Virginia Environmental Monitoring Well Contracting Qualified Individual Examination

Under 18VAC50-22-30, what does environmental monitoring well contracting (EMW) authorize?

• AConstruction of a water-supply well and installation of the well pump and tank
• BConstruction of a well to monitor hazardous substances in the ground
• CInstallation, repair, or improvement of pollution-control and remediation devices
• DConstruction of geothermal closed-loop wells for building heat-pump systems

Which Virginia contractor specialty is the only one that provides for construction of water wells?

• AEnvironmental monitoring well contracting (EMW)
• BEnvironmental specialties contracting (ENV)
• CWater well/pump contracting (WWP)
• DHighway/heavy contracting (H/H)

Besides an EMW specialty, which Board for Contractors credentials also provide the function of constructing a well to monitor hazardous substances in the ground?

• AThe CBC classification and the CIC specialty
• BThe H/H classification and the WWP specialty
• CThe RBC classification and the HIC specialty
• DThe UUC specialty and the ENV specialty

A client wants a contractor to install a soil-vapor extraction blower, piping, and treatment vessel on a contaminated site. Which specialty matches that work under 18VAC50-22-30?

• AEMW, because any work at a contaminated site is environmental monitoring well contracting
• BWWP, because the piping conveys groundwater
• CENV, the specialty for installation, repair, removal, or improvement of pollution-control…
• DEMW, if the extraction well was previously constructed by the same firm

An EMW qualified individual is asked to drill a domestic drinking-water well and set a submersible pump. What is the correct scope response?

• AProceed; EMW includes any drilled well that reaches groundwater
• BProceed if the well is later sampled for hazardous substances
• CDecline the water-well and pump work; that construction is reserved to WWP
• DProceed if the firm also holds a plumbing (PLB) classification

Under 18VAC50-22-61, what credential must the qualified individual hold for a firm’s WWP specialty?

• AOnly a passing score on the EMW qualified-individual specialty examination
• BA master water well systems provider license issued by the Board for Contractors
• CA professional geologist license in lieu of any Board for Contractors credential
• DA journeyman plumber license plus the EMW specialty examination

Under 12VAC5-630-420, when are observation, monitoring, and remediation wells generally exempt from Virginia’s Private Well Regulations?

• AAlways, including wells drilled to evaluate a proposed subdivision water supply
• BExcept as provided in subsections B and C, they are exempted; the exemption does not appl…
• COnly when the well will later be converted to a private drinking-water well
• DNever; every monitoring well must be permitted as a Class III private well before drilling

After a groundwater study ends, how soon must observation, monitoring, and remediation wells be permanently abandoned under 12VAC5-630-420 C?

• AWithin 30 days of well installation
• BWithin 90 days of cessation of use
• CWithin one year of the last sampling event
• DOnly when the property is sold

Which listed function of the highway/heavy (H/H) classification in 18VAC50-22-20 is most closely related to monitoring-well work?

• ARoad marking
• BNonwater well drilling
• CPaving
• DSteel erection

An EMW firm finishes a 2-inch PVC monitoring well and the owner asks the crew to install a residential jet pump and pressure tank for yard irrigation. What is authorized?

• AThe pump and tank, because any well that yields water may be placed into water-supply ser…
• BThe pump only; the tank requires a separate WWP specialty
• CNeither the conversion to a water-supply well nor the pump-and-tank installation is an EM…
• DThe entire installation, if the well is shock-chlorinated first

A monitoring well constructed during a groundwater study will remain in service after the study as a long-term observation well. What does 12VAC5-630-420 B require?

• AThe well may stay as a temporary screened point with no annular seal
• BThe well shall be constructed in accordance with the requirements for private wells
• CThe well must be converted to a potable supply well with a certified pump installer
• DThe well is exempt from all construction standards for as long as DEQ sampling continues

How does 18VAC50-22-30 treat geothermal wells?

• AThey are included in EMW because they are nonpotable
• BThey are included in the WWP water well system definition
• CThey are included only in the HVA classification
• DThey are unregulated if no pump is installed

What is the purpose of an EMW well under the Board for Contractors definition?

• ATo produce a permitted yield of potable water for a dwelling
• BTo monitor hazardous substances in the ground
• CTo inject grout as a soil-improvement foundation element
• DTo serve as a closed-loop heat exchanger for an HVAC system

A developer hires a driller to install test wells solely to measure available groundwater quantity for a proposed office-park water supply. How does 12VAC5-630-420 treat those holes?

• AThey remain under the monitoring-well exemption because no house is connected yet
• BThe monitoring-well exemption does not apply; they are test and exploration wells for a p…
• CThey are EMW wells if sampled for metals once
• DThey may be temporarily abandoned indefinitely without a DEQ permit

Per EPA SESDGUID-101, which drilling methods are preferred for permanent monitoring wells because they temporarily case the borehole during drilling and construction?

• AMud rotary and jetting
• BHollow-stem auger and sonic methods
• CCable-tool and bucket-auger methods
• DAir rotary without a casing advance system

Hollow-stem auger drilling is best suited to which subsurface condition?

• ACompetent unweathered bedrock
• BSoils that tend to collapse when disturbed
• CDeep karst cavities that must be drilled open-hole
• DAny formation where bentonite mud circulation is required

Why does EPA SESDGUID-101 reject wood bottom plugs in hollow-stem augers?

• AWood plugs are too expensive for routine monitoring-well work
• BThe plug material should be compatible with the screen and casing; wood is not acceptable
• CWood plugs are allowed only when potable water is added to the augers
• DWood plugs are required; metal plugs are the rejected material

Why are water-tight center bits not acceptable in hollow-stem auger monitoring-well drilling under SESDGUID-101?

• AThey cannot cut silty clay
• BThey create suction when extracted, pulling cuttings and formation material into the auge…
• CThey prevent the use of a bottom plug
• DThey are allowed only in sonic override casing

Solid-stem auger drilling is used in which soils?

• AFlowing sands that collapse as soon as the stem is withdrawn
• BCohesive and semi-cohesive soils that do not tend to collapse when disturbed
• CCompetent crystalline bedrock
• DAny formation where a temporary override casing is already in place

Compared with hollow-stem augering, sonic drilling typically produces which result?

• AA much larger volume of cuttings because of wide auger flights
• BFewer cuttings and less smearing of formation materials on the borehole wall
• CNo need to log the volume of any water added to the hole
• DA borehole that cannot accept centralizers

Why does EPA SESDGUID-101 call mud rotary an undesirable method for monitoring wells?

• AMud rotary cannot reach isolation-casing depths
• BDrilling-mud constituents can contaminate the borehole, mud is difficult to remove during…
• CMud rotary is prohibited by 18VAC50-22-30
• DMud rotary can be used only with oil-based muds

When air-rotary drilling in a zone of potential contamination, which cuttings-control practice is not acceptable under SESDGUID-101?

• ADual-tube reverse circulation with a cyclone separator
• BAn air diverter with hose or pipe carrying cuttings to a waste container
• CAllowing cuttings to blow uncontrolled from the borehole
• DCapturing cuttings for management as investigation-derived waste

How does direct-push technology (DPT) handle formation material compared with auger or rotary drilling?

• AIt brings large volumes of cuttings to the surface for stockpiling
• BIt does not bring cuttings to the surface; it compresses them into the borehole walls
• CIt requires bentonite mud circulation to keep the hole open
• DIt can be used only in competent bedrock

According to EPA SESDGUID-101, DPT investigations in unconsolidated materials are generally limited to what depths?

• A10 feet, and more practically 5 feet
• B100 feet, and more practically 50 feet
• C300 feet, and more practically 200 feet
• DAny depth that a rotary rig can reach

SESDGUID-101 says water rotary is most appropriate for which monitoring-well task?

• ADeveloping a silt-clogged screen with high-rate circulation
• BSetting isolation casing
• CInstalling a temporary no-filter-pack well by hand
• DReplacing mud rotary whenever organics are the contaminants of concern

If potable water is poured into hollow-stem augers during drilling, what quality control does SESDGUID-101 require?

• AAny surface water from the site ditch is acceptable
• BThe potable water must be analyzed for the contaminants of concern
• COnly chlorinated municipal water may be used, with no analysis
• DWater may be added only after the well screen is set

A 2-inch monitoring well is designed with the bottom of the screen at 32.0 feet. The crew over-drills 4.0 feet so the bottom plug can be knocked out and a sediment sump can be formed. What total borehole depth should be logged?

• A32.0 feet
• B32.5 feet
• C36.0 feet
• D52.0 feet

For an open borehole, SESDGUID-101 says a 2-inch nominal casing should be installed in about what size hole?

• AA 3-inch inside-diameter borehole
• BA 6-inch inside-diameter borehole
• CA 12-inch inside-diameter borehole
• DA borehole equal to the casing outside diameter so there is no annulus

Cable-tool, jetting, or bucket-auger methods may be used for a monitoring well under SESDGUID-101 only if which condition is met?

• AThe well is 2 inches or smaller
• BThey are approved by a senior field geologist before field work is initiated
• CMunicipal water is used as the drilling fluid
• DThe well will be abandoned the same day

SESDGUID-101 says hollow-stem auger boreholes can be advanced more than 150 feet depending on auger size, but they are generally augered to what depth?

• ALess than 100 feet
• BLess than 25 feet
• CMore than 300 feet
• DOnly to the frost line

If a monitoring program is designed to analyze for organic compounds, which casing and screen material does SESDGUID-101 list as the preferred choice?

• AGalvanized steel
• BStainless steel (304 or 316)
• CBlack iron
• DCarbon steel with welded joints

Rigid PVC is acceptable under SESDGUID-101 for permanent monitoring wells when which conditions are met?

• AAny schedule of plumbing PVC, including glued drain pipe
• BThe program analyzes only inorganic compounds, or identified organics are compatible, and…
• CThe well is deeper than 200 feet
• DThe PVC is wrapped in galvanized steel

What is the minimum nominal casing size SESDGUID-101 gives for most permanent monitoring wells?

• A3/4 inch
• B1 inch
• C2 inches
• D6 inches

For long-term permanent monitoring wells, SESDGUID-101 says well screens should normally not be shorter than what length?

• A6 inches
• B2 feet
• C5 feet
• D20 feet

How much filter-pack material should be placed under the bottom of the well screen before the screen is set?

• ANone; the screen should rest on native clay
• BA minimum of 6 inches, to provide a firm base
• CA minimum of 5 feet
• DOne bag of bentonite pellets

How far above the top of the well screen should the filter pack extend?

• AFlush with the top of the screen
• BA minimum of 2 feet, to allow for settling and to isolate the screen from grout
• CA minimum of 10 feet in every well
• DTo the ground surface so no bentonite seal is needed

For fine silts and clays, SESDGUID-101 says which screen-slot and filter-pack pairing is acceptable practice?

• A0.040-inch slots with pea gravel
• B0.010-inch slots with 20-40 sand, or 0.005-inch slots with 100 sand for very fine formati…
• C0.020-inch slots with no filter pack
• DFactory-slotted casing with a geotextile sock and no sand

When selecting well-screen slot openings for a designed filter pack, SESDGUID-101 says the slots should retain what percentage of the filter-pack material?

• A50 percent
• B75 percent
• C90 percent or more
• D10 percent

How should monitoring-well casing joints be made under SESDGUID-101?

• ASolvent-welded with PVC glue for a watertight chemical bond
• BFlush-joint threads; no lubricating oils or grease, and no glue of any type
• CWelded steel in every well, including PVC risers
• DDuct tape over slip couplings until grout cures

Where should centralizers be placed if they are used on a monitoring well?

• AAround the well screen so the pack cannot migrate
• BBelow the well screen and above the bentonite pellet seal, so they do not hinder placemen…
• COnly inside the protective surface casing
• DEvery 2 feet from total depth to grade on wells less than 50 feet deep

In SESDGUID-101 filter-pack design, the uniformity coefficient Cu is defined as which ratio, and what Cu should the designed pack have?

• ACu = d10/d60, and the pack should have Cu greater than 10
• BCu = d60/d10, and the designed pack curve should have a uniformity coefficient of approxi…
• CCu = d30 × 4, and any Cu is acceptable
• DCu = screen slot ÷ pack d50, and Cu must equal 90

Filter-pack material for a monitoring well should consist of which particles?

• ACrushed limestone screenings from the nearest quarry
• BClean, rounded to well-rounded, hard, insoluble siliceous particles
• COn-site cuttings washed with ditch water
• DBentonite granules mixed 50/50 with masonry sand

Which joint accessory does SESDGUID-101 allow on threaded monitoring-well casing?

• APipe-thread compound (pipe dope)
• BPetroleum grease
• CViton O-rings where the joints are designed for them
• DSolvent cement on the first two threads

A permanent monitoring well will use a 10-foot factory screen. The design also requires 6 inches of filter pack under the screen and 2 feet of pack above the screen. What is the total filter-pack interval length that must be placed?

• A10.0 feet
• B10.5 feet
• C12.5 feet
• D15.0 feet

Which annular grout does SESDGUID-101 prefer unless the application requires something else?

• ADrilling mud left in the hole
• BA 30 percent solids bentonite grout
• CFly-ash flowable fill
• DNeat cement in every well, regardless of chemistry

When neat cement grout will be used above the filter pack, what seal does SESDGUID-101 make mandatory?

• ANo seal; cement may be poured directly onto the sand pack
• BA bentonite pellet seal above the filter pack, to prevent grout infiltration into the scr…
• CA 10-foot concrete plug
• DA geotextile sock around the entire riser

What unhydrated thickness should a bentonite pellet seal have above the filter pack?

• A2 inches
• BTwo feet of dry pellets
• C10 feet of dry pellets
• DPellets to the ground surface