Sharing an Aquifer Problems?

DennisArrow · Sep 27, 2010

My well is 23 years old. Pump is maybe 8 YO and a 1 hp. Well is 6" casing down to 170' with water level at 80'. House/well is on top of a hill/ridge system that is 200' higher than surounding flatlands..............The ridge I mention is in a bowl/horshoe shape that covers perhaps 300 acres of marshy woodlands. From this 300 acres flow several springs that typically go dry in the summer.
In addition, there is a creek that flows down the center of the valley from mountains/hills to the north. In the past this creek has gone dry 2 of the last 10 years. A few years ago a truck crashed and spilled chemicals perhaps 1/2 mile from my house on this creek. Traces of this chemical showed up in my water, so obviously this creek is part of my aquifer.

In the past couple of years a new homeowner with 70 acres adjacent to the bowl shaped marsh/woodlands has developed his home. He is a good guy and no real problem. Yes, he is totally from the city; but WANTS to listen and learn. He, in the past few months is irrigating his 2 acres of lawn/seed that he thinks he has to have. His well is down to 200' but doesnt know where he hits water. Obviously my well is pretty close to what is his ground level as I am far uphill from him.

I have never come close to being out of water, even though here in NW Georgia we are still in a many years drought.

In the past couple of weeks though a symptom/problem has shown itself and I wonder if I need to be worrying.

I trickle irrigate my garden overnight with the valve open just enough to get dripping. My water purification system flushes in the middle of the night and when it does it's thing pressure throughout the system really drops; but NEVER to nothing. Twice in the last couple of weeks while I am drip irrigating I get up in the morning, flush the 2nd floor toilet and get an air pocket exlosion, or turn on the 2nd floor bath water and get an air pocket............So........the plumbing is draining in the night.........This has not happened before so I wonder how it ties together with the neighbor irrigating, water level, aquifer, drought???????????????????????

I have mentioned this to the neighbor and shrugs his shoulders and says "I gotta do what I gotta do"......irrigate..............So........what to do????????

Thanks guys.........Dennis

Egon · Sep 27, 2010

From a technical stand point you may have to drill a deeper well?:

From the legal point there may be usage limitations on an aquifer imposed by one of the government agencies regulating our lives???

charlz · Sep 27, 2010

Probably the only way to know for sure is to be up in the middle of the night when you think it happens and see if your well is running dry.... or have your neighbor kick it off in the middle of the day on a weekend for a test.

I would think the biggest concern would be burning up your pump.

CurlyDave · Sep 27, 2010

This may be one of those no-win situations.

Convincing your neighbor that he is draining your aquifer is really hard from what you have said. You may be able to get him to stop through a legal process, but I would bet that in the end, the least costly thing for you to do is get your own well deepened, if the problem is related.

The problem could be in your own well rather than from his usage, but that is hard to prove.

Going through a legal process to solve this issue is going to be much more costly than deepening your well, and will end any chances of being on good terms with your neighbor.

dmccarty · Sep 27, 2010

The problem with this kinda of situation is how to you prove that the new neighbor is the problem? Especially if you are in the middle of a drought.

And you may not be in the same pocket of water.

We get 15 GPM which is VERY good in my area. Most of the neighbors are doing well, pun intended, to to get 5 GPM. One neighbor is getting over 30 GPM! When the drilled his well the water ran OUT of the well for weeks. His neighbor has a well within 200ish yards and this well is 5GPM.

We are up hill from these two wells and roughly a 1/4 mile away. I think our well depth is about the same though, 200-250 feet.

It is going to be hard to show the neighbors well usage is causing the problem.

Later,
Dan

TheGoose · Sep 28, 2010

I can't comment specifially on the hydro-geology of GA but here are a few points...

An aquifer is a huge reserve of water. Chances are slim that just you and your neighbor are capable of draining it. Here in Tx we have aquifers that stretch for hundres of miles. There are different types of aquifers, such as unconfined and confined. You should do a search on the aquifers in your area and find out what you are dealing with.

Typically it should take hundreds of years for water to migrate down to your aquifer so the immediate lack of rainfall should not be a direct problem. The increased usage of those pulling from the aquifer is probably the cause of the spring drying up, not the lack of rainfall. I find it strange that the chemicals found their way to your water supply, that would indicate some sort of of an avenue for them to get down there. Perhaps an old abandoned well nearby? It might be worthwhile to investigate.

One last thing to consider is that if you share the same aquifer then it would also be in your neighbors best interest not to waste water. Here in TX there would be little you could do to stop him from using water for ag or personal use.

I would bet there is probably something else going on with your system, you should not be draining under any circumstance.

TheGoose · Sep 28, 2010

After re-reading your post I feel that your tank may be air-logged. Too much air in the tank finds it's way into the house where it is expelled from faucets. It only does it during the night because you are using water and purging your purifier at the same time. You may need an air-release or drain some of the air out of your tank.

If you have a bladder tank there may be a problem with either your tank or something else.

clemsonfor · Sep 28, 2010

Like goose hit on mybe the bladder in your tank is leaking? but that would mean it was bad and not work at all. How does your filter flush itself, where does the waste water go? Does it have a drain line to do this?

DennisArrow · Sep 28, 2010

Guys........thanks clemson for the thoughts.........My bladder has 53 PSI, cut off is at 70 lbs and 53.................Tank flushes with a timer that is set by me as it really does use most of the water pressure through a bypass.......it has a drain line that goes out into the back of the house.........this run off doesnt seem to hurt anything as the grass flourishes quite well.......NO IT ISNT SALT..............

I still have no idea about the aquafer......Yes I am very familiar with for instance the oolaga out in the west.....pardon spelling......that goes from up in the Dakotas and down into Texas......this same aquifer is slowly being depleted.........A few years ago we were out in Bryce Canyon, Utah and a guide was telling us as we drank from the water fountain that we were drinking millions of years old water.........

Just wish I could figure what happened to my water as yes, I have irrigated since then through the night and nothing has happened..........Anyway, thanks for the thoughts......God bless........Dennis

CMSporthorses · Sep 29, 2010

Aquifers are not ALWAYS large and don't ALWAYS take a long time to refill...some are very small and water percolates into them very quickly. A neighbours well may "well" cause issues! And rainfall today might make changes in a well in a short time....or it might take centuries for a wet century to trickle down.