installing a dug well

[Egon]

Have you considered a plastic lined pond? Septic tanks or barrels really don't have much capacity.

 

[psuedofarmer]

PF....while I seem to be on a roll, another question I had was, for how long thru out the year does the ground water stay that high? My reason has to do with the ability to use this as your primary water source. I realize you questioned that earlier but let's take a look at that again.

With the tanks system you could run perforated drainfield pipe with the hole up to allow collection of the ground water and keep the tank/s filled. you can fabric the pipe to help with any sediment and stone around to also help with filtration.

Obviously, having sufficiant ground water year round is the key but, if the marsh is spring fed you may have something to work with.

As far as lunch is concerned.....I'll fly if you buy....LOL

I enjoyed this brainstorming session.

i'm working on a design to capture as much water as possible (without breaking the bank). i like your idea..

just discovered someting tonight.. a little bit o' history:

it's an OLD farm (circa 1740). when i started clearing an old field (fallow for 30+ years) for greenhouses, a family member of the original owner (now in his early 80s) told me about the springs along the marsh.

tonight i found 2 old dug wells (too far away to be useful) along the marsh. both full of crystal clear water.

perhaps it's just coincidence, but the standing water at the low point of my trench (a steady 3+ feet deep for a few weeks) is crystal clear. in any event, i hope i tapped into 1 of those springs!

i'm taking pics of the entire process and i'll post them soon.

cheers!
pf

 

[psuedofarmer]

Have you considered a plastic lined pond? Septic tanks or barrels really don't have much capacity.

we just discussed this over dinner! as you point out, both tanks and barrels have limited capacity. the marsh (and surrounding springs) hold water year round.. if the barrels (or well tiles) were used to capture/contain ground water fed by a spring that generates water year round, it might just work.

having said that, my wife (who really wants a pond) pointed out that we have a low area on 1 side of the field that holds water whenever we have a heavy rain (any time of year).

looks like i've got a few options..

thanks for the input!

pf

 

[dubba]

Don't forget that you are only limited by your backhoe's dig depth in stages. If you could actually dig 16'+, just dig a hole big enough for your tractor & start over. Repeat as necessary

 

[gotrocks]

I'll be looking for the pictures. It sounds like an interesting project.

If you put the word out you can probably find several young people that would be ready to help with this job because as we all know;
"Well diggers start at the TOP and work down."
After further consideration, you can probably find a few OLD folks to help.

 

[jazzdaddy]

we just discussed this over dinner! as you point out, both tanks and barrels have limited capacity. the marsh (and surrounding springs) hold water year round.. if the barrels (or well tiles) were used to capture/contain ground water fed by a spring that generates water year round, it might just work.

having said that, my wife (who really wants a pond) pointed out that we have a low area on 1 side of the field that holds water whenever we have a heavy rain (any time of year).

pf

I've tried digging a dug well next to a marshy area and it didn't work. Our soil here has just enough clay that although the well is wet year round, the recharge rate is too slow to provide enough water. One of the locals here suggested excavating around the well and backfilling with gravel to increase the holding capacity. I've found water elsewhere and gave up on the project for now.

Regarding creating a pond, DES will only allow this if you increase the wetlands area adjacent to the marsh. They won't let you convert the marsh to pond. The new pond must be next to the marsh and some of the marsh may be converted to pond as long as you are expanding the wetlands area. DES gave a talk on this at the Farm and Forest Expo last winter in Manchester.

Have you thought about using a dowser and drilling a well? Our area is very tricky with well drilling. One neighbor drilled a well and got 25 gpm of water running up to the surface after drilling 150 ft. My well (drilled before I got the place) goes to 450 ft. and only supplies 3 gpm. I hired a dowser and he claims that high-rate wells with water at the surface are possible at my place and we marked some locations. I haven't drilled yet but this guy has a good reputation and high success rate.

 

[psuedofarmer]

I've tried digging a dug well next to a marshy area and it didn't work. Our soil here has just enough clay that although the well is wet year round, the recharge rate is too slow to provide enough water. One of the locals here suggested excavating around the well and backfilling with gravel to increase the holding capacity. I've found water elsewhere and gave up on the project for now.

Regarding creating a pond, DES will only allow this if you increase the wetlands area adjacent to the marsh. They won't let you convert the marsh to pond. The new pond must be next to the marsh and some of the marsh may be converted to pond as long as you are expanding the wetlands area. DES gave a talk on this at the Farm and Forest Expo last winter in Manchester.

Have you thought about using a dowser and drilling a well? Our area is very tricky with well drilling. One neighbor drilled a well and got 25 gpm of water running up to the surface after drilling 150 ft. My well (drilled before I got the place) goes to 450 ft. and only supplies 3 gpm. I hired a dowser and he claims that high-rate wells with water at the surface are possible at my place and we marked some locations. I haven't drilled yet but this guy has a good reputation and high success rate.

thanks for the input - i finished the project yesterday and here's what i found (most of this echoes your experience):

dug the max depth of just under 8 feet. the hole is 10x10 (and 8' deep). water is standing @ 3ft, so i added a few yards of 1.5 stone to level the bottom. so now i have 18 inches of stone on the bottom.

i added 2 (3x3) round well tiles. the water inside the well tiles is 18 inches deep. not enough recharge to use the water for irrigation.

so i'm calling my local well guy for feedback. ironically, the house well (a quarter mile away) is 148' deep and produces 28 gallons/minute. pretty darn good..

i think the best option would be to drill a well in the current dug well location, it's probably the only way to get that water recharge rate i need.

willl download the pics later this week..

quite a project!

pf

 

[psuedofarmer]

the farm received approximately 1.3 inches of rain yesterday; it was enough to raise the water in the dug well 5 ft. interestingly enough, the water table in the marsh behind the field is nearly the same as the water level in the newly dug well.

i'm having my well driller out next week, will post pics of the project and another update later.

pf

 

[rambler]

I'm still not sure if this thread is about a drainage issue; or a need for water from a well.

I've never ever heard of drainage water being dumped into a well; that would be a really bad move & cause the epa types to visit & fret. Putting surface water into a dug well would put bacteria into everyone's drinking water aquifer, and would _not_ be allowed. Ever.

Likewise, dealing with marshes - wetlands - has become a real bad thing to do, the epa types control them fully, & one cannot dig, drain, or otherwise do anything with them in most locations these days.

Enjoy the thread tho. Just some observations.

--->Paul

 

[psuedofarmer]

I'm still not sure if this thread is about a drainage issue; or a need for water from a well.

I've never ever heard of drainage water being dumped into a well; that would be a really bad move & cause the epa types to visit & fret. Putting surface water into a dug well would put bacteria into everyone's drinking water aquifer, and would _not_ be allowed. Ever.

Likewise, dealing with marshes - wetlands - has become a real bad thing to do, the epa types control them fully, & one cannot dig, drain, or otherwise do anything with them in most locations these days.

Enjoy the thread tho. Just some observations.

--->Paul

the well project started when we were installing drainage lines between our greenhouses; we hit a spring @ 2 feet deep. so we channeled the water into a dug well that is approximately 75' from an old, wet meadow.

we run a certified (USDA) organic farm; the water will be used to supplement water from 2 existing dug wells (both spring fed). the well driller (also the town health officer) is guiding us through the process to make sure we abide by all state/fed rules and regulations. absolutely no plans to dredge, fill, or otherwise touch the wet area.

i'm taking pics to document the process. it's been quite a challenge farming in new england. first it was the 100 year flood, now it's a high water table everywhere.

cheers.
pf