tech update pumps

The Deal
on Dewatering
Pump selection and planning
for successful wellpoint dewatering

ellpoint dewatering is the for more than 80 years, wellpoint

W
By Kirsten Peterson Stroud
process of removing ground- dewatering is versatile and works well
water temporarily from soils in most types of formations, as the
in a localized area to complete the depth and spacing of wells can be
construction of a foundation, pipeline controlled and the amount of vacuum
or other below-ground structure or to to each wellpoint can be varied to
perform soil remediation. accommodate site conditions.
Typical wellpoint dewatering
applications include: In the Planning Stages
• Land remediation; System design depends on many
• Pollutant reclamation; factors, from soil conditions, methods
• Laying deep sewer, water or of construction and header elevation
utility lines; to water volume, pump and discharge
• Excavation and lining work for location. Surface drainage and well-
canals and channels; point depth considerations also must
• Excavations for basements, be taken into account. Single-stage
structures and foundations of wellpoint systems have an effective
buildings; and suction lift of 15 ft at sea level, and
• Foundations of dams, under certain circumstances, lifts can
bridges, powerhouses and be increased to as much as 22 ft. The
underground tanks. wellpoint system is utilized to dewater
soils drained by gravity flows with a
Learning the System drawdown limited to an average of 18
A series of shallow wells known ft per stage; however, several stages
as wellpoints are installed at a pre- may be used in one system. Wellpoints
determined depth and appropriately typically have capacities ranging from
spaced along a trench or around an a fraction of a gallon per minute (gpm)
excavation site. Dewatering experts to 100 gpm.
employ several installation techniques, Wellpoint dewatering is best suited
including installing, or jetting by high for relatively shallow excavations in
pressure water, the wellpoints by hand, stratified soils and permeable sandy
using a casing or punch, and drilling soils, though it can effectively dewater
methods such as augers and drill rigs. coarse sands and gravels, silts and some
The installed wellpoint reaches the clays. Stratified soils consist of layers of
surface via a riser pipe, which is in different soil textures. Rapid-moving
turn connected to a common header water deposits gravel and coarse sand.
pipe main through a clear, flex- Slow-moving water deposits fine sand
ible swing joint that incorporates an and silt. Still water deposits the finest
adjustable header valve. The swing clay materials. Water does not move
joint provides a clear view of what is uniformly downward in stratified soils.
being pumped, and the valve allows The difference created between the
control of the air entering the system. pressure of the groundwater (atmo-
Lastly, the header pipe is connected to spheric pressure) and the filters (well-
a wellpoint pump. points) directs the groundwater flow
The vacuum produced by the pump towards the wellpoints at a velocity
draws water through notches in the that depends on the permeability of
wellpoints. The water then travels from the various types of ground. When
the wellpoints through the swing joints the wellpoint system in a given
into the header pipe to the pump. It is section pumps more water than filters
then discharged away from the site or through the voids, the water table
to other processes to remove unwanted begins to lower, forming a conical
properties such as contaminants. surface. As pumping continues, the
Considered the oldest method of dewatered area increases until the
practical pre-drainage in general use capacity removed by the wellpoint
▼

This wellpoint dewatering setup displays the header pipe with swing joints and valve assemblies.

10 WATER QUALIT Y PRODUCTS

system is equal to the capacity due to discharge through bags made of Additionally, it is a best prac- Kirsten Peterson Stroud is marketing
filtration. At this point the water table geotextile fabric. Sediment and erosion tice to minimize the dewa- manager for Thompson Pump. Stroud
stabilizes, forming the “cone of influ- control is impeded by the use of dewa- tering discharge velocity to avoid can be reached at kpetersen@
ence.” The size of this cone is closely tering and sediment filter bags for scouring the receiving area, and thompsonpump.com or 386.944.4145.
linked to the permeability of the pumping and filtering sediment-laden design structural controls such
ground and therefore will be larger in water. These bags retain solids, sedi- as basins or sumps that receive For more information on this subject
low-permeability ground. ment and other particles, allowing only discharge water to handle the write in 1003 on the reader service
Shallow water tables are susceptible clean water out of the bag. anticipated discharge flow. wqp form on page 33.
to pollution. Drain fields, dry wells,
animal wastes and fertilizer applica-
tions can contaminate a shallow water
table. Recharge is usually from rainfall,
falling directly above and percolating
downward to the water table. As the
water moves downward, it may carry
contaminants. Environmental remedia-
tion requires understanding the safety
of addressing a potentially harmful
situation in a speedy, accurate and effi-
cient manner. Wellpoint dewatering
can be employed to effectively aid in
remediating these contaminants.
There are professional dewatering
and pump companies that offer
complete groundwater control services,
including site investigation, design,
calculations and comprehensive subsoil
knowledge, along with recommenda-
tion and installation of appropriate
dewatering systems.
A professional’s first step in plan-
ning a wellpoint dewatering system is
to meet with the project engineer and
job foreman to acquire pertinent infor-
mation, then gather soils and water-
shed information from soil borings and
other available resources. The next step
is to evaluate and note topography,
including reviewing underground
utilities, examining intervening water
sources and reviewing the equipment
needed and labor required.

Pump Selection
As water is collected, a high
proportion of air is collected as well.
Wellpoint pumps, such as a rotary,
vacuum, piston and vacuum-assisted,
are designed specifically with high air-
handling capability to manage ground-
water, air and soluble gases.
From filtration to remediation,
pumps handle various caustic elements
in an effort to keep potentially
harmful liquids under control. The
larger the pump, the quicker a site can
be dewatered. Additionally, more than
one pump can be added to a system. In
wellpointing, control of air is impor-
tant, as excessive air causes cavitation,
which reduces pump efficiency.

Fluid Discharge Best Practices

Today, it is common before
releasing dewatering discharge to
rivers, lakes or wetlands to filter the
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