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