More Austinites drilling private wells to water lawns (Howe: homes, school district)

[mimimomx3]

I think the COA plan will be to charge astronomical "permit" fees to access the water. Never underestimate the ability of government to make anything and everything a revenue source.

[Trainwreck20]

Permit fees cannot be set on private wells, other than as allowed by state law.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by ScoPro

We are talking about pumping water out...pollution is not in this discussion.

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Yes, it is in this discussion and it was in the linked article.

Yep, and pollution is a two-way concern, and the city has a vested interest in both of them.

If the wells begin polluting the groundwater, it's well within the purview of our duly elected government to track the possible sources of that pollution.

If the groundwater begins polluting the wells, it's well within the purview of our duly elected government to track the possible outlets of that pollution.

And in both cases, the government is an extension of us... we, the people... and is acting on our behalf.

I think it's a good idea to register the wells, because we're all in this together. Your mileage may vary.

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Permit fees cannot be set on private wells, other than as allowed by state law.

If that's the case, I'm sure the COA will come up with a new fee/permit/ etc.

[ScoPro]

How is a water well going to pollute it's own water?

Are y'all saying a water well owner is going to inject pollutants down their own wwells?

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by ScoPro

How is a water well going to pollute it's own water?

Are y'all saying a water well owner is going to inject pollutants down their own wwells?

I have encountered this issue in the past with the City years ago. Their environmental people are already involved in tracking and verifying that any inactive or abandoned wells are properly capped or sealed. An unsealed or open well can easily result in pollutants in run off from the surface making its way into the water table. One case I encountered was regarding land we were considering buying for a construction project. It had previously been an auto wrecking yard, with oil, transmission fluid and auto coolent chemical spills in an area where an abandoned well existed. There were significant amounts of contaminated soil on the property. The well had been abandoned but never sealed. I learned then that the City does try to keep track of all known wells to make sure they don't become a means of contaminating the underground water table.

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

. The well had been abandoned but never sealed. I learned then that the City does try to keep track of all known wells to make sure they don't become a means of contaminating the underground water table.

I can understand that concept but don't the contaminants already seep into the ground water table? Would a well just be a faster method of transportation?

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots

I can understand that concept but don't the contaminants already seep into the ground water table? Would a well just be a faster method of transportation?

Yes the well would be a faster method of transportation. However contaminants on the surface also undergo quite a bit of filtering as water passes through them and into the ground, the ground it self filters a lot of it out. The town I grew up in purified its drinking water supply by filtering it through various layers of gravel and sand after taking the water out of the muddy Shoshone river. That used to be the most common method of water purification. I'm sure there are other methods these days. A well drilled directly down into the underground water table could provide a direct path into the water table. The may most wells are drilled, a hole is drilled into the ground, then a casing pipe is inserted down the hole into the water table. There are gaps around the casing pipe which they try to close by pumping the space full of concrete, but I'm doubt they are 100% effective in doing that.

There are websites which have instructions on how to drill your own well in the back yard with simple equipment. Drill A Water Well In Your Backyard!

Even youtube videos no how to do it with very simple equipment:

DIY Well Drilling - YouTube

How easy or hard it is will depend on what kind of soil you are drilling in. Obviously drilling in West Austin limestone would require more substantial equipment, but this would work well in the clay and sand areas of East Austin soils.

The small town that I grew up in, at least half of the property owners there had wells on their property for garden and landscape irrigation.

[ScoPro]

Then the issue is with capped dry wells, not a functioning irrigation well.

[Trainwreck20]

Then the issue is with capped dry wells, not a functioning irrigation well.

Sort of. It is really an issue with abandoned or unused wells. They don't have to be dry to be a route for pollution, and it is the lack of (or improperly) 'capping' that is usually the issue. A somewhat short (1 page) but informative document:
http://www.tgpc.state.tx.us/subcommi...apping_FAQ.pdf