Ground Water
American Ground Water Trust, Ground Water Education (1998)

• In a home with a private well, it is the homeowner's responsibility to test the water once a year.
• Most wells do not require chemicals for treatment because the water moves straight from the rocks via the well into the house
• If a home does use conditioning equipment, for example to reduce iron or hardness, the system should be kept in good working order.
• It makes sense to conserve water whether your home is on a well or a public system, and to ensure that no harmful chemicals are disposed of down the drain.
• There are more acres of garden lawn in America than any other crop! To protect ground water, homeowners should go easy on using lawn chemicals and pesticides.
• Homes with a well and a public supply must never connect the two systems.

How Water Wells are Drilled

• Water well drilling machines are used to make an "engineered hole" through the soil and rock layers to reach ground water.
• The Cost of a modern drilling machine is about $500,000!
• Not all water wells are drilled the same way, but rotary drilling is the most common method.
• 6,000 new water wells are drilled in America every week.
• There are over 15 million wells in use in America for individual homes and farms.
• Ground water is the source of daily drinking water for nearly 150 million Americans.
• There are still nearly one million old-fashioned "dug-wells" in use. These are very difficult to keep free from water quality problems. Deep drilled wells are much more reliable and provide safer drinking water.

Equipment Used in a Water Well

• Casing is put in the well to stop the hole from collapsing and to prevent the risk of surface water getting into the well.
• A seal of "grout" is often placed between the casing and the drilled hole to stop any surface water moving down outside the casing.
• The most common well pumps in use are called "submersible". They are powered by electricity and push the water up to the surface.
• In any area where there is frost, the water pipe comes from the well through a pit less adapter below ground level. In warmer climates there is no need to use a pit less adaptor; the water pipe can come out of the top of the well.
• Water should drain away from the wellhead and the well cap should be tightly sealed.