No abstract was published. A summary of the Introduction and Results follows.

A previous report (WERI Technical Report No. 39 by Winter et al., 1983) described the development, design, and installation procedures for a small shallow well dubbed the WERI Well as part of a program to improve fresh water supplies in rural areas of Truk and other atoll islands or low, flat, sandy coastal areas of high islands. Within the past year, fifty wells of similar design have been installed throughout the islands of Truk. Three problems persist with these otherwise functioning wells: pump failure; expense of solar modules; and labor intensive installation. The objective of this report is to describe the results of laboratory and field testing and make recommendations for improvements in the well design.

Laboratory testing revealed that the Teel pump delivers greater head than the Rule pump -- 20.6 ft vs. 14.8 ft for the 35-watt module. Similar results were obtained using the 40-watt modules. In addition, the Rule pumps failed after 31 and 45 days (comparable to 124 and 180 days of field operation). The Teel pumps failed much sooner, after 12 and 18 days (comparable to 48 and 72 days in the field). So even though the Teel pumps produced greater head, its lower life expectancy renders it unsatisfactory for normal use in the WERI Well.

In an attempt to reduce installation time, the casing construction was modified so that the borehole could be backfilled with excavated materials rather than aggregate. It was originally feared that sand would pass the screen in the casing and foul the pump, but testing revealed that this was not a significant concern.