Water Wells

[roadrunner]

Anyone install a well on their land. I've been thinking about doing this, but I guess the ease of doing it depends on your area. I'd imagine it's relatively easy here in NE Florida.

I'm really curious how deep the well would have to be drilled....

 

[Chuck]

It all depends on your aquifer. Where I live my well makes about 5 gallons per minute. It is 280 feet deep. But my water doesn't need anything, no purifiers, no softeners no nothing. I drilled my well with a conventional drilling rig. My neighbors up the road drilled their wells with a rotary drilling rig and their wells make about 25 gallons per hour. But their water is nasty. It needs purifiers and softeners which costs about $50 per month. Their wells are about 450-650 feet deep. They have a lot more water but it isn't worth a damn. In Florida I would imagine that any shallow well will have brackish water, just about undrinkable. You will have to do research on your particular area. Anyway, a well will cost about $15 per foot below ground. Above ground it all depends on how much storage you need and how far from your home the well is located. And if the government will let you drill.

 

[roadrunner]

It all depends on your aquifer. Where I live my well makes about 5 gallons per minute. It is 280 feet deep. But my water doesn't need anything, no purifiers, no softeners no nothing. I drilled my well with a conventional drilling rig. My neighbors up the road drilled their wells with a rotary drilling rig and their wells make about 25 gallons per hour. But their water is nasty. It needs purifiers and softeners which costs about $50 per month. Their wells are about 450-650 feet deep. They have a lot more water but it isn't worth a damn. In Florida I would imagine that any shallow well will have brackish water, just about undrinkable. You will have to do research on your particular area. Anyway, a well will cost about $15 per foot below ground. Above ground it all depends on how much storage you need and how far from your home the well is located. And if the government will let you drill.

Thanks Chuck, I'm still in the very early stages of looking into this, so no hurry. As for the govt allowing me to drill, I think, from what I've read so far, that I will need at least a permit.

What really got me thinking about this, is that I was talking to someone the other day in the neighborhood who said they dug down 7 feet and hit water. I was kind of skeptical, but was interested. I told him he better be careful, since we are one of those locations where sinkholes are common -- it made me wonder if he could cause a sink hole if he tried to exploit what he found (if it was anything -- just seemed way too shallow)

I've learned to always be very skeptical of what people tell you

 

[Chuck]

Thanks Chuck, I'm still in the very early stages of looking into this, so no hurry. As for the govt allowing me to drill, I think, from what I've read so far, that I will need at least a permit.

What really got me thinking about this, is that I was talking to someone the other day in the neighborhood who said they dug down 7 feet and hit water. I was kind of skeptical, but was interested. I told him he better be careful, since we are one of those locations where sinkholes are common -- it made me wonder if he could cause a sink hole if he tried to exploit what he found (if it was anything -- just seemed way too shallow)

I've learned to always be very skeptical of what people tell you

Many places have a very shallow water table but that doesn't mean much. How much water is there? Is it just a surface collection? Is it even palatable. All of the shallow water in my part of the world is nothing but nasty. It stinks and is undrinkable. Underground water isn't a big lake unless it is in an open aquifer. Most aquifers are in a very porous rock substrate. Usually either sandstone or limestone. When the well is drilled down into the rock the surrounding sides and the bottom of the of the hole allow the water in the porous stone to flow into the drilled hole. The amount of time it takes for the water to reach its static level can be calculated into how many gallons per minute the water is flowing into the hole. In the Edwards Aquifer, which I am in, the substrate is limestone but in many places it is open, just like an underground lake. If I were lucky, which I'm not, my well would be on top of one of those open areas and I would have unlimited amounts of water. But I'm not lucky and I get about 5 gallons per minute but excellent water.
If you neighbor has water at 7 feet and the water is in dirt, not stone, what will happen if a few thousand gallons of water were removed in 6 months time. Yep, a sinkhole.
Different states have different requirements as to drilling a well. You must have a permit not matter where but the regulations about casings, motors, the amount of concrete required to set the casings etc. all vary.
A well drilling rig is a BIG and HEAVY piece of equipment so if you decide to drill a well make sure there aren't any weak spots in the ground.