Investing in a borehole, whether for drinking water or industrial use, is a major decision that requires careful management to ensure its longevity.
Did you know that? Boreholes can last up to 100 years. However, the longevity of the well depends on regular maintenance. Productivity problems arise over time, which is why the operator is obliged to carry out a camera inspection at least every ten years to identify and anticipate these risks. But this is often not enough.
The ideal solution is to continuously monitor the performance of your boreholes so that you can be alerted in real time to any anomalies in the structure.
The risks of poorly maintained and unmonitored boreholes
Neglected boreholes can eventually lose productivity and lead to :
- The formation of deposits and therefore clogging of the well screens in the borehole
- The formation of bacterial flocs that clog the borehole
- Silting
These problems can occur separately or simultaneously, leading to a drop in yield.
Other aggravating factors, such as a drop in the dynamic level, excessive water circulation speed through the well screens, inappropriate choice of pump or poor design of the well, can also contribute to the deterioration of the well.
A borehole that has deteriorated too much becomes irretrievable, forcing the operator to build a new replacement borehole. The financial consequences of this lack of monitoring and maintenance can therefore be significant, and underline the need for regular maintenance to :
- Ensure safe water,
- Extend the life of the installation
- Avoid having to stop production and purchase water
- Ensure optimum production in the event of drought
- Save money in the long term
That’s why imaGeau recommends continuous monitoring of the performance of facilities to anticipate risks, ensure the long-term future of your facilities and maintain the capacity of your catchments.
Continuous monitoring of boreholes in the EMI application
Created by imaGeau, EMI is an all-in-one application coupled with environmental expertise that enables you to :
- Guarantee the sustainable use of water resources and assets with complete transparency
- Anticipate the risks of drought so that you can take action to secure water supplies
- Maintain and guarantee the production capacity of your water catchments
- Optimise your investments and reduce the costs associated with your water production assets
- Facilitate communication with residents and government departments
The benefits of continuous monitoring: a case study
To illustrate the importance of continuous monitoring, we will use the example of a customer who was experiencing a number of problems:
- Water supply difficulties in the summer of 2020 in 2 catchment areas
- A need to take a step back from the data
- Structures regularly maintained, but no ongoing monitoring
- A need to communicate more easily with government departments.
We set up real-time monitoring of 14 boreholes in the EMI application to monitor their performance and collect data. Depending on the performance measured, the application indicates the status of the borehole in real time:
- Normal
- Work in progress
- Borehole to be regenerated
In fact, once calibrated, the EMI application enabled us to highlight several faulty boreholes.
Example of a problem borehole in EMI
Monitoring the borehole’s specific flow rate
Cross-analysis of the borehole’s specific flow rate and drawdown
Summary of the monitoring of this borehole
Our customer was automatically warned by the EMI application of an anomaly on the borehole in November, despite the general maintenance carried out in May. The change in pumping mode caused a sharp drop in the specific flow rate, accompanied by a gradual sinking of the borehole into the ground. We assumed that the borehole was sucking up sand, given the presence of very fine sand in the geology. The installation of a blind tube had already been tried to limit this problem.
The operator confirmed this hypothesis by observing on site that the borehole was gradually sinking into the ground. Faced with this critical situation, a new camera inspection was carried out as a matter of urgency, definitively confirming the diagnosis.
In view of the significant consequences likely to arise from stopping this drilling, an express request was made to drill a replacement borehole. The various graphical data provided by EMI enabled our client to justify the request and provide supporting information to the Direction Départementale des Territoires (DDT), in order to speed up the procedure.
Thanks to these reactive measures, a new borehole was drilled before the summer to take over from the faulty structure.
In the absence of continuous monitoring, there was a risk that the problem would be detected late, leaving the operator with little or no time to react and implement an alternative solution during a busy period (high summer).
The advantages of continuous monitoring of your facilities
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A clear view of the condition of your structures
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Continuous, easy monitoring of all data
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An action plan to implement
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A communication medium
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Anticipating the risks of breakdown
The benefits of a full report on the state of your assets
When we set up EMI, our hydrogeological consultancy advises us to carry out an inventory of your assets, resources and performance.
Our hydrogeologists then draw up an action plan to secure your water catchment resources, which is divided into several parts:
- A study of your area’s vulnerability to the risk of drought
- A maintenance plan for your water catchments
- Operation optimisation plan
- Estimate of the gains made
- Actions to be implemented
- Financial estimate for these actions
- Prioritisation of the actions identified.
This gives you a complete strategic vision of your assets, enabling proactive, optimum management of your water catchments to maximise their performance and ensure their long-term survival.
Anonymised example of a full asset status report
