ASTM D5092-04(2010)e1 - 1.8.2010
 
Significance and Use

This practice for the design and installation of groundwater monitoring wells will promote (1) efficient and effective site hydrogeological characterization; (2) durable and reliable well construction; and (3) acquisition of representative groundwater quality samples, groundwater levels, and hydraulic conductivity testing data from monitoring wells. The practices established herein are affected by governmental regulations and by site-specific geological, hydrogeological, climatological, topographical, and subsurface geochemical conditions. To meet these geoenvironmental challenges, this practice promotes the development of a conceptual hydrogeologic model prior to monitoring well design and installation.

A properly designed and installed groundwater monitoring well provides essential information on one or more of the following subjects:

Formation geologic and hydraulic properties;

Potentiometric surface of a particular hydrologic unit(s);

Water quality with respect to various indicator parameters; and

Water chemistry with respect to a contaminant release.

 
1. Scope

1.1 This practice describes a methodology for designing and installing conventional (screened and filter-packed) groundwater monitoring wells suitable for formations ranging from unconsolidated aquifers (i.e., sands and gravels) to granular materials having grain-size distributions with up to 50 % passing a #200 sieve and as much as 20 % clay-sized material (i.e., silty fine sands with some clay). Formations finer than this (i.e., silts, clays, silty clays, clayey silts) should not be monitored using conventional monitoring wells, as representative groundwater samples, free of artifactual turbidity, cannot be assured using currently available technology. Alternative monitoring technologies (not described in this practice) should be used in these formations

1.2 The recommended monitoring well design and installation procedures presented in this practice are based on the assumption that the objectives of the program are to obtain representative groundwater samples and other representative groundwater data from a targeted zone of interest in the subsurface defined by site characterization.

1.3 This practice, in combination with proper well development (D5521), proper groundwater sampling procedures (D4448), and proper well maintenance and rehabilitation (D5978), will permit acquisition of groundwater samples free of artifactual turbidity, eliminate siltation of wells between sampling events, and permit acquisition of accurate groundwater levels and hydraulic conductivity test data from the zone screened by the well. For wells installed in fine-grained formation materials (up to 50 % passing a #200 sieve), it is generally necessary to use low-flow purging and sampling techniques (D6771) in combination with proper well design to collect turbidity-free samples.

1.4 This practice applies primarily to well design and installation methods used in drilled boreholes. Other Standards, including Guide D6724 and Practice D6725, cover installation of monitoring wells using direct-push methods.

1.5 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as standard, except as noted below. The values given in parentheses are mathematical conversions to SI units, which are provided for information only and are not considered standard.

1.5.1 The gravitational system of inch-pound units is used when dealing with inch-pound units. In this system, the pound (lbf) represents a unit of force (weight), while the unit for mass is slugs.

1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

1.7 This practice offers a set of instructions for performing one or more specific operations. This document cannot replace education or experience and should be used in conjunction with professional judgment. Nat all aspects of this practice may be applicable in all circumstances. This ASTM standard is not intended to represent or replace the standard of care by which the adequacy of a given professional service must be judged, nor should this document be applied without consideration of a project's many unique aspects. The word Standard in the title of this document means only that the document has been approved through the ASTM consensus process.

 
2. Referenced Documents

D2217-85(1998)

Standard Practice for Wet Preparation of Soil Samples for Particle-Size Analysis and Determination of Soil Constants (Withdrawn 2007)

D2487-17(2025)

Standard Practice for Classification of Soils for Engineering Purposes (Unified Soil Classification System)

D2488-26

Standard Practice for Description and Identification of Soils for Engineering Purposes (Visual-Manual Procedures)

D3282-24

Standard Practice for Classification of Soils and Soil-Aggregate Mixtures for Highway Construction Purposes

D3441-25

Standard Test Method for Mechanical Cone Penetration Testing of Soils

D3550-01

Standard Practice for Thick Wall, Ring-Lined, Split Barrel, Drive Sampling of Soils

D4220-95(2000)

Standard Practices for Preserving and Transporting Soil Samples

D4700-15

Standard Guide for Soil Sampling from the Vadose Zone (Withdrawn 2024)

D4750-87(2001)

Standard Test Method for Determining Subsurface Liquid Levels in a Borehole or Monitoring Well (Observation Well) (Withdrawn 2010)

D5079-25

Standard Practices for Preserving and Transporting Rock Core Samples

D5088-20

Standard Practice for Decontamination of Field Equipment Used at Waste Sites

D5254-92(1998)

Standard Practice for Minimum Set of Data Elements to Identify a Ground-Water Site

D5299-99

Standard Guide for Decommissioning of Ground Water Wells, Vadose Zone Monitoring Devices, Boreholes, and Other Devices for Environmental Activities

D5434-25

Standard Guide for Field Logging of Subsurface Explorations of Soil and Rock

D5518-94e1

Standard Guide for Acquisition of File Aerial Photography and Imagery for Establishing Historic Site-Use and Surficial Conditions (Withdrawn 2003)

D1587-08

Standard Practice for Thin-Walled Tube Sampling of Soils for Geotechnical Purposes

D2113-14

Standard Practice for Rock Core Drilling and Sampling of Rock for Site Exploration (Withdrawn 2023)

C150-07

Standard Specification for Portland Cement

C294-24

Standard Descriptive Nomenclature for Constituents of Concrete Aggregates

D421-85(1998)

Standard Practice for Dry Preparation of Soil Samples for Particle-Size Analysis and Determination of Soil Constants

D422-63(1998)

Standard Test Method for Particle-Size Analysis of Soils

D653-26a

Standard Terminology Relating to Soil, Rock, and Contained Fluids (Includes all amendments and changes 6/15/2026).

D1452-09

Standard Practice for Soil Exploration and Sampling by Auger Borings

D1586-11

Standard Test Method for Standard Penetration Test (SPT) and Split-Barrel Sampling of Soils

D5979-96(2019)e1

Standard Guide for Conceptualization and Characterization of Groundwater Systems (Includes all amendments and changes 9/4/2019).

D6001-05

Standard Guide for Direct-Push Groundwater Sampling for Environmental Site Characterization

D6235-25

Standard Practice for Expedited Site Characterization of Vadose Zone and Groundwater Contamination at Hazardous Waste Contaminated Sites

D6274-18

Standard Guide for Conducting Borehole Geophysical Logging - Gamma

D6282-98

Standard Guide for Direct Push Soil Sampling for Environmental Site Characterizations

D6286-19

Standard Guide for Selection of Drilling and Direct Push Methods for Geotechnical and Environmental Subsurface Site Characterization

D6429-23

Standard Guide for Selecting Surface Geophysical Methods

D6067-10

Standard Practice for Using the Electronic Piezocone Penetrometer Tests for Environmental Site Characterization

D6167-19

Standard Guide for Conducting Borehole Geophysical Logging: Mechanical Caliper

D6169-98

Standard Guide for Selection of Soil and Rock Sampling Devices Used With Drill Rigs for Environmental Investigations

D6431-25

Standard Guide for Using the Direct Current Resistivity Method for Geophysical Site Investigation

D6432-19

Standard Guide for Using the Surface Ground Penetrating Radar Method for Subsurface Investigation

D6519-15

Standard Practice for Sampling of Soil Using the Hydraulically Operated Stationary Piston Sampler

D6639-25

Standard Guide for Using the Frequency Domain Electromagnetic Method for Subsurface Site Investigations

D5876-95(2000)

Standard Guide for Use of Direct Rotary Wireline Casing Advancement Drilling Methods for Geoenvironmental Exploration and Installation of Subsurface Water-Quality Monitoring Devices

D6725-04

Standard Practice for Direct Push Installation of Prepacked Screen Monitoring Wells in Unconsolidated Aquifers

D6430-18

Standard Guide for Using the Gravity Method for Subsurface Site Characterization

D6640-21

Standard Practice for Collection and Handling of Soils Obtained in Core Barrel Samplers for Environmental Investigations

D6771-21

Standard Practice for Low-Flow Purging and Sampling Used for Groundwater Monitoring

D5521-05

Standard Guide for Development of Groundwater Monitoring Wells in Granular Aquifers

D5608-16

Standard Practices for Decontamination of Sampling and Non Sample Contacting Equipment Used at Low Level Radioactive Waste Sites (Withdrawn 2025)

D5730-04

Standard Guide for Site Characterization for Environmental Purposes With Emphasis on Soil, Rock, the Vadose Zone and Groundwater (Withdrawn 2013)

D5753-18

Standard Guide for Planning and Conducting Geotechnical Borehole Geophysical Logging

D5782-18(2026)

Standard Guide for Use of Direct Air-Rotary Drilling for Geoenvironmental Exploration and the Installation of Subsurface Water-Quality Monitoring Devices

D5787-20

Standard Practice for Monitoring Well Protection At or Near Land Surface

D5978-96e1

Standard Guide for Maintenance and Rehabilitation of Ground-Water Monitoring Wells

F480-25

Standard Specification for Thermoplastic Well Casing Pipe and Couplings Made in Standard Dimension Ratios (SDR), SCH 40 and SCH 80

D6724-04

Standard Guide for Installation of Direct Push Ground Water Monitoring Wells

D5781-95(2000)

Standard Guide for Use of Dual-Wall Reverse-Circulation Drilling for Geoenvironmental Exploration and the Installation of Subsurface Water-Quality Monitoring Devices

D5783-18(2025)

Standard Guide for Use of Direct Rotary Drilling with Water-Based Drilling Fluid for Geoenvironmental Exploration and the Installation of Subsurface Water-Quality Monitoring Devices

D5784-95(2000)

Standard Guide for Use of Hollow-Stem Augers for Geoenvironmental Exploration and the Installation of Subsurface Water-Quality Monitoring Devices

D5777-18

Standard Guide for Using the Seismic Refraction Method for Subsurface Investigation

D5872-95(2000)

Standard Guide for Use of Casing Advancement Drilling Methods for Geoenvironmental Exploration and Installation of Subsurface Water-Quality Monitoring Devices

D5875-95(2000)

Standard Guide for Use of Cable-Tool Drilling and Sampling Methods for Geoenvironmental Exploration and Installation of Subsurface Water-Quality Monitoring Devices