how far down?

[randy41]

i have a spring that is downhill from my field. is there an easy way to determine the vertical drop to the spring from my field? or do i have to measure the distance and then figure out the angle and use trig?(i'm not opposed to doing this but i'm not sure i could figure out the angle).
why do i ask? i would like to use the spring as a water source for irrigation of my vegetable crops and i would need to know how far uphill i have to pump it so i know what size pump i need.
any help with this is appreciated.

 

[woodchuckie]

I would look at a topographical map probably avaliable on line. In some areas it shows elevation in in 1 foot increments . In my area it's in 20 foot increments. You have to be able to locate the spring and your field to compare to elevation.

 

[wrangler6831]

If you have or can get one, some of the handheld GPS's show elevation. Thats how I figured the drop to get to my well and my neices and it seemed to work fairly well.

Rich

 

[tommu56]

randy41

At the bottom of hill take a level put it on a post of known height(say 5' less the height of level) level level sight across it pick a spot at juncture of level and hill have some one mark it. that will be the 5 ft.

move to this point and repeat till you get highest point you need.

tom

 

[TedLaRue]

If the distance is fairly long and the slope fairly steep, I'd go with woodchuckie's suggestion of the topo map.

If the slope is not too great, Tom's method is pretty fast and accurate.

My inexpensive handheld GPS shows elevation, but it seems to be accurate to only 10 or 20 feet. I know that good ones can be more accurate, so if you have one with acceptable accuracy, Rich's suggestion would be the easiest of all. And maybe an excuse to buy a GPS unit if you don't have one.

If you want to measure the angle, drive a T-post in the ground at the top of the hill so its top is 5' off the ground. Then at the bottom of the hill set up a level 5' off the ground, aim a yardstick at the top of the T-post and have someone measure the angle between the yardstick and the level. Multiply the sine of that angle by the distance up the hill and you'll have your elevation.

If you could borrow a transit (a transit, not a dumpy level) it would be easy. I'm not sure how readily someone would loan you a delicate and expensive instrument like a transit.

Just for fun, you could also run a hose or plastic pipe up the hill, fill it with water, and then measure the pressure at the bottom. Divide that psi by 0.43 and you'll have your elevation in feet.

 

[Egon]

Hand level and a home made rod. Works best starting from the top.

Hose filled with water and a pressure gauge at the bottom.

 

[randy41]

gonna look around for a topo map today.
with my luck i'll develop this to irrigate and next summer will be a rainy one anyway.

 

[dmccarty]

If your county has property maps online you can check there. Our plots are online and can be overlaid with topographical data. You might try Google Maps to see if you can find your place. I don't know if they have the overlay though.

Later,
Dan

 

[Soundguy]

Get a long piece of lumber or pipe.. mark 1' hash marks and label feet on it from the bottom to the top. Have it held at the lower location by a family member.. or prop it up straight somehow.

Go to the top elevation and use a lock level or other sighting device ( rifle scope works pretty good.

Setup scope or lock level on a barrell and have a carpenters level there.. make sure you are level, and then sight over to the pole. record that number, and then subtract the height of the barrel.. that is your elevation difference.

Obviously if there is more than about 20' this becomes impracticle without special tools for the sighting rod.. etc. However anything tall you could park there with a tamp measure held tot he highers part ( loader bucket? ) would work.. etc.

Soundguy

Soundguy

 

[randy41]

TopoZone - USGS Indian Valley (VA) Topo Map

so theres the topo map. the red cross is appox where i would want the pump to pump to. the spring outflow is about 60' below. the contour lines are 20'. so it wouldn't take much of a pump to get 60' up. now if i can figure out how to build a spring box and then have the water pumped into a tank at the red cross it can gravity flow to my drip lines which are all downhill from there.
i could just use my well water but i'm afraid of using up my home water supply.