new water well dry after only 2 months?

Question

We recently built a house. The well digger hit water at 22 feet and continued until the well was 34 feet. He assured us that we would not have any water problems. Well, last week our well was so low, the pump was unable to pump water. We have had alot of rain lately so this really scares me. I was told that it is not so uncommon for a well to be bad during the first year. We did not have a written contract. I have contacted my States Attorney, he says I do not have a case to take legal action. Any suggestions out there as to what I should do. We hauled water the other day, and this is not something i want to get used to.

The Oldest Man In The World · Accepted Answer

Nobody can 'guarantee' a well will always remain at the same level. Well drilling is not an exact science. The company did find water, so they did what they said they would do. Now, if you don't have a good relationship with the drilling company contact another. It is very possible one of two things will need to be done: Pull up the pump to make sure it's not defective, if not, you will need to deepen the well. Water at 22 feet is HIGHLY unusual, and might have just been an isolated underground reservoir that was pumped dry. I wish you luck. Hauling water sucks. I know, I had almost the identical problem once, and my well had to be deepened by 180 feet!!. But then I had more water than I could use, year round.

Nomadd · Answer

You'll need to pull the pump and look in the well. If the well is in very loose sand or soil the bore could have collapsed and clogged everything up. There are ways for good well diggers to overcome that, but they're not always cheap. He probably didn't do a good flow test, and you might have to go deeper. Plenty of people need to go 600 feet for water, so you're not so bad off. You can use thick pvc on a 50' well, and you'd be able to pull it by hand if you had to.

Stewart H · Answer

I think that you should do what it would have been best to do in the first instance.

If you do not know much about ground water, do a bit of research on line. There is lots of info out there.

Next research your local area/state. You need to identify the aquifers that are available to you, There will be information on water quality which is of interest to you. You will be able to find hydrostatic maps that will tell you what depth you will have to drill to to access each aquifer. There is also information available on the thickness of the aquifers in different areas and the probable seasonal variation in depth. You can also talk to local city engineers or local farmers about the available aquifers and their depths.

You also need to arm yourself with some information about the best structure for the well, this depends upon the geology of the aquifer.

Armed with all this background info, contact well drilling companies and ask them what they would propose doing to provide you with a well. Just chat with them about which aquifer, drilling depths, difficulties and so on. 

After all this, you should have a good idea of of what needs to be done and how much it will cost.

None of this is too difficult to get a basic understanding of and it is not magic so do not be afraid of doing the research.

Steven A · Answer

just digging is not  enough.
There shiuld be a test well ( small diameter)
to monitor for few weeks to ensure
the stablity of underground water table...
the toe of well must sit in pervious aquifier layer (sandy soil or sand)..check with a geologist or a soil specialist

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new water well dry after only 2 months?

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