Completion Report for Well ER-12-3. Corrective Action Unit 99: Rainier Mesa - Shoshone Mountain

Technical Report · Mon May 01 04:00:00 EDT 2006

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/932658· OSTI ID:932658

Well ER-12-3 was drilled for the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office, in support of the Nevada Environmental Restoration Project at the Nevada Test Site, Nye County, Nevada. The well was drilled in March and April 2005 as part of a hydrogeologic investigation program for the Rainier Mesa-Shoshone Mountain Corrective Action Unit. The overall purpose of the well was to gather subsurface data to better characterize the hydrogeology of central Rainier Mesa, especially in the older Tertiary volcanic rocks and Paleozoic sedimentary rocks. The main 47.0-centimeter hole was drilled to a depth of 799.2 meters and cased with 33.97-centimeter casing to 743.1 meters. The hole diameter was then decreased to 31.1 centimeters, and the well was drilled to a total depth of 1,496.0 meters. The completion string consisted of 13.97-centimeter stainless steel casing, with two slotted intervals open to the lower carbonate aquifer, suspended from 19.37-centimeter carbon steel casing. A piezometer string was installed outside the 33.97-centimeter casing to a depth of 467.1 meters to monitor a zone of perched water within the Tertiary volcanic section. Data gathered during and shortly after hole construction include composite drill cuttings samples collected every 3 meters (extra cuttings samples were collected from the Paleozoic rocks for paleontological analyses), sidewall core samples from 35 depths, various geophysical logs, and water level measurements. These data indicate that the well penetrated 674.2 meters of Tertiary volcanic rocks and 821.7 meters of Paleozoic dolomite and limestone. Forty-nine days after the well was completed, but prior to well development and testing, the water level inside the main hole was tagged at the depth of 949.1 meters, and the water level inside the piezometer string was tagged at 379.9 meters.

• Research Organization: U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office, Las Vegas, NV (United States); Bechtel Nevada Corporation, Las Vegas, NV (United States). Geotechnical Sciences
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC08-96NV11718
• OSTI ID: 932658
• Report Number(s): DOE/NV/11718--1182
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CARBON STEELS
CARBONATES
CONSTRUCTION
DOLOMITE
LIMESTONE
MONITORS
MOUNTAINS
NEVADA TEST SITE
SECURITY
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
STAINLESS STEELS
TESTING
VOLCANIC ROCKS
WATER
hydrogeology
groundwater
geologic
geophysical
contaminant migration
underground nuclear testing