Shingle Springs - wells? (how much, home, buyers)

[Horses4008]

We are considering purchasing a 5 acre home in Shingle Springs (north of 50) and wanted to know if anyone has information on HISTORICAL well (water) production in the area. I know this year has had more moisture than some. What can we expect annually? Can we irrigate a pasture for our 2 horses?

[DMenscha]

In my area, we usually have the buyers perform a well inspection during the due diligence period. The standard is a 4 hour pump test (which in my mind is a heck of a waste of water) where the pump is allowed to run and the quantity of water produced is measured every 15 minutes. If the test shows no significant reduction in the amount of water produced, you've got a good one.

I always enjoy sellers who say "My well produces 80 GPM". That's nice, but when one sticks a one horsepower pump down the well, they're going to get 10-11 GPM, 1.5 horse about 15-16 GPM etc. GPM is measured by the original driller by placing a vacuum on the well and making a calculation on how much draw is available. The State of California is supposed to have a copy of all well completion reports, and those are available only to the owner (or their authorized agent). You could ask the seller for their copy if they have one.

In a fractured rock formation (like most of the Sierra Foothills), it really doesn't matter what the rest of the area experiences, your well may be in an entirely different "stream" than one 500' away. I know of a local property where the well produced 2.5 GPM, so they moved 50 feet away and drilled another hole and got 61 GPM.