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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCD-32-85~~ ~ I ,J {' ~ ~Lb) CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF NE ••••"-+~~...1.Q "~~J OFFICE OF THE TOWN CLERK TELEPHONE 623-3379 40 TEMPERANCE S"fREET BOWMANVILL E, ONTARIO Ll C 3A6 2EPORT TO THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION MEETING HELD SEPTEMBER 3RD, 1985 REPORT N0. CD-32-85 FILE NO.: 68.40.105 SUBJECT: MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY FOR PROTECTING THE PUBLIC FROM ABANDONED WELLS RECOMMENDATION: It is respectfully recommended, that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the f ollawing; that report CD-32-85 be received for inf ormation, • BACKGROUND: At the meeting of July 15th 1985, the General Purpose and Administration C anmittee passed the f ollawing resolution: GPA-497-85 "That Staff review and report what authority the Municipality has to protect the public from abandoned wells. • COMMENT: A review of the following pieces of legislation (Provincial & Municipal) was undertaken for the purpose of establishing Council's authority over abandoned wells: 1. The Ontario Water Resources Act RSO 1980 and the Regulations passed pursuant to the Act; 2. The Municipal Act R.S.O. 1980; 3. Town of Newcastle By-law 82-63 - A by-law prescribing standards' for occupancy of property within the Town of Newcastle. (M & 0 By-law) ~~~ h ~~~ CD-32-85 REPORT: -2- As a result of the resolution an examination of the relevant legislation established that each of the three pieces of legislation provided inform- ation relating to municipal controls over abandoned wells and the manner in which such wells were to be treated so as to prevent either the entry of pollutants into the aquifer or the possibility of injury to persons on the property. 1. The Ontario Water Resources Act R.S.O. 1980 Regulation 739 (18) deals with the method of closure. PLUGGING OF DRY OR ABANDONED WELLS (18) "When a well is dry or abandoned, the owner shall forthwith seal and fill the well with clean material, in a manner sufficient to prevent the vertical movement of water in it." Ul • 1 fib) For the inf ormation of the members of the Committee I have attached a fact sheet obtained fran the Ministry of the Environment of the recanmended method of plugging abandoned water wells. (See attachment #1) 2. The Municipal Act R.S.O. 1980 establishes Council's authority to pass by-laws and to enf orce the same in the following manner: SECTION 210 - By-laws may be passed by the Councils of local Municipalities: Sec 210 (80) "For requiring owners, lessees and occupants of land in the Municipality or any defined area of it to close or fill up water closets, privies, privy vaults, wells, or cesspools, the continuance of which may, in the opinion of the council or the Medical Officer of Health, be dangerous to health." PENALTIES AND ENFORCEMENT OF BY-LAW Sec. 321 "By-laws may be passed by the councils of all Municipalities and by Boards of Commissioners of Police for imposing fines of not more than $2,000.00, exclusive of costs, upon every person who contravenes any by-law of the Council or of the Board passed under the authority of this Act." Sec. 325 "Where a council has authority to Direct or require by By-law or otherwise that any matter or thing be done, the council may by the same by-law, or by another by-law direct that, in default of its being done by the person directed or required to do it, such matter or thing shall be done at his expense, and the Corporation may recover the expense incurred in doing it by action, or the same may be recovered in like manner as Municipal taxes...." 3. Town of Newcastle by-law 82-63 (The Maintenance and Occupancy By-law) Council passed by-law 82-63 on May 10th 1982. Included in by-law 82-63 is a section which deals specifically with abandoned wells. CD-32-85 _ 3 _ I11 (~b\ By-law 82-63 .~ L J Section 5.1'.4 ABANDONED WELLS "Every abandoned or unused well and every excavation, trench or ditch which is no longer required and could present a Hazard shall be filled with suitable fill material so that the cavity is level with the surrounding grade." It is evident that the municipality has enacted legislation which deals with abandoned wells. However, it is appropriate to note that the Ministry of the Environment has jurisdiction as well and as the senior and superior authority has established guidelines on the manner in which abandoned wells are to be removed from service and on the manner in which the recording of such action is to be undertaken. Again, for specific details please refer to Attachment number one to this report. AUTHORITY AND ENFORCEMENT The Maintenance and Occupancy by-law provides the municipal authority for dealing with the plugging of abandoned water wells. The Property Standards-Officer is by virtue of the same by-law authorized to act on behalf of the municipality with • respect to abandoned water wells and, all c anplaints should be forwarded to his attention in the prescribed form for the necessary action. Because of he Ministry of the Environment concerns and .their statutory role, the filling of any abandoned well should not occur without the Property Standards Officer having. consulted the Ministry. (See Attachment #1 for the address of the Ministry office with jurisdiction over this municipality). It is the opinion that Council's concerns respecting the matter of abandoned wells has been adequately covered in by-law 82-63, and, it is respectfully recanmended that this report be received for inf ormation. espectfully submitted, ~Gc.J ~ ~~~~. David W. Oakes, B.A., A.M.C.T., Town Clerk. • DWO/pp ATTACH: Ministry ~~ ~~~~~~ ~••.~.,.,,,; olthe M;;~~.~„ ~~• ICb) Environm c,~~:,,.~, M ro~,T~~~;,•, ent o,.,..„yM,••„~„ ~TT?1ck •"r Cow 7fE / (Reprtint) May 19&2 RECOMMENDED METHODS FOR PLUGGING ABANDONED WATER WELLS Introduction Unsealed, abandoned water wells may constitute a hazard to public health and safety and to the preservation and protection of groundwater resources. The sealing of such wells can prevent or eliminate a number of problems, the character of which depends upon the construction of the well, the geological formations encountered and the hydrologic conditions. A large number of abandoned dug wells that have deteriorated gradually over the years since last used as a water supply still exist. These are of particular concern since fatalities have been attributed to their presence in recent years. • Ontario Regulation 648/70 Section 18 stipulates: "When a well is dry or aban- Boned, the owner shall foseal and fill the well with clean material in a manner sufficient to prevent the vertical movement of water in it". Environment Ontario's hydrology and Monitoring Section, Water Resources Branch provides the following guidelines for plugging abandoned water wells, Rationale r To seal abandoned wells properly, several thinys must be accomplished: (i) elimination of a physical hazard, (ii) prevention of groundwater contamination, (iii) conservation of yield and maintenance of water levels of aquifers, and =`. (iv) prevention of the intermingling of desirable and undesirable waters. The basic concept in plugging a well is the restoration, as far as possible, of the hydrologic = conditions that existed in the aquifer* before the well was drilled. The employment of a competent well contractor is usuall accomplish sealing of a deep or flowing well or one in a creviced sformat on eC1Sim~la~ with the construction of a new well, a well contractor's knowledge of construction techniques and the local geologic conditions will be valuable in the proper abandonment l o f a we l 1. *Aquifer is the name given to any material that has spaces, openings or cracks in which water collects and moves with relative ease. Aquifers may occur in the overburden or in the bedrock. Loosely packed gravel is a good aquifer, fine sand is a poor aquifer, fractured rock may be good or poor. ;. Note:- In this publication: (1) Cement grout is a mixture of Portland cement and water ' which forms a slurry. (2J Concrete is a mixture of water, Portland cement and sand to the extent of not more than two parts sand to one part cement. (3) Bentonite is a commercial clay sometimes used in place of native clay due to its spec•ia1 gel-forming and swelling qualities when mixed with water. It is recommended that your Regional Groundwater Evaluator or Regional Water-Well Inspector be contacted for advice (addresses of regional offices are listed at the back of this brochure). A copy of the water-well record of the well you plan to plug can usually be provided, if necessary. This record copy will be supplied free-of-charge. Records for most wells drilled since 1949 are on file in the Ministry's reyional offices. • Plu99ing Wells in Unconsolidated Formations Normally, an abandoned well extending into loosely packed, near-surface formations which contain water under water-table conditions can be adequately sealed by back filling the casing or hole with cement grout, concrete, bentonite or clay. In the event that the water-bearing formation consists of coarse are located nearby, care must be taken to select sealing matereal~s athat rwidll rnotwmove readily through the aquifer and affect produciny wells (i.e. cause them to produce cloudy water}. Cement grout or concrete may be used if the producing wells can be shut down for a sufficient time to allow the material to set in the well being plugged. Clean, disinfected sand or gravel may also be used as fill material opposite the water- bearing formation (see Diagram 'A'}. The remainder of the well, however, must be filled with cement grout, concrete, bentonite or clay to exclude surface water. The latter method, using clay as the upper sealing material, is especially applicable to large-diameter wells. In gravel-packed wells in which coarse material has been added around an inner casing or screen to within 6-9 metres (20-30 feet) of the surface, sealing between the outer and inner casings is very important. Sometimes this sealing may require removal of some of the gravel pack or a portion of the outer casing. The total withdrawal of casing is desirable in most plugging situations. However, it is sufficient to cut off the casing a safe distance below ground surface to prevent interference with shallow digging, ploughing or trenching. i GROUNU ~[ vri ~_. ~ UPG(R PURiION IILLI I7 G LAY ' '7`~+~~ ~A lff~ CLFlV ,)R GONCRf ff ~~~. COARSE GRANGE tpRMA LION '., ''~~'"~~'~. ' ,,,,;LOWfR PORTION fIL L(D WITH ~ CLE/+N SANU ANI) GFtA VlL • i • . i : i i.' •'ei'. • .'.'........'i i .'....'~• . . • . e DIAGRAM A Plugging Wells Extendin Into Rock formations Abandoned wells that penetrate limestone or other creviced or channelized rock formations lying immediately below the unconsolidated deposits should preferably be filled with concrete or cement yrout to assure permanence of the seal. The use of clay or sand in such wells is not desirable because fine-grained fill material Wray be dis- placed by flow of ground water through crevices or channels. Alternate layers of coarse stone and concrete may be used for material through the water-producing horizons if limited vertical movement of water in the formations will not affect the quality or quantity of water in nearby producing wells. Wherever possi- ble, the placement of cement grout or concrete opposite a producing crevice should be avoided. The upper portions of rock formations, to a point 3-6 metres (10-20 feet) below the bottom of the casing, should be filled with cement grout or concrete to provide an effective seal against the entrance of surface water. Clay or sand may be used to fill the upper part of~the well. i ~/ l • / fib.) Plugging Wells Extending Into More Than One Aquifer in Bed Some special problems may develop in sealing wells extending into more than one • aquifer. These wells should be filled and sealed in such a way that exchange of water from one aquifer to another is prevented (see Diagram'B'). If no appreciable movement of water is encountered over an extensive portion of the well, filling with cement grout, concrete or alternate layers of these materials and coarse stone will prove satisfactory. If alternate cement grout or concrete plugs and stone are used, the con- crete should be placed in known non-producing horizons or, if locations of the non- producing horizons are not known, at frequent intervals (Diagrarn'B`). RAVEL ,~; CREVICED ROCK SUPPLIES ;;SOME WELL WATER CONCRETE PLACED IN NONPRODUCING ZONE TO PREVENT THE INTERMINGLING OF WATER FROM EACH ZONE DIAGRAM B SOLID ROCK, DOESN'T SUPPLY WELL WATER CREVICED ROCK, ALSO SUPPLIES WATER TO WELL 3. vl~ l ~,) Plugging Wells With Artesian flow The sealing of abandoned wells that have a large movement of water between aquifers or to the surface requires special attention, Frequently the movement of water may be sufficient to make sealing by gravity placement of cement grout, concrete, clay or sand impractical. In such wells, large stone aggre ate more than one-third of the diameter of the hole), lead wool, steelhshavings,toaewell packer, or a wood or cast-lead plug will be needed to restrict the flow and thereby preshaped eoPlprecast plugs fare used, theyboshoulhd berseveralp times n9onger fthan the diameter of the well. This will prevent tilting. In extreme cases, the drilliny of a nearby relief well may be necessary from which to pump, thereby relieving the flow pressure, during plugging operations in the hole to be abandoned. While it is very important in wells of this type to prevent circulation between formations, or loss of water to the surface, or to any open space outside the casing, it is recommended that the pumping into place of a cement grout, using the minimum quantity of water that will permit handling, be employed. The use of • mudding*, instead of cement pumping, is sometimes used. pressure In a we1T in which the hydrostatic head** the movement of water may be arrested by extendinguthe welllw casinge to ranc elevat~on above the artesian pressure surface. Previously described sealing methods suitable to the geologic conditions can then be used. Well Abandonment Records Before the plugging equipment is removed from the site, the exact location of the abandoned. well or hole should be determined and recorded, "tying in" the location with permanent reference points so the property owner has a permanent record of the location and details of the plugging procedure that was used. This record will provide a reference if problems respecting the well occur in the future. Your Regional Groundwater Evaluator should also be notified so that the appropri- • ate water-well record can be amended. Other Superior results are claimed for commercially available clay pellets, specially processed clays mixed with various aggregates, and certain cements. Occasionally com- binations of these special materials are necessary. In most cases, however, readily available material can be used to adequately abandon a well in a manner that meets Ontario Ministry of the Environment Regulation 648/70 (see Page I). i V 1. l (ti) .. Environment Ontario Regional Office staff will be pleased to answer any questions on well plugging and can be contacted at the locations listed below: Northwestern Region 435 James Street South Thunder Bay, P7E 6E3 475-1215 Northeastern Reyion 199 Larch Street, lith floor Sudbury, P3E 5P9 675-4501 Southwestern Region 985 Adelaide Street South London, N6E 1V3 681-3600 • West-!'entral Pegion, 12th door, 119 King St, W., Hamilton, nntario 521-7640 Central Region 150 Ferrand Drive Don Mills, M3C 3C3 424-3000 Southeastern Region 133 Dalton Street Kingston, K7K 4G5 549-4000 *Pressure mudding is the pumping of a thick clay and water mixture into place. **Hydrostatic head is the pressure in an artesian we1Z which governs the level to which the water in a flowing well will rise. •