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Drilling a Well

Q: I am thinking about drilling my own water well for watering my lawn and garden. Does anyone have any helpful hints on doing this and what it take and cost? Any help would be appreciated. I am pretty handy with handy work so there's not much I won't tackle.

Thanks,
Joe from Texas

A: Joe,

Before undertaking such an ambitious task, be sure to check with local authorities about permit requirements. If you're just looking for a low-yield, shallow well for the purpose of garden irrigation, you may be able to dig it yourself (with the proper permits, of course). You'll need to consider the area's geology and land surface features (like slopes and drainage) to determine a good location for the well. Make sure that factors like accessibility for cleaning and maintenance also figure into your plan and have the water tested to make sure it's safe for irrigating your lawn and garden plants.

My suggestion would be to call local contractors, or even garden centers and find out if they know of anyone in your area who has successfully dug a well for similar purposes. Local well drillers should be able to shed some light on the geological aspects of what you can expect, and if a shallow well is even a possibility. If it turns out that a deeper well is needed to access water, it will most likely be less costly to keep paying the additional costs associated with the seasonal differences in your water bill.

Ellen

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Ellen Brown is our Green Living and Gardening Expert. Click here to ask Ellen a question! Ellen Brown is an environmental writer and photographer and the owner of Sustainable Media, an environmental media company that specializes in helping businesses and organizations promote eco-friendly products and services. Contact her on the web at http://www.sustainable-media.com

Feedback About This Post:

RE: Drilling a Well

I had a uncle that drilled a shallow well by taking a pipe, cap the end, drill holes in the bottom of the pipe. Then connect a water hose to the pipe and let the pressure from the hose wash a hole to make a well for for watering your lawn. Has anyone heard of this type of well??

Post By Thomas from Alabama (Guest Post)

RE: Drilling a Well

15 years ago in Al. the starting fee was $1,000.00for the first 10 feet . Then so much per foot till they hit water . Make sure you test your water
to see if it will be safe for your garden .
Hope this helps .
bam328

Post by bam328

RE: Drilling a Well

Thanks for the feed back, Syd and siris

Post by jguer53

RE: Drilling a Well

Check with the County to see what is required for you
to do this.

What you are wanting to do sounds like a shallow well, not sure if you can do this anymore ... best to check it out with the powers to be.

A deep drilled artisian well is expensive and is generally use for homes.

Post By Syd (Guest Post)

RE: Drilling a Well

Start with a dowser. You'd be surprised how many people can do this if they try. Maybe you can. All you need is a forked branch. Not a dry one and see if it turns down. It would actually twist so hard in my husbands hands it would peel the bark off a willow. The number of times it dipped down told him how many feet down the water was. We hired a dowser who suggested hubby try after he found water for us.

Post By siris (Guest Post)

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