Really stupid question about well depth

[ChiefEngineer]

I KNOW my static water level is about 100 ft., and that almost all of the older wells in this area are about 140 ft. deep, with the pump at 120ft.
After asking around they are OK , not requiring a whole new well being put in. After asking a number of drillers about my area, they regularly insist I will need 200 ft for a new well, but claim the water table has not dropped.
I can see how deep most of the new wells are being drilled on the state site and they are 170ft+. Could THAT in and of itself be why my well has become lower yielding? For instance three new ones went in across the street at 180ft+ and that is when things started to decline.

 

[Reach4]

Yes, but who are "they"?

Did you ever get that stuck pump and drop pipe out of the way?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Valveman]

I KNOW my static water level is about 100 ft., and that almost all of the older wells in this area are about 140 ft. deep, with the pump at 120ft.
After asking around they are OK , not requiring a whole new well being put in. After asking a number of drillers about my area, they regularly insist I will need 200 ft for a new well, but claim the water table has not dropped.
I can see how deep most of the new wells are being drilled on the state site and they are 170ft+. Could THAT in and of itself be why my well has become lower yielding? For instance three new ones went in across the street at 180ft+ and that is when things started to decline.

Yes, they are sucking you dry. Happens all the time. Some places people are competing to see who can afford the deepest well as they are the ones who will have the water.

 

[ChiefEngineer]

Yes, but who are "they"?

Did you ever get that stuck pump and drop pipe out of the way?

The fisrt "they" refers to "older wells" in the preceeding sentence. The second "they" refers to "drillers" in the preceeding dependent clause. The third "they" modifies "wells" 8 words before it. And NO, it is driving me nuts, but the well still works with a real slow recovery, so I designed and plumbed in a storage tank and a booster pump.

Yes, they are sucking you dry.

LOL. Thanks.

 

[Valveman]

When I moved into an old house here 40+ years ago it had three wells within 10' of each other. One was 60'. The other was 100'. the third was 140' and had mud at the bottom. I drilled a new well 211', (water level about 140') to the bedrock or red bed we call it, as deep as it can possibly go anyway. They date the static water level by dates, but I think it could just as easily be done by population.

 

[ChiefEngineer]

They date the static water level by dates, but I think it could just as easily be done by population.

Which brings up another strange thing I noticed. The State provides this nice page:

WellRpts_County_Use

So I downloaded the reports for my surrounding counties and studied them. Certain drillers NEVER
have a job when other drillers do, and I can find nothing anywhere to indicate why, no matter what time
of year it is I am always told it is a "4-6 week wait".

Truth is there is no overwhelming demand I can detect...there is an intermittent steady flow that is not seasonal.

From what I can tell either certain companies have
idle times for weeks that commonly occur, they have loaned out their equipment hundreds of miles away,
or many really don't have their own equipment at all, and are waiting in line for one or two rigs that travel from job to job
sub-contracted...maybe even as little as one or two rigs could potentially do all the drilling.
Wonder why that might be. Or maybe it is hard work and they need rests?

 

[Bannerman]

I can find nothing anywhere to indicate why, no matter what time
of year it is I am always told it is a "4-6 week wait".

Is it possible for drillers to require permits before drilling? If so, the 4-6 weeks maybe due to the time needed to prepare and submit the required documents, and the time normally required before government approval is provided.

 

[Valveman]

We always had to drill more than 1 well per day to stay in business. Our little rig could do about 1.5 of those 200' wells everyday. But the price they charge for drilling these days, I would probably just drill one well a month and fish the rest of the time.

 

[ChiefEngineer]

Is it possible for drillers to require permits before drilling? If so, the 4-6 weeks maybe due to the time needed to prepare and submit the required documents, and the time normally required before government approval is provided.

No. In this case at least all you have to do is give the county prior notice you are going to do it so they can check on it if they want, then fine you for doing it wrong. I'm just speculating, but whenever I have called folks over the last few years they always answer right away and never have background noise like they are working on something. Since my well does really fine one day then almost nothing the next, one of those days I decided to go ahead and have another well put in. I called a driller and left a message that my old well might finally be running out and it was time to start with a new well. Understand I have full water storage now and I don't mean just a few thousand gallons. I heard nothing back; he didn't even have my address, just a general idea where I was so he could quote me drilling depth. I got by, then later I touched base with him to ask him about his drilling schedule when he asked "does your property have a gate". I said "yes, you mean to tell me you came out here?" He said "yes, I wanted to see if I could get you folks going." I had no idea that guy even did repairs nor had ever discussed the possibility of what my issue was aside from needing a second well. I told him my old well was doing better this week. In my most optimistic moment I would like to think he paid me a call to see where the new well would be going and finalize a drilling schedule, but that was not what he said. We finished it with him saying "I'll keep you folks on the books". I'm not sure what that means. So that 4-6 weeks seems a little like my Honda dealer, who no matter what wants another $350 diagnostic just to tell me what I just told them, then they proceed to keep it for as long as they want, and kind of "work on it" as I drive by and see it sitting outside. I looked at the county logs and there was no drilling going on during that time....but I suppose the paperwork could be behind.