ASTM D5521/D5521M-13
Standard Guide for Development of Groundwater Monitoring Wells in Granular Aquifers

Standard No.

ASTM D5521/D5521M-13

Release Date

2013

Published By

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)

Status

Be replaced

Replace By

ASTM D5521/D5521M-18

Latest

ASTM D5521/D5521M-18

Scope

4.1 A properly designed, installed, and developed groundwater monitoring well, constructed in accordance with Practice D5092 should provide the following: representative samples of groundwater that can be analyzed to determine physical properties and water-quality parameters of the sample or potentiometric levels that are representative of the total hydraulic head of that portion of the aquifer screened by the well, or both. Such a well may also be utilized for conducting aquifer tests used for the purpose of determining the hydraulic properties of the geologic materials in which the well has been completed.

4.2 Well development is an important component of monitoring well completion. Monitoring wells installed in aquifers should be sufficiently developed to ensure that they serve their intended objectives. Well development methods vary with the physical characteristics of the geologic formation in which the monitoring well is screened, the construction details of the well, the drilling method used during the construction of the borehole in which the well is installed, and the quality of the water. The development method for each individual monitoring well should be selected from among the several methods described in this guide and should be employed by the well construction contractor or the person responsible for monitoring well completion.

4.3 The importance of well development in monitoring wells cannot be overestimated; all too often development is not performed or is carried out inadequately. Proper and careful well development will improve the ability of most monitoring wells to provide representative, unbiased chemical and hydraulic data. The additional time and money spent performing this important step in monitoring well completion will minimize the potential for damaging pumping equipment and in-situ sensors, and increase the probability that groundwater samples are representative of water contained in the monitored formation. Practice D3740 provides evaluation factors for the activities in this guide.

Note 1—The quality of the result produced by this standard is dependent on the competence of the personnel performing it, and the suitability of the equipment and facilities used. Agencies that meet the criteria of Practice D3740 are generally considered capable of competent and objective testing/sampling/inspection/etc. Users of this standard are cautioned that compliance with Practice D3740 does not in itself assure reliable results. Reliable results depend on many factors; Practice D3740 provides a means of evaluating some of those factors.

1.1 This guide covers the development of screened wells installed for the purpose of obtaining representative groundwater information and water quality samples from granular aquifers, though the methods described herein could also be applied to wells used for other purposes. Other well-development methods that are used exclusively in open-borehole bedrock wells are not described in this guide.

1.2 The applications and limitations of the methods described in this guide are based on the assumption that the primary objective of the monitoring wells to which the methods are applied is to obtain representative water quality samples from aquifers. Screened monitoring wells developed using the methods described in this guide should yield relatively sediment-free samples from granular aquifer materials, ranging from gravels to silty sands. While many monitoring wells are considered “small-diameter” wells (that is, less than 10 cm [4 in.] inside diamet......

ASTM D5521/D5521M-13 Referenced Document

• ASTM D3740 Standard Practice for Minimum Requirements for Agencies Engaged in the Testing and/or Inspection of Soil and Rock as Used in Engineering Design and Construction
• ASTM D5088 Standard Practice for Decontamination of Field Equipment Used at Nonradioactive Waste Sites
• ASTM D5092 Standard Practice for Design and Installation of Ground Water Monitoring Wells in Aquifers
• ASTM D653 Standard Terminology Relating to Soil, Rock, and Contained Fluids

ASTM D5521/D5521M-13 history

• 2018 ASTM D5521/D5521M-18 Standard Guide for Development of Groundwater Monitoring Wells in Granular Aquifers
• 2013 ASTM D5521/D5521M-13 Standard Guide for Development of Groundwater Monitoring Wells in Granular Aquifers
• 2005 ASTM D5521-05 Standard Guide for Development of Ground-Water Monitoring Wells in Granular Aquifers
• 1994 ASTM D5521-94e1 Standard Guide for Development of Ground-Water Monitoring Wells in Granular Aquifers (Withdrawn 2003)