Need advice about adding a well.

[CJBOTA]

We have a 12 acre orchard (peaches, apples, and nectarines) plus about an acre of strawberries. The orchard is 5 years old and every year I find it necessary to water. I also need water for spraying chemicals. I have access to a large pond about 3/8's of a mile (one way) from the orchard. Hauling water has become a real pain in the #@*%. It is very time consuming and costly. I have a spot right in the middle of the orchard where I am thinking about adding a well. There is no electric so i will need to figure out a way to use the tractor or buy a generator to run the pump. Also, should I install a storage tank, if so how big? Should I rely on the submersible pump to do all the pumping? I am looking at using a series of hoses with drip nozzles strategically located. The furthest point from the well will be about 900'. I would appreciate any advice or to hear aboutyour experience with tring to use a well for watering. I will never need to try to water the whole orchard at one time. I have different varieties in each row so the watering is determined by variety. The hoses will run the length of the rows (under the trees where i don't mow. I would conect to one of multiple headers with a retractable hose. I know this all sounds expensive but I don't know what else to do. Once the well is in I can add the rest of it at a piece at a time on an as needed basis. Hauling water is not cheap and is very time consuming. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
CJ

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

alot will be determined by the numbers:
- how much water per day will you need?
- how much water during peak period will you need?
- what does your well driller think he can yield from a well in the area?

For me I am in a very wet area. My well is 100' deep, water table at about 20', set pump depth at 65' and the well yields 25 gallons per minute out of a 5" casing with little or no fear of pumping it dry. Pump is submersible becasue we get more than 4 months per year sub zero, submersible self primes, will not overheat or loose prime, etc...

Once you get these numbers from a well yield test (or a guess from the local well drilling experts) it is really hard to answer your questions. But once you get the numbers (even the estimates) then it is easy to calculate if you need to pump and hold in a cistern or can direct pump from casing to field, etc...

 

[logan97]

don't know the lay of your land . you may consider a small shed with metal roof and a 1000 gal tank for collection of rain water. I posted some info and pictures of our set up awhile back.One of our hydrants gravity feeds the other we use a small AC pump. A solar pump would work too. I can say that it was most definetly worth the expense and labor now that it is all said and done. The only regret we have is we should have put in 2 tanks, although we have not run out of water yet this year.

 

[Western]

Another option to consider, windmill. Very common in West Texas, combined with a cistern or water tank. Gives you several options on pumping or gravity fed. Upfront cost may be comparable to a good generator and pump +the added cost of a storage tank, but free to operate with minimal maintenance. I have seen tanks from enclosed 500-2000 gallon storage tanks, to open top cisterns in the 5000 gal range. If and when you get electricity, you can use the windmill for something else, sell it or aerate/ maintain a pond with it possibly. Just thinking out load.

 

[Bigfoot62]

I like Western's idea. Even if you have to build a raised platform for the storage tank, you can gravity feed the orchard. If you don't have sufficient wind for the windmill, consider a gasoline powered air compressor and blow the water from the well into the holding tank.

 

[Stimw]

The first question is how deep is your aquifer and how high will the water need to be lifted.
Also if you are just watering with it you can make an open vinyl lined type of storage.

 

[LazySusanFarms]

Biggest issue with a well and drip irrigation is that gravity-fed drip is almost impossible to regulate. I would suggest talking to one of the online drip companies about your intended set-up.

 

[joshuabardwell]

I like Western's idea. Even if you have to build a raised platform for the storage tank, you can gravity feed the orchard.

You have to think carefully about this because he said he wanted to do drip irrigation. Drip irrigation systems typically require about 15-30 psi. 1 psi = 2.3 feet of head, so that's 34.5 to 69 feet of elevation required to run the drip irrigation system. I say this as someone who has tried to do drip irrigation via a gravity feed system: as far as I can tell, both practically speaking and by the numbers, it doesn't work.

 

[rambler]

There are _so_ many variables!

Think this will get expensive in a hurry.

How deep to water, how many gallons a day do you need, what kind of ground - level, one slope, rolling hills....

Too many variables to really give you any sort of helpful answer.

You can gravity feed water, or pressure feed water, but youll need to match they type of irrigation to the pressures your pump will produce. Wind, solar, or a tank tend to have very low pressures, electric or a diesel pump can do high pressure.


Is it legal to harvest pond water in your state/county? Do you have electricity by the pond? Running a hose (bigger than a garden hose!!!!) from the pond to the trees might look cheaper, if allowed, once you do all the numbers.

--->Paul

 

[Soundguy]

the issue with running a well off a generator, and having varried water times is this:

1, if you have multiple zones to water.. you may be waiting for well recharge inbetween watering. meaning you will need to go out there and start that tractor / generator ALL day.

You may consider putting a 'standby' generator out there and see if you can get one that will come on at a set time based upon a timer, and also have your watering schedule setup to fall within that timer setup plan.

other option is to run power out there.


I have some slightly rmeote farm property away from my house. I used to haul water out there for animals and fill stock tanks with about 25 5g buckets in the back of my truck.. put a well in and then used a tractor and pto genset to run it for a few monts. finally bit the bullet and pad the 8k$ to have power run out there and not be tied to water duties a day a week...

 

[dmccarty]

The real question you have to answer, is how deep will the well have to be to hit water? Nearby wells can give you a clue.

You could run solar to run the pump. Even if the pump only brought up a small amount of water per day if you have enough water storage that might be all you need.

Solar should be able run a pump to pressurize the drip lines as well.

With solar or a generator you will need to secure as best you can the equipment.

You have some options but I think what you do will depend on how much each option is gong to cost.

Later,
dan

 

[creekbend]

The other members have offered excellent advice in regards to several methods. My only two suggestions are these:: Depending on the depth of the main aquifer in your area, I would suggest you dig your well deeper than your present needs. There are many times that water tables decrease due to rainfall;etc. Another suggestion is: If you decide on utilizing a submersible pump, be sure to not place it so far down in the well casing that it draws all the sediment left from the drilling. This will most definitely increase the life of your pump. Our well is 446 foot deep and was dug 18 years ago. The original pump is still working properly. I replace the filter around every 3 months due to the granite dust that is drawn through the system. There is still accumulation of granite particles even though the submersible pump is 110 feet from the bottom of the well. Just a thought. Best wishes.

 

[Soundguy]

same here.. we had a sediment trap and even 12ys later.. i am still dumping sediment from our well and our casing is much deepere than the element is hanging..e tc.

 

[Western]

You have to think carefully about this because he said he wanted to do drip irrigation. Drip irrigation systems typically require about 15-30 psi. 1 psi = 2.3 feet of head, so that's 34.5 to 69 feet of elevation required to run the drip irrigation system. I say this as someone who has tried to do drip irrigation via a gravity feed system: as far as I can tell, both practically speaking and by the numbers, it doesn't work.

If the water is in a storage tank or cistern, the OP can use any method of delivery he needs. via PTO pump, generator and jet pump. The main thing is getting the water out of the ground into a holding tank (If he goes that route). Bet option of course would be to run electricity, but that doesn't sound like an option here.

 

[turnkey4099]

You need to start by finding out if you can even drill a well. Some places you need official approval before drilling.

Harry K

 

[CJBOTA]

Thanks for all the input. I will only be using this system from June thru August. Also, I will never need to water the entire orchard at any one time.I have several different varieties of peaches so they go thru different growth stages. I figure I will only ever need to water two rows at one time. I don't think I am interested in gravity feed. I am thinking about maybe pumping into a 500 or 1000 gallon holding tank then pumping it out of the tank with a separate pump into my system. I will put a level switch in the tank so when the level lowers to some point the submersible pump will kick in to fill the tank. I will make sure the system pump has less output then the sub pump so the sub pump will stay ahead of the system pump. This system will not require a pressurized holding tank. I realize it is an extra pump but I don't think the sub pump will provide enough pressure to reach the furthest distances of my orchard. This is just my first idea. What do you think?
CJ

 

[aczlan]

Thanks for all the input. I will only be using this system from June thru August. Also, I will never need to water the entire orchard at any one time.I have several different varieties of peaches so they go thru different growth stages. I figure I will only ever need to water two rows at one time. I don't think I am interested in gravity feed. I am thinking about maybe pumping into a 500 or 1000 gallon holding tank then pumping it out of the tank with a separate pump into my system. I will put a level switch in the tank so when the level lowers to some point the submersible pump will kick in to fill the tank. I will make sure the system pump has less output then the sub pump so the sub pump will stay ahead of the system pump. This system will not require a pressurized holding tank. I realize it is an extra pump but I don't think the sub pump will provide enough pressure to reach the furthest distances of my orchard. This is just my first idea. What do you think?
CJ

How much water will you need to put out at a time? How deep do wells run in that area? How many GPM will they generally put out?

Sounds feasible to me as long as your well can supply enough water.

Aaron Z

 

[TheGoose]

Talk to a local driller and get a price for a 4-6" well.

Forget a windmill, a lot of expense and maintenance. A solar pump will do everything you want for about 1/2 the cost.

Either use the solar to pump directly to your irrigation system or pump to a non-pressurized storage tank. But then you have to have a second pump to distribute the water.

Running electricty is almost always cheaper if you can get it.

 

[flusher]

My well has a 1.5 hp submersible pump at 120 ft depth. Bottom of the well is 154 ft (in the 3rd strata)and stationary water level is at 90 ft. I run lawn sprinklers and driplines about 200 ft from the well. Pressure is set at 65 psi in the main lines and about 15 psi in the driplines. The pressure tank is about 30 gallons.
My neighbor irrigates his 30 acre alfalfa field from a well when the water district limits his allotment from the irrigation canal that runs through this area. He uses a diesel engine from an old Nissan sedan to run a jet pump that operates in the 2nd strata about 50-60 feet down.
I've seen some of the English walnut orchards around here irrigated from wells via jet pumps that were driven by tractor pto's.

My 10 acre place formerly was an almond orchard. There's an old broken down well on the West fence line (probably about 25-30 ft deep into the 1st strata) along with an above ground concrete cistern with ~1500 gallon capacity. The concrete footing for the well pump is still standing. I assume the former owner(s) used a jet pump driven by an electric motor (the power lines run North-South along my West fence line) to fill the cistern and then pumped it through driplines in the orchard using another pump.

Good luck.