Water Well Drilling
Water well drilling is an age old method for reaching water held in aquifers. Those are underground layers of permeable rocks that hold water. Here’s a look at how wells are drilled.
Most people are familiar with the standard water well. It’s a long vertical shaft with an apparatus to lower a bucket into the shaft, or to pump water from the shaft. The bucket type well is often a hand drawn well. That’s because the water is drawn out by hand. The simplest form of these include a bucket on a rope. The bucket is lowered or thrown down into the well. Then it’s drawn up by hand. In some there’s a simple crank to pull the bucket back up.
Water well drilling reaches the water held in those porous rocks. This water is very rich in minerals. People who have drunk water from a well are familiar with the gritty texture of the water and the definitive metallic taste. To avoid toxic build up from consuming too many of these minerals people often soften the water before drinking it.
Sometimes water well drilling is followed by installation of a windmill pump. The power comes from the wind. It turns the windmill. The windmill drives the pump. The pump brings the water to the surface. This type of device has been around for a long time.
Water well drilling is made possible by simple gravity. Water is pulled down into the layers of porous rocks by the force of gravity. The water originally started as rain or snow. Wells reaching into aquifers account for about 20% of the fresh water in the world.
Water well drilling takes a number of forms. Wells can be dug. They are often lined with stones to keep the well open. Another type of well is driven, which involves hammering a point into the ground then attaching pipes to it. Then a pump is installed to pump water through the pipes. Rotary drilling results in much deeper wells.
Water well drilling is deep man, real deep.
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