Drilling a well isn’t quite as simple as just digging until you hit water. A lot can go wrong, and while these mistakes can make for some entertaining video footage, they are definitely not the most efficient way to get a well up and running.
Here are five reasons not surveying before you drill that well is a bad idea:
- You want to hit water—not create a new golf course.
When drilling a well, you really want to hit water the first time you drill. You don’t want to have to drill two, three, or thirty holes only to find out that you still don’t have a water source. As fun as it could be to turn your yard into a golf course—or a whack-a-mole court—there are a lot more cost-efficient ways to serve both purposes. Surveying before you drill can ensure you find your well the first time—then you can focus on building yourself a golf course you won’t lose your ball in.
2. Don’t let a diviner lead you to your sewage system.
Whether you are divining, dowsing, doodlebugging, or water witching, you are basically doing the same thing—you are looking for water. It’s a decision that can help you avoid digging up your backyard, but what kind of water are you looking for? Hiring a diviner, a water dowser, or a water witch is still a practice that is made use of to this day, and while the practice does hold some merit, there’s not much information to tell you what type of water you are locating when you follow that divining rod and start drilling that well. The last thing you want to do is drill down all that way to find water from an old sewage system. Surveying can help you identify what type of water you are drilling towards so you don’t end up paying for bottled water along with that expensive well.
3. Looking for the next Old Faithful?
Even if you happen to find the right water source at the right depth, it is important to find out what you are drilling through to get to it. One wrong pipe or water main in the way, and you could end up with the next Old Faithful in your backyard, and if you don’t want to become the next tourist hotspot in your area (or the next YouTube video to go viral), then you need to survey before you drill so you can see exactly what you’ll be drilling through.
4. Is it deep enough?
There’s nothing worse than drilling down to an inadequate water supply. No one really likes a three-minute shower—or to run the washing machine at four-minute intervals. Surveying can help ensure that you drill down to the right depth and install the right size of water pump to provide you with an adequate supply of water for whatever your needs.
5. Did you put your well in the wrong place?
As well as helping you to locate an adequate water supply, surveying can help you ensure that you put your well somewhere that makes sense. You don’t want it to be located somewhere you will be tripping over it all the time, nor do you want it anywhere near where you park your car or run your snow blower, but you also want to avoid putting it too close to your garden—or your pig pen. Putting your well head too close to fertilizers or waste is an easy way to contaminate your whole water supply.
If you are planning to drill a well, don’t wait until you make your first mistake. Contact an experienced surveyor, like American Water Surveyors, and drill your well right the first time.
