A Dry well or an Underground Injection Control (UIC) well is essentially a man-made hole used to discharge water from the surface to below the ground. Dry wells are designed to receive stormwater runoff and allow the waters to percolate into the subsurface soils well above the regional aquifer.
Examples of dry well designs include infiltration trenches with perforated pipe, drain fields, French drains or holes deeper than wide at the land surface used to drain fluids from the ground surface. They are a common means of stormwater management in the Pacific Northwest and have been installed for decades. All designs, except those that service only residential rooftops, are required to be registered with the Oregon DEQ.
Dry Well Sampling
Alpha Environmental can accommodate all your dry well sampling needs. Whether it’s soil on the outside or sediment and water from the inside of the dry well, Alpha can do it all. We commonly perform dry well sampling for annual compliance for a variety of clients and facility types. If your site handles chemicals or petroleum products and you have a dry well, you need sampling. Alpha uses certified laboratories for all of our analysis and our experienced technicians are well trained to collect samples.
Dry Well Decommissioning
In some cases, dry wells are not needed anymore. When this happens, regulations have to be followed when decommissioning the well to follow clean closure requirements. Alpha Environmental handles all of these regulations, as well as the necessary notification before beginning the process. This notification is necessary because the decommissioning work has to be performed under the supervision of a licensed geologist, engineering geologist, or engineer.
Dry Well Maintenance
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality may require the dry well owner to develop a Best Management Practices Plan (BMPP) to remove as much risk as possible when it comes to potentially contaminating nearby groundwater or soil. This is usually only necessary for commercial properties that handle hazardous materials though.
Outside of these situations, dry well maintenance is still highly recommended to prevent any potential issues with the well moving forward, even if hazardous materials are not handled on the premises.
However, if you suspect your dry well might be causing contamination, Alpha Environmental can lead the investigation and cleaning aspect of dry well maintenance. The investigation process is not instantaneous, but we take several steps to ensure proper investigations and maintenance, including taking soil samples and researching the documentation from the original dry well installation.
Dry Well Registration Assistance
All persons who own an existing dry well or who plan to install a dry well are required to register the dry well with the DEQ. Dry wells are also required to be registered prior to decommissioning. Alpha is here to assist with the paperwork and streamline the registration procedures.
If you feel like you either need dry well maintenance, registration or would simply like some more information, call Alpha Environmental at 503-292-5346.
