Artesian well - what to do?

[ratter]

I'm new to the forum here, and new to rural living, for that matter. This forum is a gold mine for me, as I've got so much to do, so many questions, and such little information!

So anyway, one thing that I'm dealing with - we get our water from an artesian well. We get decent water pressure inside the house, but then above and beyond that, there is an overflow pipe that lets out by our springhouse (25 yards behind the house, down slope). The overflow lets out, no joke, probably 2-3 gallons a minute. Water just pours out, 24/7/365.

Issue #1 - it's not drained well, so I have a clump of watercress about a foot high, 6 feet wide, and 40 feet long, then a half-acre of boggy land beyond that. It would probably be worse, if not for the fact that there's a creek back there, so once the water *finally* makes its way back that far, it has the creek to drain into.

Issue #2 - should I be letting that water just dump out like that, or should that overflow be valved/capped?

What would you do? Improve the drainage and let it flow? Cap it? I plan on living in this house for the rest of my life (I'm 30) and passing it onto my kids. I don't want the well to run dry. But for all I know, it's not possible/feasible to cap it, either.

If your answer is to improve the drainage and let it flow, I'm listening to suggestions on how to do exactly that, as well. I don't mind having the water flowing through the property, above ground, as long as it's a controlled flow and not just making land that I want to be part of the yard be just a soggy mess.

Thanks!
-Mike

 

[LarryD]

As I see it, you have several options, all lead to eventual flow into the creek.

I don't think you can cap the drain line without having the water come up in another spot. I once rented a house and the arteian well came out of the ground about 2' below the pumphouse. The owner put a bunch of bentonite in the ground to stem the flow. It was back a couple weeks later in a new spot, water under pressure thing you know.

So you can either channel the flow to the creek above ground or below ground. If it's not an area you plan on landscaping, cut a good trench and line it with some large rocks to prevent erosion. Or dig a pond with an overflow to the creek. A constant water supply could make a very attractive water feature.

If you had ideas for the area, why not pipe it underground to the creek and let it daylight just above the high water mark.

Property around here goes for more money if it's got a pond, and that's always a good spot for relaxing and observing the wildlife.

 

[Egon]

How deep is the well? This may be indicative of a solution.

Egon

 

[ratter]

I'll try to find out how deep the well is - I have no idea. The more I think about it, I like the idea of a pond. But I'm not sure if that's in our budget. Maybe the thing to do is to trench it for now, with an eye towards a pond sometime in the future....thanks for your responses.

 

[DaMadman]

my grandparents well is the same way as you just described yours except theirs is a spring that runs out the side of a hill. they put well rings around it and right at the highwater marke put a pipe that runs from that well (which is where their drinking water comes from, to a smaller more shallow concrete well ring that stays open and they use for watering the garden and such, that runoff well also has an outlet that runs out the back and a short distance to a creek.

I certainly do not want to jinx them but it has been runnning like that for more than 60 years with very little problem in extreme drought conditions

 

[FL_Cracker]

You won't be able to CAP it. Trying to do so could force it to take a different route and never return to your house. The best solution would be add a pipe to the over-flow and lay it on top of the ground and all the way to the creek. Now give the yard some time to dry out and then you can burry the pipe under the yard. Leave the end sticking way out over the creek bank so it will always be running without restriction. This way your yard stays dry but the water can flow free. It won't run out of water unless the water table in the area changes and capping the well would not make any difference. The water table is a much bigger picture then that one spring. You could also use some old fashion well pump parts and flow the pipe into the well pump head down at the creek and make a neat water feature spot. If you can have the water flowing out of the pump head land on a rock before it goes into the creek bed, that will help keep the soil from washing.

Good Luck

Also always make sure the pipe is flowing down hill and the well head feature (if you do something like that) is below where the spring exits the ground or the back preasure could push the spring out of the ground elsewhere. (Bad Thing)

 

[ratter]

Thanks guys. I coupled a 200' length of garden hose to the overflow pipe and ran it to the creek. Hopefully it'll dry out in a few days/weeks. I think I'll dig the trench, line it with rock, and leave the water above ground. I do want to landscape the area, but the way things are situated, I think we can make it attractive. If all else fails, we'll put a pipe in the trench and fill 'er back up. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Westonium]

I think you should really consider a little micro-hydro turbine on a pipe that you attach to the over-flow, and then let the water out in the creek.

You could consider having a cistern too. I don't think you are likely to run that well dry except maybe temporarily. A cistern to supply water for irrigation/washing equipment/other high water uses might help keep the demand on the well more evened out. You could have it over-flow into the cistern, and then the creek.

 

[chucko]

swimming pool

 

[ByronBob]

Wow, I got a million idea's running through my head also like some of the guys here.

A micro-hydro power turbine might allow you to generate power at your house. Could you imagine living off the grid?? The savings for me would pay for the turbine in 2-3 years.

A pond.....Man you have no idea how nice that could be. No pool to keep up and clean water to swim in.

How about one of those landscape ponds where the water falls down the rocks like a little brook in your back yard. Some guys have done that already and they look cool. Some gravel, plants and a nice hammock or rocking swing in the evening with a beverage.

Cistern!!! Another option. Bury a 1000 gallon polypropylene tank in the ground for emergency water use.

Sell the water to someone with poor water in your area. Around here people deliver water for a few hundred bucks for 1000 gallons. If they come to your place to get it then sell it for less. Make MONEY on your opportunity.

Any bottled water companies around. Call them and see if anyone needs artesian water.

Get creative.....Make money on this gold mine you live on.