Drilling a water well for your fresh water supply takes a little planning. Most states have policies instituted through the Agency of Natural Resources (Water Supply Division or DES) which oversees the standards of how water wells are constructed.
Whether you are building a new home or replacing an existing water supply, hiring a water well professional is perhaps one of your most important decisions. Selecting the right contractor is somewhat like searching for a new doctor or dentist. All are directly involved with your health. An experienced well professional is your best guarantee of a good supply of clean drinking water. Take the time to learn more and find the right person and company.
To find a well professional or drilling company, ask your neighbors, call your state water well association or local health department.
The first step is to go to the estimate page, enter your information (for wells, service work, water treatment or testing). From there we try to gather information to give you an estimate for the work you requested based on local geology and previous work in the area of your project, and make arrangements to meet with you. Our list for wells to be drilled fills up early each year, so anytime is a great time to contact us.
The depth of a well is a determining factor in figuring the basic cost of drilling and the cost of pipe (casing). We base our estimate on what experience shows is the average for your area.
More than 15 million households in the United States use individual wells to supply water for our families. Water from modern wells is naturally filtered and is cool, natural and pure. Consolidated or "Bedrock" Wells are drilled into a formation consisting entirely of a natural rock formation that contains no soil. The average well depth in our area is roughly 250 feet.
All well construction estimates are based on reasonable judgments due to experience of rock formations and water supply in the area. We provide our customers with an "Estimate" sheet and not a "Quote" sheet because there is never firm knowledge of where water is exactly underground or what yield it holds at your well site. If the water that is first "tapped" during drilling is adequate for your needs somewhere before 500 ft. depth, drilling usually stops. If there is inadequate yield by that depth we offer to drill deeper or perform a "hydrofrac" procedure; this entails pumping roughly 2000 gallons of water down the hole, submerging an inflatable "packer" and introducing up to 2,400 psi of air charge and holding it until a fracture gives way to allow water to flow into the well. This procedure is equivalent to dynamite without the chemicals and has a very large success rate.
Once the well is established, the well pump and pressure tank system need to be designed to give you optimum use for your needs.
The quality of water is much more dependant on the geological formations and water bed surrounding your well than any specific depth. In general, the deeper the well, the greater the likelihood for increased minerals in the water, which may require a water softening or conditioning unit for your well system to protect the investment of your home.
For all customers that we drill a well for, we provide the initial "Mineral Test" at no charge. We include this in the well package because no one knows what quality of water is going to come out of your well, and it offers us the chance to give you a "heads up" of any potential problems you might expect. It is suggested that you follow up once every five years to monitor how/if your water has changed.