A04_Quivira_PWS_SOW_Kansas_v2.docx

PERFORMANCE-BASED WORK STATEMENT MONITORING WELLS IN QUIVIRA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, KANSAS

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

Introduction (general description of services).

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) are working collaboratively to monitor groundwater levels and water quality within the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. The USGS and USFWS need support from a well installation contractor for the installation of four monitoring wells at two well sites in the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. One well site is located southwest of Little Salt Marsh, and one well site is located southwest of Big Salt Marsh (figure 1). Each well site will consist of four monitoring wells screened to specific geologic units or intervals. They include shallow alluvial aquifer, alluvial aquifer above aquitard (clay layer), alluvial aquifer below aquitard (clay layer), within bedrock (Cedar Hills Sandstone or Permian Red Beds). A test hole will be drilled at each well site to at least 20 feet into the bedrock, or to a depth where the bedrock formation will sufficiently yield water to a monitoring well for groundwater sampling and to ensure hydraulic connection to the aquifer. The driller will circulate drill cuttings to the surface where they will be collected, described, and bagged by a USGS representative. A borehole geophysical log will be collected by a USGS representative within the open test hole to assist in identifying key geologic contacts and determine the exact placement of well screens. The USGS representative will confer with the contractor to identify the exact screen placement of each of the four monitoring wells at each well site.

A. Background

The USFWS manages the 22,135-acre Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Stafford, Rice, and Reno Counties in south-central Kansas (figure 1). Its purposes are to provide migration, nesting, resting, and feeding habitat for migratory birds and to develop, advance, manage, conserve, and protect fish and wildlife resources. The USFWS manages several wetland complexes to support migratory waterfowl habitat which are fed by a network of canals that divert water from Rattlesnake Creek. Decades of groundwater irrigation have reduced streamflow of Rattlesnake Creek affecting the ability of the USFWS to manage and maintain the Refuge’s wetland complexes. In 2016, the Kansas Chief Engineer found the refuge’s senior state water rights along Rattlesnake Creek were being significantly infringed upon by junior water right holders. Water managers from the Big Bend Groundwater Management District #5 have discussed installing augmentation wells where groundwater would be pumped upstream of the Refuge and piped into Rattlesnake Creek to satisfy the USFWS senior water right. The USGS, in cooperation with the USFWS, are working collaboratively to monitor groundwater levels and water quality within the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. Additional wells are being proposed to augment the existing groundwater monitoring network and provide valuable baseline data prior to the operation of the proposed flow augmentation project.

Site location, conditions, and geology

Monitoring wells will be drilled at two sites within the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. One well site is located southwest of Little Salt Marsh and one well site is located southwest of Big Salt Marsh (figure 1). The exact location shall depend upon the location of any buried utilities and consultations among the USFWS, USGS, and Contractor after the contract is awarded. Each well site will consist of four monitoring wells screened to specific geologic units or intervals. They include shallow alluvial aquifer, alluvial aquifer above aquitard (clay layer), alluvial aquifer below aquitard (clay layer), within bedrock (Cedar Hills Sandstone or Permian Red Beds). A test hole will be drilled at each well site to at least 20 feet into the bedrock, or to a depth where the bedrock formation will sufficiently yield water to a monitoring well for groundwater sampling and to ensure hydraulic connection to the aquifer.

B. Scope (state general purpose, objectives, magnitude).

The general scope of the work includes the installation of four monitoring wells at two well sites within the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. One well site is located southwest of Little Salt Marsh and one well site is located southwest of Big Salt Marsh (figure 1). Each well site will consist of four monitoring wells screened to specific geologic units or intervals. They include shallow alluvial aquifer, alluvial aquifer above aquitard (clay layer), alluvial aquifer below aquitard (clay layer), within bedrock (Cedar Hills Sandstone or Permian Red Beds). A test hole will be drilled at each well site at least 20 feet into the bedrock, or to a depth where the formation will sufficiently yield water to a monitoring well for groundwater sampling and to ensure hydraulic connection to the aquifer. A test hole will be drilled at each well site to about 20 feet into the bedrock. The driller will circulate drill cuttings to the surface where they will be collected, described, and bagged by a USGS representative. A borehole geophysical log will be collected by a USGS representative within the open test hole to assist in identifying key geologic contacts and determine the exact placement of well screens. The USGS representative will confer with the contractor to identify the exact screen placement of each of the four monitoring wells at each well site.

Site conditions and drilling depths will likely vary between sites. USGS staff have examined nearby driller’s logs from the Kansas Water Well Database (https://maps.kgs.ku.edu/wwc5/index.html?t=wwc5) to estimate potential test-hole and well depths (table 1). For planning purposes, the estimated screened interval depths for each of the four monitoring wells at the two sites is shown table 1. The work consists of using mud-rotary equipment to drill a test hole at each site, identify screen depths for each well, complete the deepest well within the test hole, and drill and complete the remaining three wells. Each monitoring well will have one (1) nominal 2.5-inch diameter flush-thread polyvinyl chloride (PVC) casing. All wells will be constructed with Schedule 40 or Schedule 80 flush-joint PVC casing and 5 or 10-ft long commercially slotted 0.010 to 0.016 well screens and above ground completions.

The casing and all peripheral supplies (such as well protector, sand pack, and grout) will be provided by the Contractor. A lockable steel protective cover will be installed at each well location extending to about 4-ft above land surface and 3 feet below land surface where it will be set in concrete. A 4-inch-thick concrete pad will be poured extending 2 ft around the protective cover for each well. Anticipated depths of the wells will range anywhere from 10 to 150 feet but will likely change according to site conditions. Nominal 2.5-inch diameter Schedule 40 or Schedule 80 flush-joint PVC casing and commercially slotted 0.010 to 0.016 well screens shall be installed in the wells. The casing, end caps, screen, and well protectors will be installed. No glues or solvents are allowed in the drilling or construction of any well. Each well shall be installed in one drill hole and screened as directed by the USGS representative based on the subsurface geology encountered and logged in the site test hole. All casings will have a permanent end plug at the bottom and a removable cap at the top. The annular space at the screen (gravel pack) shall be filled with 20-40-silica sand or a clean sand as determined by the USGS. The bentonite seals (bentonite pellets or granular bentonite) above and below the gravel pack shall be no less than three feet thick.

Drilling includes furnishing, setting up, breaking down and removal of equipment necessary to meet the requirements of this contract in accordance with any regulations of the State of Kansas. Acquiring all the permits required by the State of Kansas is the responsibility of the Contractor.

The Contractor shall work to complete the following tasks:

1) Collecting samples of drill cuttings during drilling of the test hole at each site as required by the USGS representative

2) Drilling and installing casing and screens in all wells listed in table 1.

3) Completing and developing the wells; installation of steel protectors and cement pad around wells; and restoration of drill site.

The USGS or USFWS will stake the location of each of the two well clusters in advance so Contractor can verify the area is suitable and request utility locate. Contractor will be required to develop the wells using surging and pumping. USGS will monitor turbidity of water pumped during development until purge water turbidity is <15 NTU, removal of 20 times the screen and filter pack volume plus 3 times water volume used in drilling or construction, or 2 hours of development time. Surge blocks, pumps, and hoses used in well development shall be clean and free of dirt/grease/contaminants and subject to inspection by USGS before use.

II. WORK REQUIREMENTS

Monitoring wells herein after referred to as the “wells” shall be drilled by mud rotary methods to the depth specified by the USGS representative. The anticipated depths of the wells will range from about 10 to 150 feet below land surface. Nominal 2.5-inch diameter Schedule 40 or Schedule 80 flush-joint PVC casing and commercially slotted 0.010 to 0.016 well screens shall be installed in the wells. The casing, end caps, screen, and well protectors will be installed. No glues or solvents are allowed in the drilling or construction of any well. Each well shall be installed in one drill hole and screened as directed by the USGS representative based on the subsurface geology encountered and logged in the site test hole. All casings will have a permanent end plug at the bottom and a removable cap at the top. The annular space at the screen (gravel pack) shall be filled with 20-40-silica sand or a clean sand as determined by the USGS. The bentonite seals (bentonite pellets or granular bentonite) above and below the gravel pack shall be no less than three feet thick.

The interval between the topmost bentonite seal to three feet below the land surface shall be filled with a bentonite slurry as per state of Kansas regulations. In all wells, a surface seal consisting of a mounded concrete pad extending at least 2 ft around the protective cover for each well. The Contractor shall provide lockable steel well protectors, which accept standard padlocks that will be provided by the USGS representative. The well protectors shall have a minimum inside diameter sufficient to allow access to the 2.5-inch casing and removal of the well seal. The well protectors shall extend a minimum of two (2) feet above the concrete pad and will be embedded to a minimum of two (2) feet below the land surface into the concrete surface seal pad. Installation of the well protector shall be done such that frost heaving in cold weather will not break the well casing.

Other work by the Contractor shall include cleaning and developing the well in a manner judged satisfactory by the USGS, proper cleaning and restoration of the drill site to near original conditions upon completion of the work, and doing all things necessary for the drilling and completion of the work called for under these specifications.

The description of the work set forth herein does not in any way limit the responsibility of the Contractor to perform all work and furnish all labor, materials, and equipment required by the contract, specifications and attachments.

Drilling Procedure Test holes shall be drilled by mud rotary method using a minimum of 4.5-inch diameter drill bit. The Contractor will furnish portable mud retention pits of sufficient volume to accomplish the required drilling procedures. Only portable mud pits can be used for this drilling effort. The quality and flow rate of the drilling fluid shall be maintained to insure proper sample return and borehole stability.

A representative sample will be collected for each 5-foot interval or whenever a significant change in lithology occurs. The cuttings from the current 5-foot interval must be removed from the borehole before the next interval is drilled.

The test hole shall be drilled to a depth specified by the USGS representative. A test hole will be drilled at each well site to at least 20 feet into the bedrock, or to a depth where the bedrock formation will sufficiently yield water to a monitoring well for groundwater sampling and to ensure hydraulic connection to the aquifer.

The Contractor shall ensure the test hole is straight and clear so that borehole geophysical logging equipment can access the total borehole depth. The downhole logging procedure generally requires 90 minutes. The Contractor will ensure the drilling mud stabilizes the borehole walls the entire time the borehole geophysical log is being collected.

The Contractor will construct the deepest monitoring well at each site within the test hole after borehole logging has been completed and well screen depths have been chosen by the USGS representative.

Well Development The Contractor shall develop the well using any conventional method approved by the USGS representative. The well shall be considered adequately developed when water pumped from the well contains no sediment and yields a minimum of five (5) gallons of sediment free water per minute. Any hole that does not satisfy the requirements described herein and which cannot be made acceptable shall be declared an abandoned hole. Any hole in which the Contractor voluntarily stops work and/or fails to complete in a satisfactory manner shall be considered as abandoned by him.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The following is a summary of the duties and responsibilities of the USGS representative and the Contractor.

USGS REPRESENTATIVE

The USGS representative will be responsible for preparing monitoring well specifications, contracting, providing a field geologist for oversight of drilling and monitoring well installation, collection and analyses of drill cuttings and the preparation of borehole logs and monitoring well installation diagrams. The USGS geologist will ensure that this contract is followed. The USGS representative must be present at the drilling site during all work performed including, but not limited to drilling, moving to and from sites, and restoration. In the event the USGS representative is unable to be at the site, an alternate will be designated by him/her. The responsibility of the alternate will be to oversee operations. Any decision, technical or otherwise, will be made by the USGS designee.

CONTRACTOR

The Contractor should be knowledgably and experienced with the geology and the type of material (lithology) of the area in order to provide the necessary and proper drilling tools, sampling tools, etc. The drilling unit and equipment shall be in good working condition and of such capacity as to drill a hole of sufficient depth and diameter to provide quality geologic samples.

The Contractor will furnish all necessary equipment, tools, supplies, fuel, labor, materials, and anything else necessary for drilling, sampling, and site restoration involved with this program. The Contractor shall provide all materials for gravel packing of screened intervals, bentonite grouting of blank casing intervals, and for concrete surface seals. Gravel packing shall consist of sand of such type as 20-40 silica.

The Contractor shall maintain all equipment in satisfactory operating condition for the duration of the contract. If based on the work completed to date, the equipment is considered unsatisfactory by the USGS representative, thus endangering performance under this contract, the contractor shall be notified of such in writing, and a copy of such notification shall be sent to the contracting officer for corrective action. The Contractor shall then cease work immediately and within ten (10) days of receipt of notice, replace the unsatisfactory equipment with equipment approved by the USGS representative.

The Contractor shall assume all responsibility for damage to their equipment, whether from the elements, vandalism, operation under the contract, or movement to, from or between drilling locations.

Contractor’s personnel shall be experienced in operation and maintenance of their equipment.

The Contractor will be responsible for being familiar with and complying with all federal, state, and local laws, ordinances, and regulations in any manner affecting the conduct of this work, and will at all times observe and comply with the applicable requirements. The Contractor shall be solely responsible for obtaining at his/her own cost any and all necessary state and local permits and licenses and paying any fees which may be required by law to perform the work specified herein.

The Contractor will be liable for any and all accidents or damage to persons, equipment, or property incurred during the execution of this contract. The Contractor shall be responsible for all damages to persons or property that occur as a result of the Contractor’s fault or negligence, and shall take proper safety and health precautions to protect the work, the workers, the public, and the property of others. The Contractor shall also be responsible for all materials delivered and work performed until completion and acceptance of the entire work, except for any completed unit of work which may have been accepted under the contract.

The Contractor shall contact One Call or Diggers Hotline to determine if there are buried utilities near the drill site. It is the responsibility of the contractor to ensure the location is safe for drilling.

The successful Contractor or Contractors must be currently licensed and meet all requirements to install monitoring wells in the State of Kansas for the drilling and installation of wells.

The Contractor shall provide driller’s logs of geologic materials encountered and well construction logs for each well drilled to the USGS within two weeks upon completion of the well drilling. For each well drilled the Contractor will provide to the USGS properly completed State of Kansas well registration forms for monitoring wells. These well registrations shall list the USGS as the owner of the well.

An abandoned test hole or well is of no value to the USGS; therefore, no payment will be made for the drilling, casing and completion materials, or development of the abandoned well. An abandoned well shall be filled according to all applicable state laws of Kansas by the Contractor at his own expense. The Contractor shall then move to another USGS-designated location and drill a second hole in accordance with these specifications.

After completion of all other work described herein and before final acceptance by the USGS representative, the site shall be restored as nearly as possible to its original condition. Such restoration will include, but is not restricted to, the following:

The work specified in this contract shall not be considered complete, nor shall the final invoice for the work be approved, until site restoration is completed to the satisfaction of the USGS representative. The Contractor shall preserve and protect all structures, equipment, and vegetation on or adjacent to the work site which are not to be removed and which do not unreasonably interfere with the work required under this contract. The Contractor shall repair any damage to structures, equipment, or vegetation associated with the drilling operations. The Contractor shall protect from damage all existing improvements and utilities at or near the work site and on adjacent property of a third party, the locations of which are made known to and should be known by the Contractor. The Contractor shall repair any damage to those facilities resulting from failure to comply with the requirements of this contract or failure to exercise reasonable care in performing the work. If the Contractor fails or refuses to repair the damage promptly, the USGS representative may have the necessary work performed and charge the cost to the Contractor.

The Contractor shall be responsible for obtaining any permits that are needed for the disposal of all water pumped under this contract. The Contractor shall be held as having examined the conditions in the field and shall have the responsibility of determining the system(s) to use as well as obtaining any necessary permits for using them. The Contractor shall provide all necessary means to prevent erosion or sedimentation along the ditches and shall maintain the culverts and ditches during the period of discharge to them.

The Contractor shall have an experienced foreman or driller, with full authority to act on behalf of the Contractor in directing all field operations, constantly in charge of the work at the drill site when the work is underway. This representative shall be experienced in the operation and maintenance of their equipment, installation of casing, and well development as described herein. This representative must be acceptable to the Contractor. In the event that he becomes unacceptable to the USGS, the Contractor shall receive written notice from the USGS and shall replace him/her with an acceptable representative within five (5) working days of receipt of the notice.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

All interested Contractors should satisfy themselves on the surface and subsurface conditions, which can affect the progress of work or associated costs. The Contractor shall be responsible for examining the vicinity of the drilling sites in order to acquaint themselves with local conditions in general and the drilling sites in particular. No allowance shall be made after award for any errors regarding accessibility to the sites, site condition, or location.

All prospective offerors must provide a safety plan with their quote.

Prospective offerors must provide information on their equipment and personnel sufficient to enable the USGS to determine that the Contractor’s equipment and personnel can satisfactorily perform the work described above in the Statement of Work. Failure to provide this information or a finding of unsatisfactory may be grounds for rejection of the bid.

All drilling shall be done during daylight hours of a 5-day work week (Monday through Friday) unless otherwise mutually agreed upon by the USGS representative and Contractor representative. If it is necessary to continue into hours of darkness, sufficient lighting shall be provided by the Contractor so that work may be carried out in a safe and efficient manner.

All work must be completed before MONTH DAY, 20XX. Work will not be completed until all test holes are drilled, logged, monitoring wells constructed and developed, and the drill sites are restore according to the terms of the contract or as determined by the USGS.

Upon award of the contract a drilling schedule will be mutually agreed upon by the USGS and the Contractor.

The period of performance shall not exceed 45 working days.

A. Acceptance Criteria

USGS will oversee all contractor activities to ensure well installation meet project objectives.

B. Deliverables.

The deliverables of the work includes the installation of four monitoring wells at two nested well sites within the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. One well site is located southwest of Little Salt Marsh and one well site is located southwest of Big Salt Marsh (figure 1). Each well site will consist of four monitoring wells screened to specific geologic units or intervals. They include shallow alluvial aquifer, alluvial aquifer above aquitard (clay layer), alluvial aquifer below aquitard (clay layer), within bedrock (Cedar Hills Sandstone or Permian Red Beds). A test hole will be drilled at each well site to at least 20 feet into the bedrock, or to a depth where the bedrock formation will sufficiently yield water to a monitoring well for groundwater sampling and to ensure hydraulic connection to the aquifer.

The driller will circulate drill cuttings to the surface where they will be collected, described, and bagged by a USGS representative. A borehole geophysical log will be collected by a USGS representative within the open test hole to assist in identifying key geologic contacts and determine the exact placement of well screens. The USGS representative will confer with the Contractor to identify the exact screen placement of each of the four monitoring wells at each well site.

Mobilization to field site is expected within 45 days of award but this is negotiable depending on Contractor schedule, USFWS schedules, and weather conditions. Once Contractor has mobilized to the site, all activities to be completed within 7 days.

III. SUPPORTING INFORMATION

A. Period of performance will be within 7 days of mobilization to the work site. It is anticipated that contract will be awarded in late XXXX, 20XX with mobilization to the work site within 45 days. Mobilization date is negotiable depending on driller schedule, USFWS schedule, and weather conditions. However, mobilization date will be agreed upon at time of contract award.

B. Government Furnished Property (GFP): NONE

C. The Contractor is required to have appropriate permits and licenses required by the State of Kansas before the contract is awarded.

D. Data Rights, Safety, Environment:

1. Contractor will complete any required permits and pay any fees for well installation.

2. Contractor will follow standard safe drilling practices and pick up and remove all trash generated by contractor activities at the work site. Contractor is responsible for immediate cleanup of any spills (fuel, oils, etc) resulting from contractor’s work.

3. Before contract award, Contractor will provide the name of any subcontractors, drill rig operator name and current license/permits.

4. USGS reserves the right to inspect/review and approve subcontractor qualifications and drilling equipment within 10 days of contract award and verification at time of mobilization. Contract may be suspended or terminated based upon inspection if deficiencies are found and not rectified within 14 days of written notification.

5. Drill operator and drilling company shall have a current license in good standing to drill/install monitoring wells in the State of Iowa and have no pending/outstanding notice of violations.

E. USGS Personnel will:

1. Secure permission from landowner for drilling activities (USFWS is the landowner)

2. Stake well locations in advance of Contractor contacting utility locate.

3. Provide a field geologist to oversee site operations, inspect lithology/drill cuttings to determine specific completion depths for the monitoring wells, and prepare a field geologic log of each well.

4. Provide geologists logs of well borings and final construction drawings of wells.

*screen depths are estimed from nearby driller’s logs from the Kansas Geological Survey Water Well Completion Records Database. Actual screen depths are dependant on site conditions encountered during test-hole drilling. The table is presented for planning purposes only.

Table 1. Drilling location site number, geologic unit screened, and apprximate well screen depths of monitoring wells inclued in this statement of work. Locations are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. General location of proposed drilling sites for nested wells Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Kansas.

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