How Deep Will My Water Well Need to Be?

If you’re preparing to have a water well drilled, you might be wondering how deep the well will be. How deep must you drill to get a well that functions properly, delivering the quantity and quality of water you need?

Drilling a well has to be performed by experienced professionals, because “it depends” is the answer to this question.

The water well contractor can’t say precisely how deep to go to reach water, or be certain of the exact quality of water that will be struck.

Yet, an experienced contractor can make sensible inferences based on what he/she has seen in the past. So, the more experience a well-drilling company has, the better predictions you get from it.

The machinery operated by a company that drills wells, like Boylan Water Well Service, is backed by expertise and experience and education to help figure out how deep your well should be.

Since the depth of the well can influence the cost, it is crucial to locate a company that has what it takes to provide you with an accurate estimate before any drilling begins. Your well drilling depth can be easily estimated by ca &T Well and Pump.

In this post, we offer some insight into just what goes into how deep a water well will be drilled and discuss the differences between a deep well and a shallow or average one.

Typical Depth of a Water Well

Most residential wells are anywhere from 100 to 800 feet deep. Some go down 1,000 feet or more. The deeper a well is, the better the quality of its water. Well Depth and Your Location What is the average well depth where you live?

• Geology
• Quantity + Quality of Water
• Water Table
• Risk of Contaminants

Deep Well vs. Normal Well

And when it comes to the depth of a well, it is important for you to understand the difference between a deep well and an ordinary well.

Deep Wells

Deep wells are dug or drilled far into the Earth to find and tap water supplies. They are usually drilled by a trenching contractor or dug to access an aquifer or an underground water table that is buried at a tremendous depth.

They go way down below the water table because they’re trying to get as much reliability of groundwater.”

How Far Does the Average Deep Well Go Down?

Deep wells can range from 100-1,000 feet into the ground to locate water supplies. If you require a deep well, water table levels and water quality, are just some of the factors to consider when determining an appropriate depth for use.

The average deep well is drilled around 100 feet deep, with most wells ranging from 100 to 500 feet depth. Deeper well depth might be required where there is no aquifer closer to the surface of the property.

Regular Wells

A regular, or shallow well, does not go as deep because it accesses water supplies that are located fairly near the surface of the earth. Shallow wells are often drilled to reach water tables that are only a few dozen feet below the surface. On the average, a shallow well is 25 to 50 feet deep.

The actual depth of a shallow well may vary, depending on:

• Qualities of the Local water qualities
• Changes in the water table
• Location

Because they are not as deep and do not require as much work to put in, they are cheaper than deep wells too. Checking and treatment of water quality in shallow wells is necessary for prevention of exposure risks.

The type of casing differs for normal and deep well. The wider the casing, the more water will flow. Deep wells: 2” or larger diameter casing is bonded to the earth vs. shallow well’s 1 ¼ inch pipe casing. Some larger-diameter shallow wells have, on occasion, been established.

What’s the Purpose of a Deep Well?

Deep wells have many uses, since they can tap groundwater far below the Earth’s surface. Where poor quality or insufficient groundwater is unavailable, deep wells are employed.

Industrial Uses

The most industries commonly used deep wells if they have very particular process in order to produce a steady and clean supply of water. Farmers depend on deep wells to reach water far beneath the soil for their crops.

Municipal Water Supply

Most of the water that cities and towns consume comes from deep wells.

Geothermal Heating and Cooling

The other typical use of deep wells is in geothermal heating and cooling systems which take advantage of the stable temperatures inside the earth for less expensive operation.

Construction of a Basic Well

The average household well is 6 inches in diameter and uses a 6-inch casing or liner that comes up about 12 inches above the earth, he said. A casing pipe is then run down the well hole to the bottom of the well to prevent surface water, silt, sand and other materials from entering.

Construction of the well typically takes about two days. The day one is for drilling and the day two for installation of the casing pipe and submersible pump.

The Geology of Your Property

The production of water and its nature from your well varies depending on the geology and hydrologic setting in which it was drilled. Well water is drawn from underground aquifers that run below the earth at various depths.

An aquifer is a body of water in the bedrock. In accordance with science and educated guess, the well-drilling contractor decides for how long they should drill to hit a large accumulation of water in the aquifer.

The placement of your well is key to access the best quality water in the amount you need. A good well-drilling contractor, like the folks at A&T who are familiar with the hydrology and geology of your area. They will know the most efficient place to dig and how to properly size the system. A local contractor will also know the laws and regulations for your area.

Do Deeper Wells Mean Better Water Quality?

As a rule, the deeper your well is drilled, the higher its quality because minerals are more concentrated.

The water table level fluctuates throughout the year, depending on rainfall and how much groundwater is being used. Accordingly, the well depth must be sufficient to serve for periods of a year during which the water table is at its minimum. A professional contractor who has worked in your area should be aware of water tables and weather patterns.

It may also take some time for potential contaminants to reach the water in a deep well, resulting in better-quality water.

But, with deeper wells can come the risk of harder water — if the well has naturally occurring minerals in it. If you’re seeing increased mineral deposits, we have a water softener to resolve that.

One gets water by digging a deep well, and it is usually found in abundance. Deep wells are normally not affected by drought or water supply as their depths draws from under the falling water table. This sort of thing is more common with shallow wells.

If necessary, output can be increased by fracturing the bedrock around the well shaft. It is a process called hydrofracking. By forcing large volumes of water deep underground, under pressure, it is possible to open up more fissures in the rock and gain access to further clean water.

Risk of Contaminants

Wells are made up of parts that filter debris and keep the water free from germs, this way you have access to healthy clean drinking water for both your household or office. That said, wells can still become contaminated.

The risk of contamination is lower, the deeper your well goes. If there are bacteria from the soil around your well that manage to get inside it, they have a longer way to travel into your house and so have more opportunity to die or become trapped along the way.