An adequately designed and installed surface protection system will mitigate the consequences of naturally or man caused damages which could otherwise occur and result in either changes to the data, or complete loss of the monitoring well.

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.

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.

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 ground water and well identification.

1.1 This practice identifies design and construction considerations to be applied to monitoring wells for protection from natural and man caused damage or impacts.

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. Damages to the well at the surface frequently result in loss of the well or changes in the data. This standard provides for access control so that tampering with the installation should be evident. The design and installation of appropriate surface protection will mitigate the likelihood of damage or loss.

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

1.4 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.