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1. My building permit included a line for a well, and there was an attached form from the soil-scientist/septic-design guy.
The well driller never looked at my building permit. He did fill-out his own form, he needed to have my property tax lot number, for his form. After he drills each well, he must fill out a form and send it to the state, showing which lot he drilled on and to what depth. He said that if I had drilled my own well, then there is no requirement to fill anything with the state. As a licensed well driller, he must tell which lots he has drilled a well on.
Neither of these said anything about where on my land the well could be drilled.
2. I do not follow about the power lines. My well was drilled 300 foot from the closest power line. How is that effected?
3. My township has no 'Health Department', our taxes are not high enough to afford to have our own. My county has no 'Health Department', again having a local Health Department would cost higher taxes. Our 'Health Department' is at the state capital, a 2 hour drive away. I truly doubt that they would have a clue about our water table.
Some nearby townships have a much higher tax base, so they can afford to have lots of folks in offices with desks. Those building inspectors and health departments and fire marshalls; all those guys refuse to step out of their township jurisdictions. The 'poor' townships like mine fall under the state. The state folks really do not want to leave their offices.
I should have said well permit. I think your state does know more than you think about the water table. The power lines make a different in choosing a place to drill because we have hight derricks. Mine is 45 foot high, we have to have room to swing 20 foot drill rods. Many drillers have been killed on the power lines.
A lot depends on your state. Your local health department will give you information.
Generally, the code is to pug the old well. There are different codes as to how. It depends on the depth of bed rock. They have to be pumped full of neat cement or bentonite. Old crock well are layered with bentonite and sand.
This is for safety and to protect the aquifer from contamination. The EPA is really on this one now.
I tried to post a picture of my rig so you could see how high it was. I could only get it to post in my profile. Take a look, you will see what I mean. Keep clicking on the picture about three times.
Dowsing is common in our rural area.
We have such great water supplied acreage we twice hosted meetings of a regional dowsers organization.
It's a fascinating skill.
I still have an innate cyncism about some of it but have seen too many examples not to override my own attitude.
One of the hardest things was to see him dowse one kids property from a map!
Sure enough, the location turned out to produce the predicted GPM at the depth predicted.
Rather than trying to sound mysterious and mystical, they explained to us what they think is a scientifically plausable explanation .(That didn't explain the map one though
Our driller pooh-poohs the whole thing but does drill where the paying customer selects.
Obviously, the homeowner should be totally willing to accept the consequences for the location.
However, how a .......uh...."state-of-the-art modern kind of " ....driller may screw up the success if they so choose, is by purposely drilling close to but enough off the spot you selected.
Dowsing is common in our rural area.
We have such great water supplied acreage we twice hosted meetings of a regional dowsers organization.
It's a fascinating skill.
I still have an innate cyncism about some of it but have seen too many examples not to override my own attitude.
One of the hardest things was to see him dowse one kids property from a map!
Sure enough, the location turned out to produce the predicted GPM at the depth predicted.
Rather than trying to sound mysterious and mystical, they explained to us what they think is a scientifically plausable explanation .(That didn't explain the map one though
Our driller pooh-poohs the whole thing but does drill where the paying customer selects.
Obviously, the homeowner should be totally willing to accept the consequences for the location.
However, how a .......uh...."state-of-the-art modern kind of " ....driller may screw up the success if they so choose, is by purposely drilling close to but enough off the spot you selected.
Of course you will provide a scientific link. I'll be looking for it. Don't worry about my success. I knock down a million + May/Nov. Its the Keys in winter for me. We do not drill, we just do any warranty work.
I don't know about anybody else but I am really impressed!!
None of the successful business people I know have much money invested in equipment.
Or maybe it's just that they don't feel the need to brag about it?
Come to think about it, they are also open to and respectful of ideas and methods other than their own.
regarding the OP's questions------------ water can be a big deal depending on where you are. (finding water, that is )
Where I live, I would not buy a small parcel to build on without a contingency clause in the purchase agreement contingent on finding enough, good water on the property.
I realize that if one buys a parcel to build years in the future, you can't have that clause.
Regarding "water witchers" or "dowsers"-------------there are many in our area who have that "gift" and they are farmers like myself ( or I should say retired farmers)
The one who located the water at the EXACT spot and EXACT depth he stated-------did NOT charge me one penny. He stated charging did not seem right.
From what I have heard, of his hundreds of EXACT findings, he has been wrong TWICE.
His ratio of success is much better than any well driller in comparison to finding water vs dry holes.
To get back to the topic again, the area you choose (state , county, or even township) will play a big part on whether finding water should be a big concern.
There is a beautifull developement near me close to a small town that has new houses built on them
The 5 nicest houses in the most desirable locations have wells that only produce 3-4 gallons per minute.
I would not be satisfied with that after investing in those expensive lots and building an expensive house.
Rationing showers, washing clothes, etc is no fun. been there, done that ( before we drilled the new well)
regarding the OP's questions------------ water can be a big deal depending on where you are. (finding water, that is )
Where I live, I would not buy a small parcel to build on without a contingency clause in the purchase agreement contingent on finding enough, good water on the property.
I realize that if one buys a parcel to build years in the future, you can't have that clause.
Regarding "water witchers" or "dowsers"-------------there are many in our area who have that "gift" and they are farmers like myself ( or I should say retired farmers)
The one who located the water at the EXACT spot and EXACT depth he stated-------did NOT charge me one penny. He stated charging did not seem right.
From what I have heard, of his hundreds of EXACT findings, he has been wrong TWICE.
His ratio of success is much better than any well driller in comparison to finding water vs dry holes.
To get back to the topic again, the area you choose (state , county, or even township) will play a big part on whether finding water should be a big concern.
There is a beautifull developement near me close to a small town that has new houses built on them
The 5 nicest houses in the most desirable locations have wells that only produce 3-4 gallons per minute.
I would not be satisfied with that after investing in those expensive lots and building an expensive house.
Rationing showers, washing clothes, etc is no fun. been there, done that ( before we drilled the new well)
I call anything under 20GPM a dry hole. I am in a different area.
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