Casing is a vital part of any well, which is why we tend to picture medieval wells with strong stone sides. Modern casing tends to be materials like steel. Depending on the structure, the casing may installed while the drilling is done as part of adding the pipe.
Water wells should not be situated in a floodplain or close to streams, ponds, or wetlands. The best possible location for your well is uphill or on higher ground, and away from any potential contamination sources.
If you are having a well dug on your farm, its location in relation to livestock yards, manure and fertilizer storage, and manure stacks is critical. For example, the EPA requires wells be at least 250 feet from manure and silage stacks.
Advanced technologies make directional drilling more effective than ever. Improved drilling sensors and global positioning systems allow us to drill with greater precision to produce the right-sized bore in the correct location at the designated angle and depth.
In the 1850s, the process for transforming iron into steel was developed, and, by 1855, cost-effective mass-production was feasible. In 1868, tungsten steel was invented, but 44 years would pass before the process for making stainless steel was discovered.
Springs are also called "risings" or "resurgences." These natural water sources exist were aquifers meet the ground surface. When you dig a well, you're replicating this situation, creating a direct line from the surface to an aquifer for water to flow through.