well?

A Pathway to Contamination There are certainly many potential contamination sources - wells that are no longer use should be properly decommissioned with the Oregon Water Resources Board.

These diagrams are from the website http://groundwater. oregonstate These diagrams are from the website http://groundwater.oregonstate.edu and are for use by educator for diagramming out the well, water table, aquifer, cone of depression, recharge, and interference.