Did you know? Modern wells are lined with materials like pipe or bentonite, a type of clay. Early Neolithic humans lined their wells, too, but they used hollow logs, wood planks or well shaft sheaths made from tightly woven wicker.
In areas where gas and oil exist, but cannot be accessed directly, directional drilling can be used. This process involves drilling at an angle or sideways to tap the reserves and bring them to the surface.
Whenever you have a water well dug, it is always a good idea to have the water tested before you begin using it. Send a sample to the county extension agency, and they will conduct the testing and send a report back with an opinion on its suitability.
Ideally, a well for residential purposes should provide good quality, sand free water with no, or minimal contamination – and be protected from contamination as well. In addition, it should provide both short and long term cost benefits that surpass using a municipal system.
Did you know? In 1823, Levi Disbrow became the first professional water well driller in America. In 1859, Edwin Drake used a pipe to isolate well water from other contaminants. In the 1900s, the internal combustion engine made portable well drilling equipment possible.
The water level in a well is the distance from the top of the water in the well to either the pump’s suction inlet or to the ground’s surface. This distance is used to determine how much power is needed to bring up the water from the well.