Alan L.
Elite Member
Well its nut cuttin' time on my water. I finally got the bid from the Rural Water system for connecting. It is a mere $10,250 (after I talked them down by $575).
I've talked to 4 water well drillers. Basically the price per foot is the same but they are telling me all kinds of different stuff as to why a particular depth is better.
In our area there are two aquifers - the Woodbine and below that, the Trinity. Driller number 1 says drill 1000' to the Trinity for $20,000. Driller number 2 says drill 400 - 600 feet to the bottom part of the Woodbine for about $10,000 - $14,000. Driller #3 and #4 both say drill to the top part of the Woodbine - about 260 - 320' for $6,500.
So now I have to decide not only whether to go with a well vs the rural water system, but which depth? My reading about the Woodbine aquifer says there are three layers and the top one has poor water quality, so I think that rules out drillers #3 and #4 as they told me the water quality was the same regardless of the depth in the Woodbine.
Driller #1 is pretty much out as too expensive. That leaves driller #2 who drills to the bottom of the Woodbine. He admits there can be some iron and sulpher problems, but says in my area in the lower part the iron content has been negligible and most of the sulpher can be taken out before it gets to the house just by exposing the water to oxygen in an open system (galvanized tank vs bladder tank). According to my reading the Woodbine tends to have a fairly high iron content, though not nearly as much in the lower levels.
If I go with the water system I will be paying water bills of up to $100 and even more in the summer. The 19,000 gallons of water I used last July would cost $85. With the well its about $1,500 if the pump goes out, plus you do with out water until it is fixed.
Driller #2 drilled a well into the lower Woodbine - about 500' on an adjoining tract a couple years ago. I collected a water sample there this morning (nobody home, so I ran water into a jar out of the outside faucet). The water looks and tastes very good. Maybe better than the city (Trinity) well water I'm drinking in town now. Of course you can't see all the stuff that could be in there that is harmful.
With the water system they are regulated and have to do whatever treatment is necessary to keep the water healthy. If I have my own well I'm on my on.
I'm leaning toward driller #2, but I would appreciate any experiences or other input on the subject.
I've talked to 4 water well drillers. Basically the price per foot is the same but they are telling me all kinds of different stuff as to why a particular depth is better.
In our area there are two aquifers - the Woodbine and below that, the Trinity. Driller number 1 says drill 1000' to the Trinity for $20,000. Driller number 2 says drill 400 - 600 feet to the bottom part of the Woodbine for about $10,000 - $14,000. Driller #3 and #4 both say drill to the top part of the Woodbine - about 260 - 320' for $6,500.
So now I have to decide not only whether to go with a well vs the rural water system, but which depth? My reading about the Woodbine aquifer says there are three layers and the top one has poor water quality, so I think that rules out drillers #3 and #4 as they told me the water quality was the same regardless of the depth in the Woodbine.
Driller #1 is pretty much out as too expensive. That leaves driller #2 who drills to the bottom of the Woodbine. He admits there can be some iron and sulpher problems, but says in my area in the lower part the iron content has been negligible and most of the sulpher can be taken out before it gets to the house just by exposing the water to oxygen in an open system (galvanized tank vs bladder tank). According to my reading the Woodbine tends to have a fairly high iron content, though not nearly as much in the lower levels.
If I go with the water system I will be paying water bills of up to $100 and even more in the summer. The 19,000 gallons of water I used last July would cost $85. With the well its about $1,500 if the pump goes out, plus you do with out water until it is fixed.
Driller #2 drilled a well into the lower Woodbine - about 500' on an adjoining tract a couple years ago. I collected a water sample there this morning (nobody home, so I ran water into a jar out of the outside faucet). The water looks and tastes very good. Maybe better than the city (Trinity) well water I'm drinking in town now. Of course you can't see all the stuff that could be in there that is harmful.
With the water system they are regulated and have to do whatever treatment is necessary to keep the water healthy. If I have my own well I'm on my on.
I'm leaning toward driller #2, but I would appreciate any experiences or other input on the subject.