Finding a spring in dry weather

lhfarm · Sep 12, 2010

We haven't had rain for 2 months. I have found a couple of spots on the property that remained green. The pictures are of a small area along the fire break around the prairie grass meadow. The contrast to the surrounding area is amazing. There are springs in our part of the country and we have a few "wet-weather" types. I'm not sure we would have a great volume of water, but I would really like to see what is down there.

I have a BH and PHD. I've considered using one or the other to see what I might find. Anyone have suggestions for how to go about exploring the possibilities?

Thanks,

Tony_S · Sep 12, 2010

Dowsing?

smstonypoint · Sep 12, 2010

Tony_S said:
Dowsing?

Despite the lack of scientific evidence to support its success, it wouldn't hurt to try.

Steve

MossRoad · Sep 12, 2010

Just be sure those green spots aren't over your septic tanks! :laughing:

txdon · Sep 12, 2010

..or over small leaks in water lines.

If you are sure there are no man made things underground then use your backhoe to dig down and see if your hole fills with water.

If you are not 110% sure of no type of line underground call 811. (remember the gas line in California last week)

lhfarm · Sep 13, 2010

The spot is at least 500' from our water line and probably that many more from the septic. There aren't any other building, roads or utilities within a half mile. It is at the edge of the meadow, in a shallow bowl, so assumed in the past it got extra moisture from the runoff.

The post wasn't really clear. I didn't know enough about springs to know how to go about some simple exploration. The area has lots of sandstone outcrops. Do I just dig a hole in the middle of the green patch down to the sandstone or dig several test holes in the area? Do I need to be concerned about doing some damage that shut down the flow?

Thanks,

txdon · Sep 13, 2010

I'm not a spring expert, hopefully one will reply. I have a slow spring and clean it out with the back hole whenever it stops flowing. Like yours it is a low spot. I have dug several test holes around the area and the further from the spring the deeper the hole has to be. My test holes did not affect the flow.

On mine I put a 8" pvc pipe 4' down. On the bottom foot of the capped pipe I drilled 1000 small holes so the water could enter (cheap filter). The water filled the pipe and ran out the top (via 4/3 PVC) to a small pond. From the small pond I set a pump and a solar panel and watered my garden which was about 10' higher and 600' feet away. It ran for three years before I had to re-dig it.

jinman · Sep 13, 2010

lhfarm said:
It is at the edge of the meadow, in a shallow bowl, so assumed in the past it got extra moisture from the runoff.

Barry, on one of my properties, I had a low spot like that which held so much water there were willow trees growing there. It turns out that the area was depressed, but surrounded by a bowl-shaped clay sublayer. It would catch water and underground seepage like a pond and hold it longer than the surrounding areas. It held enough that the willows were quite happy to grow there.

In the springs I have seen, the water is almost always in a body of sand. If it is sandy and wet right below the surface, then you have a possible spring. My dad had a spring on his place that he had a fellow dig out with a backhoe as deep as he could dig. That made a pool of water that never dried up or stopped running in the dryest of drought years. As a matter of fact, I sold the property to a developer who built apartments. That spring refused to be stopped and the developer had to modify his plans to make a greenbelt with a running spring-fed stream through it.

lhfarm · Sep 13, 2010

jinman said:
Barry, on one of my properties, I had a low spot like that which held so much water there were willow trees growing there. It turns out that the area was depressed, but surrounded by a bowl-shaped clay sublayer. It would catch water and underground seepage like a pond and hold it longer than the surrounding areas. It held enough that the willows were quite happy to grow there.

In the springs I have seen, the water is almost always in a body of sand. If it is sandy and wet right below the surface, then you have a possible spring. My dad had a spring on his place that he had a fellow dig out with a backhoe as deep as he could dig. That made a pool of water that never dried up or stopped running in the dryest of drought years. As a matter of fact, I sold the property to a developer who built apartments. That spring refused to be stopped and the developer had to modify his plans to make a greenbelt with a running spring-fed stream through it.

There are some springs in the area, but you may be right about underground seepage. To build a pond around here all you need to do is "shape" the clay. So it is possible that is some phenomenon you described. I'll dig some holes the next time I have the BH on.

Thanks,

Carykong · Sep 13, 2010

I have enjoyed reading this thread. My rugby club owns 10 acres that includes a rugby field with no irrigation and we have always mulled the worth of exploring for a low cost,do-it-yourself, well/spring on our property. In our local area,one has a good possibility of finding a constant supply of water in 20'.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge on fabricating a homemade auger that we could attach to 3" pipe for drilling.