Verifying Well
Water Quality
Q. I’m a civil engineer with an energy development
company. One of our projects in Colorado will
require a concrete batch plant in a remote area. We are
considering using well water for the mixtures, but we
know the water is not potable. According to ACI 318-08,
1
Section 3.4.2, “Mixing water for prestressed concrete or for
concrete that will contain aluminum embedments, including
that portion of mixing water contributed in the form of free
moisture on aggregates, shall not contain deleterious
amounts of chloride ion. See 4.3.1.” Section 4.3.1 discusses
water-soluble chloride ion content in concrete mixtures,
and Table 4.3.1 shows the maximum water-soluble chloride
ion contents in hardened concrete. It further states that
when testing is performed to determine the water-soluble
chloride ion content, the test procedure shall conform to
ASTM C1218, “Standard Test Method for Water-Soluble
Chloride in Mortar and Concrete,” but that test is run on
concrete at an age between 28 and 42 days.
How do we analyze the well water to ensure that
minerals and ion contents don’t exceed the prescribed
levels? What is normally acceptable?
A. You cite only Section 3.4.2 in ACI 318-08. Section
3.4.1 also applies, and it indicates that the mixing
water shall comply with ASTM C1602, “Standard Specification
for Mixing Water Used in the Production of Hydraulic
Cement Concrete.” This specification includes mandatory
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requirements to qualify nonpotable water for use in
concrete. These requirements evaluate the effect on
setting time and 7-day compressive strength with
applicable criteria prior to use and at 3-month intervals
(Section 5.1.1 of ASTM C1602). There are optional limits
on the chlorides, sulfates, alkalis, and total solids, but the
manufacturer shall maintain documented evidence
that the characteristics of the combined mixing water
are in compliance with these optional limits (Section 5.1.2
of ASTM C1602).
The cited test method in ASTM C1602 for chlorides
and sulfates in water is ASTM C114. These tests are to be
done every 6 months unless there is an indication that
something has changed. The density of the water—an
indication of the solids content is to be monitored daily,
but this requirement is generally only applicable for
water from concrete production operations (wash water).
Well water normally wouldn’t have a high solids content.
Your question raises an interesting issue regarding
Section 3.4.2, Section 4.3.1, and Table 4.3.1 in ACI 318-08.
For prestressed concrete, Table 4.3.1 limits the water-
soluble chlorides in the concrete to 0.06% by weight
of cement, regardless of the concrete’s exposure to
moisture or external chloride sources. The table
provides no indication of chloride ion limits for concrete
containing aluminum embeds, however, and the limits on
water-soluble chloride are based on ASTM C1218.
As you say, this standard provides test procedures for
the determination of the water-soluble chloride content of
the hardened concrete, not the water. A powder sample is
obtained from the concrete and analyzed for chloride ion
concentration in accordance with the method.
The requirement in Section 3.4.1, therefore, does not
include all restrictions on chloride in the mixing water,
and the requirement in Section 3.4.2 doesn’t provide an
explicit limit on the chloride content of the mixing water.
You’ll therefore need to exercise engineering judgment
Concrete international / May 2010 71
and estimate the chloride content in the concrete before
deeming the well water acceptable. This will require
more than a test of the well water.
You should also obtain a certification of the chloride
content for each proposed admixture from the concrete
supplier, as some admixtures contain calcium chloride.
(You may wish to specify that no admixtures containing
added chlorides be permitted.) Some aggregates,
particularly sedimentary ones, also contain chlorides.
The water-soluble chloride content from all ingredients
in the concrete can then be estimated using the
procedure outlined in ACI 212.3R, Table 3.3.
Finally, because your project is located in Colorado, you
should test the soil for sulfate content in accordance with
ASTM C1580, “Standard Test Method for Water-Soluble
Sulfate in Soil.” Soils in the western U.S. and Canada
frequently have relatively high levels of sulfates that
can attack concrete in contact with the soil. The value
obtained in this test is used to determine the sulfate
exposure from Table 4.2.1 in ACI 318-08, and the minimum
requirements for the concrete can be found in Table 4.3.1.
References
1. ACI Committee 318, “Building Code Requirements for
Structural Concrete (ACI 318-08) and Commentary,” American
Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2005, 473 pp.
Note: Additional information on the ASTM standards discussed
in this Q&A can be found at www.astm.org.
Thanks to Colin Lobo of the National Ready Mixed Concrete
Association, Silver Spring, MD, and R. Douglas Hooton of the University
of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, for reviewing the answer to
this question.

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72 May 2010 / Concrete international