Did you hear the joke about the three holes in the ground? No? Well, well, well…..
One of the things on next years agenda is a well. Drilling a well, as I understand it, is like buying a lottery ticket with a blank check. Maybe you drill 50 feet and hit 35 gallons per minute, maybe you drill 350 feet and get 10 gallons per minute, or maybe you drill 1000 feet and hit nothing except a very expensive hole.
New wells have their data submitted to a state database. I did some searching and found a well that was dug within the last two years about a half mile from me. They appear to have had to go down between 150 and 175 feet and are getting around 20 gallons per minute.
Is that any guarantee of what the situation will be on my side of the fence? Absolutely not. No guarantees. But I like to think it’s more hopeful than if they had to go down 1000 feet.
I know quite a few people in the local plumbing industry and have asked them to recommend a driller who is willing and able to go a little off the beaten path. I need to talk to them to get an idea of what the financial side of this production is going to cost. I’m thinking around a hundred bucks a foot, and budget for that. While I do have surface water on the property in the form of a creek, it appears to wax and wane with the seasons and does not seem as reliable a source as I would like.
So…its off to the well driller’s to ask them about pricing and that sort of thing, as well as seeing if theyre willing to take on such a job. I’ll need to start saving up money over the winter to make this happen when spring gets here, but thats fine…just as long as I get it done next year. Then once the well is in, its time to worry about septic…and to save up for that.plan
A good localish well driller to should know the geology in your area and give you an idea of depth to hit water. My well in Oregon is 125 deep, pump sits at 100 and has pumped 10 gpm since installed in 1996. . Even at that rate I’ve had no issues for a family of 3 and horses. Good luck. Get the water tested after drilling so you have an idea of what you’re getting and what filtration you might need..
Since you have a spring, I’d think water is close to the surface. Many people swear by “diviners,” to find water. I don’t understand it but I’ve seen it work.
Commander,well,well,well
A well is just an expensive hole, once drilled you need to consider how you are going to get your water moved to where you can store-need it, especially in a cold climate:
voltage
horse power
storage tank
prime mover of water (gravity, demand pump, etc.
who is going to install the water system.
The driller may/will have some ideas($$$$) but your property is unique