When living in a farming community or area, you are most likely reliant on well water as the main source of water for your home or farmstead. While water may be in a lot of locations under the ground at any given moment, you need to find the proper location before you drill a well. You don’t see oil companies just drilling randomly to find their sources of wealth, so you shouldn’t for drill randomly for finding water either. Wells are expensive to drill, as drilling companies often charge by the foot. Blindly drilling can be costly if you don’t hit a good enough source, because you are charged whether the water drillers find water or not. This is where water finding services come in.

Seismic Technology

Finding water has advanced over the recent years with more technologies on the market. The days of dowsing or witching for groundwater are out, and now water finding service companies can help you find that perfect location for your well by scientifically analyzing the area. The most commonly used technology for finding good sources of water is a seismoelectric survey instrument such as the GF3500, which is able to detect electrical signals generated by the passage of seismic impulses through layered rocks, sediments and soils. By using such instruments, a surveyor analyses up to 20 sites per day to find just the right place and depth to drill for a well.

Not only does the GF3500 find water, it can also give information such as the depth and the quality of the water as the signal penetrates the aquifer and the surveyor analyses the signal sent to the software. Having enough water for what you need is important, especially if you are using it for a farm and not just a household.

Location, Location, Location

Finding water just anywhere is not ideal either, as many locations can be compromised by various issues. A water finding service will understand the risks and laws of where a well needs to be located, or not located. You aren’t going to want a well that is too close to a sewer, septic tank, near a pasture, on-lot sewage system absorption field, cesspool, barnyard or silo. As well, groundwater that is within 10 feet of the surface is not something you want either as it’ll be more susceptible to contamination.

A Sustainable Source

Using the information gathered by a seismoelectric survey, a water finding company can also determine whether the aquifer they have found is going to be useable long-term. With blind drilling, the drilling company may drill too fast or too far and miss a source of water, or drill too shallow in an aquifer and produce a less-than-ideal well that can’t keep up with demands. Farmers that are using groundwater for irrigation of their fields may be using the same aquifer that intersects with your property, so you’ll want to know if adding another well is going to be viable, particularly during growing seasons when the aquifer is being drained. (During off seasons it will be recovering and likely be able to handle the extra well.)

Contact us Today for a Water Finding Survey

If you are looking to put a well on your farm and want to ensure a safe, quality water source, contact American Water Surveyors today.