Deep Monitoring Well Installation

Temporary monitoring wells are a cost-effective alternative to permanent monitoring well installations for short-term groundwater assessment programs. Temporary wells are installed, sampled, and abandoned within a single field event — eliminating the need for surface completions, protective casings, and long-term maintenance while still providing high-quality groundwater samples for contaminant analysis. This approach is ideal for site screening, plume delineation, and pre-remediation characterization where long-term monitoring is not needed.

For this Burlington project, IET installed three temporary monitoring wells to 50 feet below ground surface using air rotary drilling methods. The 50-foot depth targets a deeper groundwater zone — likely below a shallow contaminated zone or in a deeper aquifer unit — requiring air rotary drilling to advance through challenging geological conditions. Air rotary uses compressed air to drive the drill string and evacuate cuttings, enabling efficient drilling through dense or cemented formations where direct push or hollow stem auger methods would be limited.

The 2-day field program with a 2-man crew included well development (surging and pumping to clear fine sediment from the filter pack), IDW containerization (1 drum of soil cuttings and decontamination fluids), and complete well abandonment after sampling. The proper drill string decontamination between locations ensures that analytical results represent actual subsurface conditions rather than cross-contamination between borings — a critical quality assurance measure for environmental investigations.

The air compressor and air rotary tooling noted in the Key Features indicate challenging drilling conditions — likely dense glacial till, cemented sand, or bedrock that requires the impact energy and cuttings evacuation capability of air rotary drilling. The November 10–11, 2025 completion and 2-day duration reflect the efficiency of IET's air rotary operations for deep temporary well installations in these challenging geological settings.

The complete turnkey service from installation to abandonment provided client Waters Edge Environmental with a single-vendor solution for their groundwater assessment needs. The 50-foot well depth and 3-well network provide the spatial coverage needed for comprehensive groundwater assessment, with the temporary well approach eliminating the long-term costs and liabilities associated with permanent monitoring well installations that are no longer needed after the assessment is complete.