On Tuesday, August 20, 2013 3:06:36 PM UTC-7, dpb wrote:
On 8/20/2013 12:10 AM, wrote:
On Monday, August 19, 2013 7:48:12 PM UTC-4, dpb wrote:
On 8/19/2013 5:14 PM, wrote:
...
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... Years ago, many wells were shallow. ...
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That's more a function of local water tables than "these or those" days.
The water table here is 200-ft or so...
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Yes, depth is a factor, but here in NJ you used to be able to have a well
at any depth. The old systems I saw from decades ago that
had conventional tanks and jet pumps were wells that were 50 ft
or less. Today you can't have a well less than 50 ft. A jet pump
...
That's pretty unusual geology; there's never been any water table here
except the Ogallala that's roughly 200 ft or deeper.
Farther east where there's surface-fed aquifers they may have some
shallower wells.
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Here in Eastern Washington (the Palouse) we have a very good shallow aquifer but odd geology - basically hundreds of feet of Loess soil blown in after the ice ages. I live in the bottom of a shallow valley containing my house, a highway, a year round ditch (usually, does dry up some years, headwater about a mile up valley). On my side of the highway I drilled a well: 24 gpm at 60ft, community well and house 1/4 mile downstream from me that used to support 4 families, shallow well with a shallow well pump (not a jet), plenty of water.
1/2 mile up from me neighbor drilled a new well that ran over the top of the casing when they hit the aquifer. He said it ran for four days before he capped it.
Then on the opposite of the highway directly across from me is one house. It was on a windmill pump and cistern. Replaced with electric pump/tank - not enough flow. Drilled new well and got a 4gpm total accumulation after going through 3 seams (I was spectating while they were drilling) I don't recall the depth but they used every piece of drill pipe on the rig. Up from him a mile was on a sping with low flow, drilled well, same story: barely enough for flow to support the house barn.
My well (24gpm/60 ft) and neighbor across the stream (4gpm over 90ft) are separated by no more than 200 ft.
Harry K