Virginia Law

A. Temporary inactivation.

1. A water well temporarily inactivated shall be sealed with a watertight cap or wellhead seal.

2. The well shall be maintained so that it will not be a source or channel for contamination during temporary inactivation.

3. The wellhead shall be visually inspected and observations documented to verify adequate sanitary integrity on a quarterly basis.

4. The well lot shall be maintained.

B. Permanent abandonment.

1. Well abandonment shall be supervised by a certified water well systems provider.

2. All well abandonments shall be documented on a Uniform Water Well Completion Report, Form GW-2, and submitted to the department within 30 days of completing the physical abandonment.

3. Groundwater wells that are abandoned shall be sealed by methods that will restore to the fullest extent possible the controlling geological conditions that existed before the wells were constructed.

4. Casing and screen materials may be salvaged.

5. The well shall be checked from land surface to the entire depth of the well before it is sealed to ascertain freedom from obstructions that may interfere with sealing operations. Effort shall be made to remove or clear any obstacles that may prohibit sealing by grouting the complete well depth.

6. The well shall be thoroughly chlorinated before sealing.

7. Bored wells and uncased wells shall be backfilled with clean fill to the water level. A two-foot-thick bentonite grout plug shall be placed immediately above the water level. Clean fill shall be placed on top of the bentonite grout plug and brought up to at least five feet from the ground surface. The top five feet of the well casing, if present, shall be removed from the bore hole. If an open annular space is present around the well casing, then the annular space shall be filled with bentonite grout to the maximum depth possible, but less than or equal to 20 feet. A one-foot-thick cement or bentonite grout plug that completely fills the bore void space shall be placed a minimum of five feet from the ground surface. As an alternative, bored wells and uncased wells may be completely filled with concrete, sand-cement, bentonite-cement, or neat cement grout to within a minimum of five feet from the ground surface by introduction through a pipe initially extending to the bottom of the well. The pipe shall be raised but remain submerged in grout or concrete as the well is filled. The remaining space shall be filled with clean fill that is mounded a minimum of one foot above the surrounding ground surface.

8. Non-bored wells constructed in unconsolidated formations shall be completely filled with concrete, sand-cement, bentonite-cement, or neat cement grout to within a minimum of five feet from the ground surface by introduction through a pipe initially extending to the bottom of the well. The pipe shall be raised but remain submerged in grout or concrete as the well is filled. The remaining space shall be filled with clean fill that is mounded a minimum of one foot above the surrounding ground surface.

9. Wells constructed in consolidated rock formations or that penetrate zones of consolidated rock may be filled with sand or gravel opposite the zones of consolidated rock. The top of the sand or gravel fill shall be at least five feet below the top of the consolidated rock and at least 20 feet below land surface. The remainder of the well shall be filled with concrete, sand-cement, bentonite-cement, or neat cement grout to within a minimum of five feet from the ground surface by introduction through a pipe initially extending to the bottom of the well. The pipe shall be raised but remain submerged in grout or concrete as the well is filled. The remaining space shall be filled with clean fill that is mounded a minimum of one foot above the surrounding ground surface.

10. The location of the well shall be permanently documented for future reference.