Wellpoint dewatering systems are particularly suited to dewatering for shallow foundations and excavations, so they are often used for pipeline trench work. A wellpoint system can be installed quickly in most ground conditions and they are easy to maintain.

Welpoints are typically 6m in length and installed in a line at 1 to 2 meter spaces along or around an excavation. They consist of a series of small diameter wells that are connected by a header pipe to a wellpoint pump. The pump creates a vacuum in the header pipe drawing water up from the ground. The amount of drawdown that a wellpoint system can achieve is typically between 2m and 4m depending on ground and site conditions.

Wellpoint dewatering is one of the lowest cost forms of dewatering. It is commonly used for dewatering shallow excavations such as trenches for stormwater and sewage pipelines, and shallow basement excavations. When dewatering a trench or long excavation, depending on depth and ground conditions, wellpoints can be installed on one side or two sides of the excavation. They can also be installed at multiple stages, this is where an initial stage will be installed, and then once the groundwater level is lowered and the ground is excavated, a second stage of wellpoints are installed to provide further drawdown. Typically where more than one or two stages of wellpoints are required, it become more cost effective and practical to install a deepwell system.

WJ offer a range of wellpoint installation methods, selected based on the site constraints and ground conditions. Installation methods for wellpoint wells include jetting, augering and rotary drilling with a water flush.