How to Dig a Shallow Water Well
In the past, it was common for people to dig wells to access the underground water supply. Nowadays, people usually get their water from utility companies. Most modern water wells are drilled using expensive drill rigs mounted on big trucks. Some modern wells are driven, which means that a pipe is driven, not drilled into the ground to the water level, then the pipe is cleared to transport water upward. In lieu of having access to heavy drilling equipment, you can dig an old-fashioned shallow well if you don't mind hard work. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Stick
- Tape measure
- Shovel
- Bucket
- Rope
- Gravel
- Pre-cast concrete pipe
- PVC pipe
- Pump
- Cement grout or bentonite clay sealant
- Concrete lid
Instructions
-
-
1
Locate a suitable site for your well, using a stick to draw a circle in the ground about 5 feet across. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), shallow wells have higher risks of contamination. A shallow dug well needs to be at least 50 feet away from septic tanks, livestock yards, silos or septic leach fields. It should also be at least 250 feet away from manure stacks and 100 feet away from petroleum tanks, liquid-tight manure storage and fertilizer storage.
-
2
Use a shovel to dig within the mark you drew, to a depth of 10 to 30 feet. As you work, have at least one other person at ground level to transport the dug soil up and out of the hole. Have that person tie a long rope around the handle of a bucket and lower it down for you to fill with soil periodically. He should empty the bucket on the ground and lower the empty bucket to you to fill again.
-
-
3
Mark the water level with your shovel on the soil when you reach it. Keep digging, removing water using the bucket so you can keep digging until you're about 6½ feet below the original water level.
-
4
Place about 4 inches of gravel in the bottom of the well to serve as water filter.
-
5
Lower a pre-cast concrete pipe into the hole to prevent dirt from contaminating the water.
-
6
Dig in the soil next to the part of the concrete pipe where there is a hole for a small pipe until you reach the hole.
-
7
Place a small pipe in the hole so that one end is immersed in the water and the other end goes through the side of the concrete pipe. Connect it to a pump.
-
8
Pour cement grout or bentonite clay sealant from the top of the well to fill the space between the pipe and the soil.
-
9
Place a concrete lid on top of the well, about 1 foot above the ground.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Create a slope in the soil around the surface of the well so the area directly adjacent to the well is slightly raised. This prevents water from pooling around the well.
