Summary: Planning to drill a new well? Here’s why simply locating a water source isn’t enough to drill an adequate well.
Drilling a well can be a costly endeavor if you don’t put the work into doing it properly the first time. That means doing some surveying to ensure you are actually going to hit a water source when you drill. However, while it is extremely important to locate that water source first, simply finding the water might not mean you are all set to drill. Here are a few other factors that you need to consider before
Yield
Finding water is great but finding water that offers the appropriate yield is critical. If you don’t drill into an adequate yield of water, you could end up with a variety of issues, from extremely low water pressure to a water supply that can’t keep up to your daily usage. Of course, there are different variables to consider when determining what the appropriate water yield should be. First, you need to estimate your usage, and then you need to plan ahead for any future property expansions that would increase that usage. Covering those bases will prevent you from overusing your water supply, either right away or down the road.
Further, though, you need to consider the yield in comparison with the equipment you are using to extract it. If the pump and piping you use to access the water in your well isn’t adequate for the yield that is there, you can end up with the same problem—even if there is enough water yield to cover your usage needs.
Water Quality
The other extremely important thing to consider regarding your soon-to-be well is the location—and how that location is going to impact the quality of your water. For instance, if you accidentally drill too close to your septic tank’s weeping bed, to a farmer’s field, to a water runoff location, etc., you could end up with a well that works perfectly but delivers unusable, contaminated water.
You can’t just look at what the well would be near today, though. You will also need to consider historical records to see what has been on your property in the past. For instance, if your property used to be landfill, or if it used to have a gas or oil tank buried on it, then you might have contamination issues that wouldn’t have made themselves explicitly clear until you started drilling.
Geological Characteristics
A typical survey will also account for geological maps of the area you are hoping to drill in. This will help you determine the type of sediment surrounding your well, which will impact its yield. Further, it can also help you identify fluke things like natural oil or bitumen pockets, or even underground cave systems that you might not want to drill into without first assessing the potential impacts of creating structural weak points.
In other words, having a professional water surveying company determine the best location for your well is only going to help simplify the amount of time and money it will take to get the best possible well up and running.
