North American Specialty Products’ (NASP) 24-inch Certa-Lok PVC well casing provided the South Island Public Service District (SIPSD) of Hilton Head Island, S.C. with a non-corrosive casing solution for three aquifer storage recovery (ASR) wells. The corrosive salty water of the Atlantic Coast and high-capacity demands made it important for the water and wastewater utility to use a non-metallic casing available in a large diameter size. Following NASP’s addition of 24-inch-diameter well casing to the Certa-Lok line, the project’s hydraulic engineer, ASR Systems of Gainesville, Fla., specified the product for the wells.

“Any well drilled on Hilton Head Island—especially a short well—is subject to salt water intrusion and any metallic well casing is going to corrode,” said Brad O’Keefe, operations manager for SIPSD. “A thermoplastic casing is the way to go. The Certa-Lok well casing met our needs for high water capacity and corrosion resistance.”

Certa-Lok is one of the first restrained-joint PVC well casings to be offered in 24-inch diameter. Made of high-grade PVC, the product is immune to electrolytic and galvanic corrosion, unlike cast iron or steel casing, and is listed as safe for use with potable water by NSF International. Certa-Lok well casing utilizes a proprietary spline-locking design to form a full-strength joint in all weather conditions without the use of solvents, arc welding or reinforcement screw attachments. The solvent-free joint is environmentally sound and ideal for monitoring well applications. The 24-inch well casing comes in standard 20-foot lengths and is available with a PVC or fiberglass coupling to extend installation depth.

SIPSD hired Rowe Drilling Company of Savannah, Ga., to drill the three wells at 620 feet deep and install 500-550 feet of PVC casing in each well.

“The project went well and the Certa-Lok casing went together like it was supposed to,” said Blake Hare, district manager for Rowe Drilling Company’s Savannah office. “We liked how the casing was assembled—you don’t have to weld it together. Plus, it’s always nice to give your customer a well casing that is resistant to corrosion, chlorides and other chemical properties to ensure a longer product life.”

The project was finished this past fall, and the wells will be brought online following the completion of an onsite pump station next summer.

North American Specialty Products, a wholly owned subsidiary of North American Pipe Corporation, is a provider of specialty PVC pipe solutions serving the municipal water and sewer, water well, mining and energy, and agricultural irrigation markets as well as residential and commercial building products. For more information, visit http://naspecialtyproducts.com.