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Abandoned Wells: Open Threat to Your Health and Safety

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ISU Extension Publication #: Pm-1334h
Author: Dr. Tom Glanville, Dept. of Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering
Date: April 1990
Content reviewed 5/95 by Tom Glanville

Hidden Hazards

Abandoned wells can be found almost anywhere-on farms, industrial sites, and in urban areas. Those marked by windmill tower and old hand pumps are easy to spot. But many lie hidden beneath weeds and patches of brush--an open trap waiting for unsuspecting children, hunters, and animals.

No one knows how many abandoned wells there are in Iowa. A recent landowner survey conducted by county assessors indicates there may be 35,000 or more. While that may seem like a lot, census data suggest there were about 250,000 active farmsteads in Iowa. Today, there are less than half that number. That means more than 112 farmsteads have been abandoned this century. Most of these had at least one well.

Besides creating hazards to personal safety, abandoned wells leave our groundwater, the most widely-used source of drinking water in Iowa, wide open to contamination. When compared with the water in our lakes and streams, groundwater is clearly our best source of high quality water. This is because these layers of soil and rock capping our underground supplies act like a natural filter that prevents silt, bacteria, and even some kinds of chemicals, from migrating into them. But, this protection is destroyed by open holes drilled through the protective soil and rock. In recent years, county sanitarians and well drillers have often reported contamination of private water systems caused by nearby abandoned wells with leaky casings and loose or missing caps.

Plugging is the Answer

Recognizing the threats to personal safety and groundwater quality posed by abandoned wells, the Iowa Legislature included well plugging legislation in the 1987 Groundwater Protection Act. This law calls for all abandoned wells in Iowa to be plugged.

Get Your Money's Worth!

At first glance, well plugging may seem to involve little more than dumping something into an open well. but, effective well plugging calls for experience with well construction materials and methods, and working knowledge of the geology of the well site. Furthermore, most plugging operations require special tools to remove old pumps and piping, pumps to properly install sealing materials inside the well, and excavating equipment to remove the top 4 feet of casing and compact soil over the well. For this reason, it is recommended that most wells be plugged by a registered well contractor. Two exceptions are (1) wells greater than 18 inches in diameter and less than 100 feet deep, which can be filled by dumping granular sealing materials into the top of the well and (2) sandpoint wells, which can be extracted and allowed to collapse.

A poor job of well plugging is little better than an open well! Use of inappropriate plugging materials and methods can lead to settling, sudden collapse, and continued groundwater contamination. Worse yet, one plugging materials are improperly installed in a well, a "second effort" at patching up the defective work is nearly impossible.

It's Up To Us

It won't be easy to convince everyone to plug their abandoned wells. Proper well plugging takes time and money. The exact costs vary with well depth, diameter, and the geology of the area. Some will say well plugging is like pouring money down the drain. But the truth is that spending a few hundred dollars plugging an abandoned well near your home may prevent contamination of your drinking water. And it might prevent a serious accident involving your family and friends.

For Further Information

For additional information on well plugging, ask your county Extension office for a copy of publication Pm-1328, Plugging Abandoned Wells, or contact your county sanitarian or a well contractor in your area. 

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