CWP High-Head Wells Project

Groundwater Resources
Central Utah Water Conservancy District
Vineyard, Utah

Introduction

As part of the Central Utah Water Conservancy District Water Development Project (CWP), the CWP High-Head Wells Project will deliver 42,400 acre-feet of groundwater using up to 15 wells. The District contracted HAL to plan, design, and manage the project, the largest of its kind in Utah. The Phase I goal was to construct two monitoring wells and deliver 13,150 acre-feet of water with five production wells located at the former Geneva Steel site in Vineyard, Utah. As tested, the wells can deliver up to 23,860 acre-feet annually.

Scope

The District contracted HAL to plan, design, and provide construction engineering services for the project, including:

1. Hydrogeologic investigation
2. Groundwater modeling
3. Drinking water source protection plans
4. Well design
5. Specifications, bid documents, prequalification, and bidding
6. Well house and well equipment design
7. Services during construction

Challenge

Developing a reliable, high-quality groundwater source that would also minimize disruption to existing wells brought several challenges. It required successful drilling of large 24-inch-diameter wells in valley alluvium to depths over 1,500 feet; design of well screens with sufficient tensile and collapse strength; careful drilling oversight and thorough aquifer development; and aesthetic well house design compatible with a new land development nearby.

Solution/Result

HAL and its subcontractors delivered a successful project under budget. Ultimately, the CWP will provide a long-term water supply for approximately 160,000 residents in Utah Valley, Cedar Valley, and Salt Lake Valley. The final product for this phase included two 1,600-foot-deep triple-nested monitoring wells and five 24-inch production wells 1,500–1,662 feet deep. The production wells can produce 6,000 gallons per minute each. Two of the production wells have been fully equipped with completed well houses, with a third planned for construction in 2016.

Thanks to a qualified driller and a tightly controlled mud and development program, the drilling was a success, exceeding all previous depth records for water wells of this size. A unique structural well screen was developed using square rods and a special weld configuration. HAL’s expertise and an acid treatment plan ensured thorough aquifer development. The well house located near the entrance to a future upscale development incorporated a Dutch roof and stone style design that satisfied the owner and land developer.

All wells have exceeded the client’s goals, with 70% more flow capacity and 22%–83% less drawdown than expected. The project successfully implemented drilling techniques to complete the deepest 24-inch-diameter water wells in Utah, tapping a previously undeveloped aquifer zone which will minimize impacts on shallower existing wells.

The project has been featured in National Driller, Water Online, and Civil Engineering and won a Merit Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Utah.