Horizontal Remediation Wells installed within planar contaminate plumes just makes plane sense.
By: Kyle Carlton, PG, Senior Geologist

When designing remediation systems for planar contaminate plumes, horizontal remediation well (HRW) technology should be a leading consideration as HRWs maximize screen contact with the contaminated media.

Diagram Depicting HRWs installed within LNAPL, DNAPL, and Dissolved Phase Contaminate Plumes

Diagram Depicting HRWs installed within LNAPL, DNAPL, and Dissolved Phase Contaminate Plumes

Whether the contaminate is light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) derived from petroleum sources, dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) from sources such as chlorinated solvents, creosote, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), or dissolved contaminates in groundwater, HRWs installed with horizontal directional drilling (HDD) technology targets alignment of horizontal well screens to be parallel to the planar axis of the contaminate plume, when possible.

HRWs can be accurately installed within horizontal subsurface features where contamination routinely concentrates such as the soil-groundwater interface, a sand stringer, or the top of a confining layer of clay or bedrock.

Horizontal Well Screen Design

At Directional Technologies, Inc. we go one step further. Prior to field work, we provide our clients with unmatched horizontal well screen design through our proprietary software to appropriately engineer the HRW screen for the remedial application (ISCO injection, bio-amendment injection, air/oxygen/ozone sparging, soil vapor extraction, groundwater extraction, etc.). Properly engineered well screen ensures optimal performance of HRWs.

Extend Horizontal Influence

Horizontal remediation wells produce an elliptical zone of influence elongated over the central axis compared to the circular radius of influence of a vertical well.

Horizontal remediation wells produce an elliptical zone of influence elongated over the central axis compared to the circular radius of influence of a vertical well.

Vertical remediation wells can only facilitate perpendicular contact with planar plumes, limiting the influence of the remedial application to a vertical column within the plume. In most scenarios, numerous vertical wells are necessary to create the same zone of influence that one horizontal well provides. Horizontal remediation wells produce an elliptical zone of influence elongated over the central axis compared to the circular radius of influence of a vertical well.

Directional Technologies, Inc. has installed thousands of horizontal wells for the environmental industry since 1992. The time-tested advantages of horizontal wells continue to benefit remediation sites across the nation and around the world. Select HRW technology for your next remediation project; it just makes plane sense!