New Mexico Geological Society Annual Spring Meeting — Abstracts

Testing techniques ·have been described in the literature which allow for the acquisition of hydrologic data from wells where the installation of a test pump is impossible or not feasible. The techniques involve rapid introduction (slug) or withdrawal (bail) of water in a well bore. Wells completed in confined aquifers may be "bailed" or "slugged"; wells completed in water-table aquifers must be bailed. Field testing has shown good correlation between aquifer parameters measured with bail and slug tests and aquifer parameters determined by sustained yield tests in the same wells and/or in wells completed in similar lithologic units. These tests are particularly useful in environmental applications where abundant small-diameter wells are typically drilled for sampling purposes. Slug and bailer tests provide a "window" of the hydraulic properties in a small portion of the aquifer. When used with proper considerations, these tests can provide hydrologic information where no data would otherwise be available, or as invaluable additions to more expensive and less abundant conventional test data.