Common Terms Used

Common Terms:

Abandoned well – a well not used for a period of one year, unless the owner       demonstrates the intention to use the well again.

Annular space – the space between the casing and the wall of the drilled hole.

Aquifer – water-bearing layer of permeable rock, sand or gravel.

Auger – tool for drilling wells, may be hand, gas, or hydraulic powered.

Backfill – material such as pea gravel that is used to fill back around the outside of a well casing.

Casing – a tubular retaining structure such as a pipe that is installed in the well bore to maintain the well opening.

Collar – a 10 to 12 inch diameter ring about 12 inches high that is placed at the top of the well hole to keep loose material from falling back into the hole during construction.

Drawdown – a lowering of water surface level in a well.

Evaporation - to change from a liquid or solid state to a vapor.

Ground water – water within the earth that supplies wells and springs; water in the part of the ground that is wholly saturated.

Hygiene - a condition or practice conducive to the preservation of health, cleanliness.

Hydrologic Cycle – the natural sequence through which water passes into the atmosphere as water vapor, precipitates to earth in liquid or solid form, and ultimately returns to the atmosphere through evaporation.

Precipitation – falling products of condensation in the atmosphere such as rain, snow, or hail.

Potable – liquid that is suitable for drinking.

Recovery rate – a measurement of how quickly a well refills itself as water is removed.

Seal – a concrete barrier at least 10 feet deep around the top of the well casing that keeps surface water and other contaminants from entering the well and polluting the ground water.

Silt – fine soil that can clog a well.

Water table – underground water stored in the soil; usually refers to the water level or how deep below the surface water exists.