ABSTRACT
Horizontal wells are emerging as a new technology for solving problems in the environmental industry. Horizontal wellscreen orientation complements typical aquifer geometry, groundwater flow patterns, and common site logistics. Soils are naturally stratified, and individual aquifers or water-bearing zones are much wider than they are thick. Contaminant concentra tions are often highest directly beneath buildings, landfills, and other obstacles to remedial op erations, so treatment facilities are constructed tens or hundreds of feet away from the target zone of remediation. Despite the dominance of the horizontal direction in aquifer shapes and groundwater flow, the predominant tool for extracting contamination from subsurface sources is a vertical well. However, in many environmental remediation scenarios, a horizontal well offers a better match of form and function than a vertical well. The tabular geometry of many aquifer zones renders horizontal wells more productive than vertical wells. The specific ca pacity ratio of horizontal-to-vertical wells increases with decreasing aquifer thickness.
