4.1 An adequately designed and installed surface protection system will mitigate the consequences of natural damage (e.g., freeze/thaw damage) in susceptible areas, or anthropogenic damages, which could otherwise occur and result in either changes to water level and/or groundwater quality data, or complete loss of the monitoring well.

4.2 The extent of application of this practice may depend upon the importance of the monitoring data, cost of monitoring well replacement, expected or design life of the monitoring well, the presence or absence of potential risks, and setting or location of the well.

4.3 Monitoring well surface protection should be a part of the well design process, and installation of the protective system should be completed at the time of monitoring well installation and development.

4.4 Information determined at the time of installation of the protective system will form a baseline for future monitoring well inspection and maintenance. Additionally, elements of the protection system will satisfy some regulatory requirements such as for protection of near surface groundwater and well identification.

1.1 This practice identifies design and construction considerations to be applied to monitoring wells for protection from events, which may impair the intended purpose of the well such as water level or water quality monitoring data.

1.2 The installation and development of a well is a costly and detailed activity with the goal of providing representative samples and data throughout the design life of the well. Damage to the well at the surface frequently results in the loss of the well or can potentially impact measured water level and/or groundwater quality data. This standard provides for access control so that tampering with the installation should be evident.

1.3 This practice may be applied to other surface or subsurface monitoring devices, such as piezometers, permeameters, temperature or moisture monitors, or seismic devices.

1.4 Units—The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The inch/pound units given in parentheses are for information only. Reporting of test results in units other than SI shall not be regarded as non-conformance with the standard.

1.5 All observed and calculated values shall conform to the guidelines for significant digits and rounding established in Practice D6026, unless superseded by this standard.

1.6 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. Not 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.

1.7 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, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

1.8 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.