If you live on land that cannot access the public water supply in your area, a residential water well installation could be a good solution. There are some things you need to consider before drilling a well on the land. The location of the well, other things on the property like a septic system, and what you will use the water for are crucial factors when drilling for water.
Finding Water
There are several ways to find water on your land, but one of the most accurate is to determine where water aquifers are underground or if there are any springs that flow beneath your property. Your town or city should have geological studies of the area that you can look at to determine where underground water is located, but if they do not, you can often find the same information and maps online with a bit of searching.
If you are still having a hard time locating water under your property, you can have a water survey completed that will use GPR (ground penetrating radar) to find the potential water pockets under the property. GPR can be very effective when it is done right, and you may be able to get the well drilling company to have the survey done as part of the water well installation.
Septic Systems And Water Wells
A septic system and a water well can coexist on the same land, and as long as you follow a few guidelines, everything will be fine. When you have a piece of land that already has a septic system on it, it is critical to review the plans and mark the position of everything with stakes to ensure you know where the tank, leach field, and other parts of the system are.
Once you have located the septic system, you can layout the position for the water well installation and ensure the two will not interfere with each other. The standard in most states is to allow one hundred feet between the leach field and the water well. Remember that the leach field allows wastewater to return to the soil to be cleaned and slowly reabsorbed into the groundwater.
If the well is too close to the leach field, the time the water takes to leach into the ground could change, and if it finds its way into the well, it could contaminate the drinking water. The drilling company working on your water well installation should know the standard for well placement on land with a septic system. Still, it is important that you are involved in the process, so you know that your well is safe and not in danger of contamination. Contact someone like Eckmayer Inc in your area for more information.
Share28 May 2021
As you read the articles on this website, you will notice two things. First, they are all about septic services in some ways. Second, some go deep — and others are full of more surface-level facts. This is kind of like your septic system itself! The tank is buried deep, but the drain field is more superficial. You don't have to be an expert on septic systems, but as someone who owns one, you should at least know how to tell when something is wrong with yours so you can call for service. You'll get that level of understanding from this blog — and probably more!