Abstract: A suction control tail for use with the water pump to restrict water velocities in a well hole and thereby prevent the instrusion of sand is provided by a two-layer suction control element, or such an element in combination with a single-layer suction control element. Each of the two elements has a porous, permeable sidewall, is open at the bottom to admit water and any suspended sand particles, and is open at the top to hydraulically couple the element to a pump inlet or to the base of another element. The two-layered element is formed by a relatively rigid PVC tube with a multiplicity of opening therethrough and an outer porous, permeable layer over the openings formed by bonded granular PVC particles, the single layer element is formed by a similar, relatively rigid PVC tube having a multiplicity of uniform openings therethrough of diminishing cross-sectional area so as to control water velocities into the element.