Finding a spring in dry weather

[MossRoad]

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,

Just be careful you don't punch through any clay layer that may be holding the water. If you do, you may end up draining the area even more as the water will go down to the next level.

 

[txdon]

I was always thinking that their might be a huge cavern underneath that would swallow up me and the tractor. Do you have any caves in the area? My spring was on a documented fault line. My spring was one of the 7 in the area that had been used in droughts up to 120 years ago (I found out later). There also was old digging evidence around (overgrown old piles of dirt).

Make sure you do a follow-up post to tell us what you found and take pictures. Digging to the unknown is exciting work!

 

[lhfarm]

I was always thinking that their might be a huge cavern underneath that would swallow up me and the tractor. Do you have any caves in the area? My spring was on a documented fault line. My spring was one of the 7 in the area that had been used in droughts up to 120 years ago (I found out later). There also was old digging evidence around (overgrown old piles of dirt).

Make sure you do a follow-up post to tell us what you found and take pictures. Digging to the unknown is exciting work!

No caves in the area. My wife's grandfather purchased this farm in 1912 and her father grew up farming the area. My late FIL had a love of springs and was always hunting for new ones. He always attributed the green area I'm looking at as the result of fertilizer runoff.

As much as I want a spring, I suspect another explanation. I will record my efforts and report back.

 

[Highbeam]

Somebody may have buried a dead horse?

 

[lhfarm]

Somebody may have buried a dead horse?

I don't think so, but we do have the remains of a dead horse on the property. The place was farmed with horses from 1912 through the Depression. My late FIL and his two younger brothers found one of their horses dead at the bottom of a ravine (sometime in the 20s). They promptly named the spot Dead Horse Hollow. The old wagon and rural delivery roads that were abandoned in the 40s are still in use as jeep trails today. And we still call one section of the trail by that name.

 

[Car Doc]

In my area cottonwood trees are a good indicator of underground water if you see a big cottonwood in the middle of a field there is an underground stream there or 1st water is close to the surface.

 

[Jstpssng]

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.

Do a search on "well point"; it's relatively inexpensive designed for what you describe. Assuming no major rocks in the way,
you drive it into the ground with a sledge hammer until you hit the aquifer.

 

[Jstpssng]

I was always thinking that their might be a huge cavern underneath that would swallow up me and the tractor. Do you have any caves in the area? My spring was on a documented fault line. My spring was one of the 7 in the area that had been used in droughts up to 120 years ago (I found out later). There also was old digging evidence around (overgrown old piles of dirt).

Make sure you do a follow-up post to tell us what you found and take pictures. Digging to the unknown is exciting work!

Your place sounds somewhat similar to mine. There was an old springhole that was dug out years ago to water the livestock.After mucking around with my little backhoe I finally hired an excavater; he dug down to ledge and the water was coming up through in multiple places. :thumbsup:
We set a tile and buried 10 yards of stone;
this summer after 2 months with no rain I pumped over 10000 gallons of water out over a 2 day period... the next day it was full again.

 

[txdon]

We set a tile and buried 10 yards of stone;
this summer after 2 months with no rain I pumped over 10000 gallons of water out over a 2 day period... the next day it was full again.

This sound like what I would like to do.
What is "set a tile"?

 

[JohninCT]

This sound like what I would like to do.
What is "set a tile"?

I have an old shallow dug well on my property that used to be our drinking water supply. The tile is a concrete culvert pipe/drain tile about 3ft in diameter that is set vertically in the excavated hole with a concrete cover on top.

This link explains it a little better

http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pip/factsheets/dwgb/documents/dwgb-1-4.pdf