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CATHODIC PROTECTION WELL STANDARDS INTRODUCTION Most wells in California are constructed to extract ground water, inject water, or monitor ground water conditions. Other, less common types of wells include cathodic protection wells. Cathodic protection wells, sometimes called"deep groundbeds," house devices to minimize electrolytic corrosion of metallic pipelines, tanks, and other facilities in contact with the ground. Electrolytic Corrosion For the purpose of these standards, electrolytic corrosion is defined as the deterioration of metallic objects by electrochemical reaction with the environment. The electrolytic corrosion process is illustrated in Figure 4 for a metallic pipeline in a soil-water environment. This process gradually weakens the pipeline and can cause its failure. In Figure 4, an electric potential is induced on the surface of the pipeline as a result of variations in the concentrations of salts in the soil and water surrounding the pipeline. This potential results in an electric current in the soil-water electrolyte. Current flows from an "anode area"on the pipeline to a "cathode area" on the pipeline. Metal is removed from the anode area by the current. Cathodic Protection "Cathodic protection"is a term used for certain measures taken to prevent or minimize electrolytic corrosion of metallic equipment and structures. Cathodic protection devices redirect current to flow from a"sacrificial" anode to the soil-water electrolyte,instead of from an anode area on a pipeline or other metallic structure to be protected. The protective anode's role is to corrode in place of the metallic object it is designed to protect, as shown in Figure 5. The protected facility is made to be a permanent cathode by use of cathodic protection devices. Thus, the facility is said to be "cathodically protected." Protective or sacrificial anodes can be placed close to ground surface or at significant depth. Anodes have been placed at shallow depths in horizontal and vertical arrays for many years. Shallow arrays are often not well suited for metropolitan areas because of land requirements, or suited for areas where electrical interference may be high. Deep vertical anode installations,usually referred to as "cathodic protection wells,"were first developed and used during the 1940s. They were developed in response to the constraints of shallow anode arrays. Cathodic Protection Wells Cathodic protection wells are widely installed to protect metallic objects in contact with the ground from electrolytic corrosion. Such objects include petroleum, natural gas, and water pipelines, and related storage facilities; power lines; telephone cables; and switchyards. Cathodic protection wells are sometimes used to control electrolytic corrosion in large water wells. -57-