Water table data for sinking a well?

[Paul79]

I've been toying with the idea of sinking a well in the garden, as it would be great for irrigation, and a good step towards being off-grid. I've researched the kit and methods required, but to decide whether it will be cost effective I need to know how far down I need to sink.

Does anybody know if there is any publicly available information regarding water table levels?
The last thing I want to do is drive 20m of pipe into the ground, only to have to drive another 20, or 30, or 40 in!!
Googling has sofar been fruitless

[lynda66]

doesn't it depend on how far up you are, presumably the water table is somewhere around or below, sea level, unless you have a spring, so would knowing your above sea level height help? i think you can get that from the ordnance survey map site?

[kernowyon]

not 100% sure but I think you need a licence to tap into the water table.

? check with the local water board

[Matt.]

I thought it varies depending on time of year/rainfall etc. Granted you want to dig the deepest for any circumstance.

I'd try contacting your local council or the environment agency

[Mikey]

Well the environmental agency has access to this, as when I had an oil leak from our tank she was able to tell me exactly where the ground water was in our area, and our likelihood of contaminating it. Worth a try I guess.

[PAULW]

Have you tried a dowser to see if you have water on your land.

[burnie]

In Scotland a lot of people are on wells as mains cannot be run,it really does depend on where you are as to how deep you have to go,sand under you and it could be a hundred metres,clay or rock and it could be 2 metres.You will need permission in England and you will be charged by the water authority as they claim to "own" the water.Local council should have the information you need,when I last asked they produced a drawing and charged me £40 for it !

[Kristen]

Might be worth asking a local borehole company, they ought to have some real-world knowledge of how deep they "drill" in your area

I'm looking at water treatment for our effluent good enough to irrigate with, as a way of reducing water (rather than having a borehole). just a thought ...

[zazen999]

Try the local Geotechnical dept of the council. They will drill boreholes all over the county for all developments and during the digging will record the water table. Don't forget it changes during the year depending on how close you are to any large areas of water. They might have records that are quite old but still ask for it for the nearest location to you.

Unless you do live a great height from sea level, it shouldn't be that deep.

[SarzWix]

You do need permission to extract water, unless you're tapping into a spring on your property. Any local borehole companies will know the local regs I should think.

[Mikey]

Might be worth asking a local borehole company, they ought to have some real-world knowledge of how deep they "drill" in your area

I'm looking at water treatment for our effluent good enough to irrigate with, as a way of reducing water (rather than having a borehole). just a thought ...

Why is it, that I find compost and cow muck absolutely fine yet human waste disgusts me. Perhaps its the draining rodding i do very two to three months when ours block that makes me think using the liquid in any form on the garden, is foul. I think i'd have to run it through the sewage plant first.

[Maf]

We had a borehole sunk last year. Previously our water came from a 'reliable' spring that froze in winter and dried in summer

12 thousand fookin quid

For potable water you need to drill to a deep aquifier which is completely different to drilling to the water table.

An aquifier is like an underground lake and (hopefully) will not clog with debris as the only way water enters it is by perculating through rock.

For irrigation you would be best digging a catch pit (if you have a clay subsoil)

[Mikey]

a catch pit looks messy in the garden though.

[Maf]

Ok.. Lets rename it as a 'Catch Wildlife Pond'

[Mikey]

Ok.. Lets rename it as a 'Catch Wildlife Pond'

sounds fine to me.

just be carefull the tadpoles don't block the watering can rose.