Do You Have Enough Water to Meet Demand?

"When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.” 

  --  Benjamin Franklin

It's Monday morning, the alarm goes off dragging you from sleep.  Reluctantly, you crawl out of bed and make it to the shower hoping it will wake you up for the day ahead.  Turning on the water the steam begins to fill the bathroom, you get in and suds your hair, then halfway through rinsing the glorious spray of hot water stops.  You stumble out and reach for a towel wondering

WHAT HAPPENED TO MY WATER?!

Ahhh, your mind shuffles through images of piles of laundry that were washed yesterday because your in laws are coming to visit, your teenage daughters hijacking the bathroom to take 40 minute showers, the extra loads of dishes that were washed AND it hasn't rained in 3 weeks...OMG has my well run dry?!

Depending upon a well for water requires an understanding of how much water you have and how much you need.  It is about monitoring, maintaining, and understanding usage.  Unlike a city water supply, there is not an endless amount of water in your well.  You're well can (and will) run dry if you over pump it, potentially costing you thousands of dollars for repairs.  Unfortunately, most well owners have no idea how much water they are actually using.  How many gallons do you use when you take a shower or wash dishes?

Homewaterworks.org, which is a project of the Alliance for Water Efficiency, has a great interactive online tool to estimate your home water usage and tips for ways to conserve your water.

Typical distribution of water consumption by activity.

Monitoring your well water levels is one of the best ways to avoid a major lifestyle disruption.  Water tables across the United States are dropping and it is becoming essential to be armed with the water intelligence needed to understand how your well is performing.  

Is my water level dangerously close to my pump level?  Has my water dropped to a record lower level?  Is it taking longer and longer for my water levels to recover?  Are my neighbors or that new development across the road effecting the water supply?

There are several different ways that you can monitor you well water levels.  You could pay a water professional hundreds of dollars per visit to take measurements (multiple or weekly measurements can be rather costly).  If you are a do it yourself you could drop a weighted tape into the well.  Unfortunately, if not cleaned and stored properly between uses it could contaminate your drinking water.  Tapes often get tangled in the internal components of the well.  Additionally, a one time measurement does not give you the data needed to monitor usage.

Well Watch 660

Another popular method utilizes non-contact measurement products, such as the Well Watch 660 from Eno Scientific.  It is installed in the vent or access hole on your well cap and utilizes sound waves to monitor and calculate the water levels inside your well.  

By cleverly utilizing sonic technology you are not risking the health of your water by introducing a foreign, possibly contaminated, object into your supply.  No risk of damaging your contents or causing expensive service calls from your Well Professional.  The Well Watch provides constant monitoring of water levels, drawdowns and recovery.  

Acoustic monitoring devices like this will display the real time depth to water and can warn you when your levels are getting dangerously low.  Armed with the data provided by monitoring your well water levels you will know when your well is distressed.  

Understand your basic water needs and consumption.  Be smart, watch your well water levels so you don't get stuck with soap in your eyes!

Remember, most people don't spend a lot of time thinking about their well...   but a poorly monitored well system will definitely get your attention, one way or another.

Why Should I Monitor & Measure My Well Water Levels?

The National Ground Water Association estimates that 44% of the U.S. population is currently dependent on well water.  If your home relies on a well for water it is important that you understand the source of that water and what to do if your well is running dry.    

Water wells are drilled into the ground through various layers of dirt, rock and clay.  The hole must be drilled deep enough to reach a producing aquifer.  What is an aquifer?  Good Question!   According to the USGS an aquifer is a geologic formation that is water bearing and stores and/or transmits water to wells and springs.  Use of the term is usually restricted to those water-bearing, formations capable of yielding water in sufficient quantity to constitute a usable supply.  

A borehole for one well may drill through several different aquifers.  The water in an aquifer is recharged or refilled by rain or melting snowpack, flowing down through the earth toward rivers and creeks.  Porous rocks allow for quicker recharge rates and higher pumping capacity.  Rain water can take months or years to seep into the useable aquifer level.  The dry, compacted surface caused by drought further complicates the replenishment rate by causing more water runoff instead of absorption.  In areas which are experiencing drought conditions, aquifers are not being replenished at a sufficient rate to support their continued use.

If the aquifer is strained or depleted it could cause your well water levels to drop below the position that your pump was installed which can result in damage to the pump.  For example, if the well was drilled to 200 feet and the pump was installed at 180 feet, but the water levels are dropping below the location of the pump at 180 feet.  If you are not monitoring your water levels, then by simply taking a shower you could unwittingly burn up your pump resulting in an expensive phone call to a well maintenance professional.  

Prices for professional water well component repairs will vary depending on your location and the extent of damage.  Replacing the submersible pump could cost anywhere from $500 to $5000 depending on the size of the pump and the complexity of your system.  If your aquifer is not recharging and your well needs to be drilled deeper this could cost $15-$50 per foot.  If you are in a drought stricken location, you could be placed on a waiting list for service.  Either way, it is an expensive venture could have possibly been prevented by watching your well levels!

Be a responsible well owner by monitoring your well water levels and usage all year long.  Know what a normal water level is in each season because the levels change.  This will allow you to understand the well's behavior and use your water appropriately.  It is up to you to protect your water!

Fun Water Facts

Interested to know which aquifer you are on on?  Find yourself on this map offered by the USGS.  

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates that 69% of the planet's freshwater is contained in glaciers and ice caps.

For a more detailed account of the hydraulic cycle click here.

Four Things Every Well Owner Needs to Know

Where is my Well?

Wells are typically located within your property lines, near the home, and away from ground water contaminators like barns, street drainage, and septic tanks.  When in doubt look for the giant plastic rock adorning your lawn and peek under it.

How much water is in my well?

This is a good question and to find the answer you need a few measurements:  the drilled depth of the well, the diameter of the casing, and the static level of the water.  Newer wells will have a metal stamp on the outside of the well that includes the drilled depth and diameter (information for older wells should be available at your local county or state office).  The static level can be determined by measuring from the opening of the well to the surface of the water in the well.

A note about measuring the static level.  Traditionally, long weighted tapes were dropped into the well posing a risk of entanglement or contamination.  Please be careful when lowering anything into your well or consider a non contact sonic water level meter and skip the math in the next paragraph .

Once you have all of the measurements you can calculate the volume of the well using a simple equation, V=Pi* r2* h, or you can let your sonic meter do the calculations for you and give you the total number of available gallons.

Monitoring your total number of gallons and understanding usage can save you time and money.  Imagine running out of water mid-shower!  Don't get stuck with soap in your hair.  Watching your well's water levels will help prevent this soapy catastrophe. 

How healthy is the water in my well?

What's in your water?  Why are there rings in the toilet bowl?  What is that blue stain in the bathtub?  What does the water have a bad smell?  All signs of water quality issues.  There are some serious nasties that can live in your water, then there are just annoying bacterias that make it hard to bleach your whites.  Make sure you test your well water at least annually for any bacteria, nitrates, and local contaminants.  Find a certified water inspector in your state by clicking that pointer here.

How healthy are my wells components?

Static water levels, recovery and flow rates are usually a good indicator of the health and behavior of your well's supply, but you also ned to maintain the well's operating equipment.  Poor water pressure, leaky pipes or slow flow rates could indicate problems that should not be ignored.  Your well should be serviced yearly by a professional to prevent these issues.  A well maintained well can provide you with years of good service and you need to know that your well can continuously perform when you need it.