Protecting your well head from fire, impact, sun, and freezing

[ultrarunner]

Sorry to hear that.

I think that in many parts of the state, California geology is particularly challenging when it comes to well drilling. There are so many folded and fractured layers that you can have one well that yields well and one a few hundred feet away that is dry. A rancher friend had a 90gpm well and three hundred feet away they did not manage to hit water. Our well is three times one neighbor's, twice the neighbors across the street and a fifth of his neighbors. A little "variable", wouldn't you say? All the wells were drilled by the same drillers. Go figure. A neighbor down the road had to go down 700' for water.

The variability in wells, at least around here, is one reason why we did not try to buy a California ranch without known good water.

All the best,

Peter

The farm has deeded maintained 2500 gpd gravity Spring Water at 60-65 psi.

It also has expensive city water…

With all the new seedlings the idea was to develop a well source supply… neighbors that can be seen have wells… one across the road is 40’ deep.

Brother went down 800’ on one and 500 on another… all said and done I think over 40k

 

[dfkrug]

I think that in many parts of the state, California geology is particularly challenging when it comes to well drilling. There are so many folded and fractured layers that you can have one well that yields well and one a few hundred feet away that is dry.

Yeah.

There is a tiny elementary school less than a mile from here. They have had numerous wells drilled, but still have to pay for water delivery. They should use less water, but the soccer field has to stay green, right?

The San Andreas Fault is just a few hunded feet from here, so quakes could get interesting, esp how they affect wells.

 

[dfkrug]

I tried using one of those DeepRock type well drilling machines. It worked great for 11 feet. Then I hit hardpan and the thing just couldn't penetrate the stuff. I tried all day and only got a few inches. So I hired a guy with a cable tool to put in the well. It took him about a week to go through 40 feet of that hardpan.

Yeah, it probably would not have worked, given all the rocks here, even if I used their carbide-tipped drill bit.

When the driller hit rocks, you could feel the drill, like a small earthquake, even if you were standing 100 feet away. An impressive competent driller, still in operation around here (now run by the son). Earth Flow Drilling of Sant Cruz.

 

[etpm]

The geology of Whidbey Island is all messed up. On the south end, where I live, the island is a 3000 foot thick glacial till formation. You never know where you will hit water. A friend of mine had to drill 400 feet to get water and his well ended in a tree. So the water is brown from all the tannic acid from the bark of the tree. He has a fancy filter system to clean up the water. I mentioned his well to the guy who put my well in and he said they pull up wood from down deep on a regular basis.
Eric

 

[Racer4]

The geology of Whidbey Island is all messed up. On the south end, where I live, the island is a 3000 foot thick glacial till formation. You never know where you will hit water. A friend of mine had to drill 400 feet to get water and his well ended in a tree. So the water is brown from all the tannic acid from the bark of the tree. He has a fancy filter system to clean up the water. I mentioned his well to the guy who put my well in and he said they pull up wood from down deep on a regular basis.
Eric

That’s interesting!

 

[ponytug]

Yeah.

There is a tiny elementary school less than a mile from here. They have had numerous wells drilled, but still have to pay for water delivery. They should use less water, but the soccer field has to stay green, right?

The San Andreas Fault is just a few hunded feet from here, so quakes could get interesting, esp how they affect wells.

Yes, Loma Prieta caused a few wells around here to go dry. Some were dry for a few weeks, others are permanently dry.

The five closest wells to us, including our own all have very different water chemistries, from quite soft to extremely hard. One has high levels of both iron and sulfide, and needs pretty strong ozonation to get the water to meet taste standards.

Whatever else it is, I don't think it is simple geology.

@etpm I thought that I had read somewhere that Widbey Island had submarine earthquake debris flow terraces with trees stuck in the debris flows.

Whidbey fault quake potentially a bigger ‘Big One’ | South Whidbey Record

An earthquake along the southern Whidbey Island fault reshaped the land some 2,700 years ago. Another big one is expected, and it could be devastating.

www.southwhidbeyrecord.com

Stay safe out there!

All the best,

Peter

 

[etpm]

Yes, Loma Prieta caused a few wells around here to go dry. Some were dry for a few weeks, others are permanently dry.

The five closest wells to us, including our own all have very different water chemistries, from quite soft to extremely hard. One has high levels of both iron and sulfide, and needs pretty strong ozonation to get the water to meet taste standards.

Whatever else it is, I don't think it is simple geology.

@etpm I thought that I had read somewhere that Widbey Island had submarine earthquake debris flow terraces with trees stuck in the debris flows.

Whidbey fault quake potentially a bigger ‘Big One’ | South Whidbey Record

An earthquake along the southern Whidbey Island fault reshaped the land some 2,700 years ago. Another big one is expected, and it could be devastating.

www.southwhidbeyrecord.com

Stay safe out there!

All the best,

Peter

I don't know about buried trees from an earthquake here but I do know about trees in Lake Washington that are about 300 years old. They are still in great shape and are owned by the state. Years ago a person was convicted of pulling some of the trees up and milling them into lumber. The trees, along with a lot of the nearby hillside they were growing on, slid into the lake from a big earthquake. I live quite close to the South Whidbey Fault and I hope it doesn't let go while I am alive.
Eric