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Water Efficiency
What You Need to Know
Practicing water efficiency is key to keeping a private water system running smoothly.
Ground water is replenished by rainfall—and melted snow in applicable areas—and
it shouldn’t be taken for granted.
Being informed about your well and the ground water that it uses is the first step toward
always having a plentiful supply of water on hand. Following are more tips:
Learn
- Investigate the ground water in you area—it’s easy to do. Most state
departments of natural resources have ground water resource maps detailing ground water
availability. The departments usually have publications outlining information about
findings, as well as conditions, from observation wells. Some libraries will even have the
publications available in their reference sections.
- Contractors are required to fill out well logs when they complete a project and give
them to their respective local divisions of water. Among the information the logs include
is the depth of the well, geologic materials below surface, and the well’s yield and
depth of water at time of drilling.
By comparing the depth of water to your well’s total depth, you can see
approximately how much water is stored in the well. This will give you an idea of how much
you need to conserve.
- If you are having a problem with your water yield, pressure, or quality, do some
investigating. Ask neighbors, local health officials, or water administrators if other
well owners in your area are encountering similar problems.
Call
- If there appears to be a well yield problem, contact a professional contractor
immediately. Have him conduct a complete evaluation. The problem may not necessarily be
with the water, but rather a mechanical or electrical dilemma. He can check the
well’s water level without pumping and compare it to the original water level shown
on the well log, to determine how much the level has changed and how much water is left in
the well.
Maintain
- Schedule your well for a checkup by a contractor every year. He not only will test the
water quality, but also will check for clogs in the well system that can significantly
hamper water yield. Older wells can become clogged or encrusted and need to be cleaned
from time to time.
- If the well is relatively new and there are low water yield problems, it could be
repaired several ways. A low-yield well system, drilling the current well deeper, or
constructing a new well are among the possibilities.
Low-yield systems use switches for the pump and a storage tank to provide a steady
supply of water. They are more economical than drilling a deeper well or a new well
altogether.
However, drilling deeper when ground water can be obtained in a deeper aquifer is a
solution when construction of wells will allow for it. At times, though, a new well is the
best answer. If that is the case, remember to properly seal and abandon the old well for
safety purposes and to protect against water contamination.
Practice
- The most important step to ensuring a plentiful water supply always is practicing smart
water efficiency. Whether it is in the home, garden, or yard, or if the water use is for
cleaning, dining, or just fun in the sun, try to practice conservation at all times.
Where can I get more information?
For more information on your private water well, contact Steve Foster:
Foster Well Drilling
7021 Eastside Road
Anderson, CA 96007
Tel: (530) 241-1605
Fax: (530) 365-5094
E-Mail info@fosterwelldrilling.com
Also, visit the Web site of the National Ground Water Association, www.ngwa.org, and its site just for well owners, www.wellowner.org
Water Efficiency
What You Need to Know
Copyright ©2001
National Ground Water Association
www.NGWA.org
www.wellowner.org
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