wellhead protection on landfill sites

[knighttwister]

i know that some clubs have the use of landfill sites, and i'm wondering if anyone can help us. our club aquired the use of a landfill site, and the dnr and city want us to protect the wellheads that are situated about the site. these are to relieve the methane that develops under the three foot clay cap.two of these are right along the length of the runway. they are aproximately 4 feet high and about 6 inches in diameter, and need to be protected from any possible impact from our planes. we are looking for an inexpensive way to accomplish this. they must offer protection from our planes and withstand high winds so as to not damage the wellhead. the well heads above ground are made of pvc with a sort of foam covering. they must also be able to be monitored from a vehicle once a month or so. the company that does the monitoring doesn't deem it neccesary to leave the vehicle to inspect it
any ideas will be greatly appreciated. thank you.

[RollingHarrier]

Maybe a chain-link fence right around it.Something like 5 poles in a circle. No plane will make it thru but the PVC and filter can still be seen.

[knighttwister]

i forgot to mention that we are limited to 8 inch penetration of the topsoil. thanks for the idea, i will pass it on to the field committee.

[E-MO]

What about some 55 gallon abs plastic barrels?

[knighttwister]

if we filled them with water, it just might work! thanks.

[YNOT]

We have a well head on our land too. We used hay bails and it works well. Have to replace them about once a year, cheap.

[Judge]

I am not sure I understand your situation. Where exactly are the wells relative to your runway and other surface activity?

You are interested in how to provide some sort of impact protection of the well while maintaining the ability for the well head to be visible from a vehicle, correct?

Is your major concern a landing/takeoff gone bad, planes taxiing into the well, or impact from a crash?? Or all of the above.

Also, when the wells are monitored are they simply doing a visual inspection, taking a reading off of an installed gauge, or something else? I assume since they are not getting out of the vehicle they are not attaching anything so a physical barrier is not a problem, only one that restricts visibility. How much of the well head do they need to see?

[knighttwister]

keep them coming! i'm bouncing all of them off the membership.

[knighttwister]

this is what it looks like there are two of them at the opposite side of the runway from the flight stations. they are about 100 yards apart. you can see the spacing if you look into the distance. you can see a small wite object. our concern is any damage that the act of flying any radio controlled aircraft can cause wether intentional or not!
i believe they need to see the entire wellhead.

wellhead.jpg

[Judge]

I suggest two things:

1 - put up a chicken wire tube around them to their full height and paint it a VERY bright color. You can use something like they do to protect plants from furry critters. Use perhaps three stakes around the outside. You can bed the bottom of the chicken wire into the soil to your allowed depth and then use re-bar in cement filled cans to support it and keep it down in the wind.

This provides FULL visible access and can be moved by the contractor in an instant if needed.

2 - Verify with the AMA that any damage done is covered under your club policy and then make sure that the DNR and others know this. Also make certain to use administrative controls which detail emergency contacts in the case of damage and any other procedures that need to be followed.

These should satisfy the regulatory folks.

One other possibility. Buy some concrete form tubes big enough to go around the well heads. Cut them to the proper height. Paint them BRIGHT DAY-GLO Orange. Store them at your field and require them to be placed over the well heads ANYTIME people are flying. Remove them when the last person leaves. That way they are there when you are flying and not in the way at other times. They can also be moved in an instant if monitoring people show up during flying ops. You will stop flying when they are out there anyhow, so tis should not pose a problem.

[knighttwister]

thanks to all who made suggestions. it was a great discussion. we have decided to go with a pcv pipe instalation that surrounds the wellheads. these will be a fence like structure covered with foam pipe insulation like the stuff covering the water pipes in your home. these will be readily removeable upon request, and will offer some protection to any plane that comes in contact with them. i will post some pictures when they are completed. calm winds and open air to all.

[Judge]

I work with PVC all the time. I do environmental work and have installed and maintained well heads at landfills similar to those that you are dealing with on your site.

I can tell you that PVC degrades RAPIDLY in the sunlight and becomes as brittle as glass. It will literally shatter under a shock load. This is one reason they have the PVC wellheads wrapped. It is also why they are asking for some sort of protection.

Make sure you cover the PVC or paint the exposed parts to limit exposure to the sun.

If it were me, I would not recommend PVC for the use you are considering. Which is why I did not :~}