Paul Williams Well Drilling

Serving Sussex County & Northern Warren County, New Jersey
Well Decommissioning
Well Abandonmentwell
Well Sealing
Q & A:
Q: What is well decommissioning, abandonment, or sealing?
A: All three of these terms refer to the sealing and permanent closure of an inactive, abandoned, or unusable water well.
Q: What is the purpose of decommissioning a well?
A: According to the NJDEP, there are several reasons for decommissioning or abandoning a well:
- Eliminate physical hazard to people, animals, and farm machinery; and to prevent entry of animals, debris, or other foreign substances.
- Prevent contamination of groundwater by surface water inflow.
- Restore the natural hydrogeologic conditions, to the extent possible, by preventing vertical cross-contamination or commingling of groundwaters between separate water bearing zones.
- Eliminate the possibility of the water well being used for any other purposes.
- Allow future alternative use or management of the site.
Q: What is involved in this process?
A: The well is cleared of all pumping equipment, valves, pipelines, and debris and filled from the bottom to the top with the appropriate materials for the type of well.
Q: If I am told that I need my well sealed or decommissioned, who can I call?
A: When a well is no longer in use or is unusable, the New Jersey Department of Environmental protection requires that it be decommissioned by a licensed NJ well driller.