A well is the simplest hydraulic structure. This is a profitable option for organizing water supply if there is no centralized mains nearby. Minimal construction costs, convenient operation, constant access to water - there are many advantages. But how to find water on site for a well in order to build a productive source? We learned how to solve this problem a long time ago.
The proven “old-fashioned methods” are still successfully used, and in recent decades even more reliable methods and even special devices for searching for water have appeared. Each site owner can choose an acceptable method or use several. This will help you determine with absolute accuracy where it is best to dig a well.
Framework for finding underground water
Classification and properties of aquifers
There may be 2-3 aquifers on the site. They are loose rocks that bind and retain moisture that seeps from the surface during rains, floods, and snow melting. Aquifers are located on impermeable rocks and can have different sources of recharge. The deeper the horizon lies, the cleaner and better quality the water is.
There are several types of groundwater:
- Soil. This is the topmost layer (usually 4-6 m). Atmospheric moisture accumulates in it. Sources of power for the horizon are precipitation, floods, and river floods.
- Ground. The horizon lies at the depth of the first layer of waterproof rock - 9-18 m, suitable for the construction of a drinking well.
- Interlayer. Wells are drilled into this horizon. The depth ranges from 20 to 40-50 m.
- Artesian. The aquifer is the cleanest and most abundant, but it is not suitable for building a well, because... its depth can reach 40-200 m.
Information about the depth of aquifers is necessary to determine water quality. Shallow layers are often contaminated with pesticides, human waste products, and pathogenic bacteria. Such water is used only for technical purposes. For drinking and cooking, it must be carefully filtered and boiled.
Sometimes the first aquifer lies very shallow - 2-2.5 m from the surface. If the future well is intended for watering the garden, then this is an excellent option, but you cannot drink from it. Even for domestic and economic needs, it is advisable to pass water from such a source through a coarse filter.
Aquifer location diagram
How to find a place for a well using folk methods
How to find a place to dig a well? The most reliable way is to contact specialists who will find a suitable aquifer for relatively little money. This is desirable, but not at all necessary, because you can do it yourself.
There are several folk signs by which you can find an aquifer that lies close to the surface. Some plant species indicate the proximity of moisture. They also often use a vine or special frames. You can make these devices yourself.
Choosing a location for a well using a vine
How to determine the depth of a vein
Places where moisture comes very close to the surface can be identified by simple signs:
- Fog. If there is an area over which fog appears, then this is a sure sign of high humidity. It is worth observing either in the evening before sunset or early in the morning. It is best to inspect the area at dawn, when the foggy haze is most clearly visible. If the fog is thick, it means the aquifer is not deep at all.
- Midge. Small midges swarm where they sense moisture. If it is noticed that they prefer a certain place on the site, it is worth digging a well here.
- Herbs. Moisture-loving plants grow only where they can get enough water from the soil. It is worth paying attention to whether there are nettles, coltsfoot, and wild sorrel on the site.
- Trees. Some types of trees can also be reliable indicators: alder, beech, willow, birch. But apple and cherry trees, on the contrary, do not do well in places where aquifers are close.
Scheme: how to find water for a well by plants
Animals are helpers in the search for underground water
If field mice live on the site, the location of their nests can help with finding a place for a well. For example, if voles settle directly on the ground, it means that the aquifers are deep in the soil. These animals avoid high humidity. If they build nests on the lower branches of trees and bushes, it means the moisture is close to the surface.
Poultry can also indicate where to dig a well. Thus, chickens never lay eggs in damp places, but geese specifically look for the wettest areas to build their nests. If a domestic goose lays eggs in the same place, this is a sure signal that at least one aquifer lies nearby. Most often, geese look for intersections of veins.
In the summer heat, animals try to find the coolest areas. If the horse starts pawing and the dog digs a hole, this is probably the wettest place on the property. If animals dig small depressions in the soil and lie down in them, then a well can be built here. The water in it will be of poor quality, but it will be suitable for watering the garden and technical needs.
Dogs look for cool places
Dowsing method: vine and aluminum frames
The vine or frame will tell you how to choose a place for a well on your property. Dowsing is considered one of the oldest methods of searching for aquifers. It cannot be called 100% reliable, but in many cases this method turns out to be effective. For dowsing, either tree branches or aluminum frames are used.
Production and use of dowsing frames
How to make frames for finding water? They are easy to make with your own hands. To do this, you will need two pieces of aluminum wire of the same length (about 40 cm each) and a tube cut from elderberry or other suitable material.
Work order:
- The pieces of wire are bent at right angles so that one side is 15 and the other 25 cm.
- The short ends insert a tube cut from a tree or bush branch. The ideal option is elderberry, but variations are possible. A metal tube will also work.
- The wire does not need to be secured; it should rotate freely in the tube, but not fall out of it.
Using this device is very simple. The frames are taken in both hands and slowly passed across the area. If both frames turn in one direction, then you should turn there. In a place where the aquifer is close to the surface, the frames will come together. As soon as the vein is passed, they will again move apart. This way you can determine the area suitable for constructing a well.
Video: how to make a frame for searching for water
How to choose a place for a well: modern methods
A variety of methods are used to search for water, from digging salt into the ground to using instruments. They make it possible to determine not only the presence of an aquifer, but sometimes even the depth at which it may lie.
Option #1: glassware
Soil moisture can be determined using glassware. A regular three-liter jar will do. It is placed with its neck on the ground in a place where the presence of a nearby vein is suspected, and left overnight. If condensation appears on the glass in the morning, you can dig a well.
The method will be effective only if there has been no rain for several days before and the ground has dried well. It can be used during periods of extreme heat and drought. Based on the amount of condensate, assumptions are made about the depth of the water.
Option #2: moisture-absorbing materials
You can use substances that absorb moisture well. The most common choices are rock salt, building red brick or silica gel. Before use, the brick is crushed to a crumb state. Silica gel is further dried in the oven. The total volume of the desiccant should be about two liters. It is poured into an open clay pot.
The vessel and its contents are weighed on high-precision scales, after which they are wrapped in several layers of gauze and buried in the soil to a depth of about 0.5 m. It must remain underground for at least a day. After the required period has passed, the pot is carefully dug up, the gauze is removed and weighed again.
If the weight of the vessel is different, it means that the moisture-absorbing materials have absorbed moisture from the soil. The greater the difference between the indicators, the closer to the surface the spring vein is located. It is believed that the effectiveness of this method reaches 60-65%.
Option #3: barometer readings
If there is an open body of water near the site, then a barometer can be used to determine the depth of underground layers. With its help, they determine the pressure on the shore of a reservoir, and then move to a place where they suspect the presence of a nearby aquifer, and take measurements again.
Each 0.1 mm of mercury column indicates 1 m of formation depth. For example, if the first measurement gave 545.5 mm, and the second 545.1 mm, then the spring vein is located approximately 4 m from the surface of the earth. Searching for water using instruments gives better results than the “old-fashioned” methods.
Schematic diagram of the aneroid barometer
Option #4: a device for finding groundwater
There are special devices for searching for water underground. The domestically produced “Pulse” device, which measures the electric field created by groundwater, has proven itself well. Using “Pulse” you can even determine the potential productivity of a future source.
The water search device is easy to use. Its electrodes are buried 10 cm into the ground in the place where the presence of a vein is suspected. If the readings on the device change, it means there is water nearby. The higher the indicators, the more powerful the aquifer.
The owners themselves determine how to find a place for a well on their property, choosing the most affordable method. All methods have their drawbacks, and they are not always reliable. If you want to ensure that the location for the well is chosen correctly, carry out exploratory drilling with a regular garden drill. Better yet, contact a specialist. They will help you choose the ideal location for the well.
After rummaging around on the Internet, I managed to find a fairly complete guide to the popular search for water ().Well-known folk methods of searching for water are conventionally divided into four groups:
- determination by indication (this method is also known as the “dowsing method”);
- using indicator plants;
- on the behavior of animals, birds, insects;
- other signs of a natural nature.1. Search for water using the frame indication.
When using an indication, use pieces of aluminum wire or a fork from a wooden branch of hazel, willow or viburnum.1 way. In the first case, take two aluminum wires 30-40 centimeters long, each with ends bent at right angles (10-15 cm). It is better to insert these ends into tubes of tree-like elderberry, removing the core. The wires should turn freely in the tubes.
The starting position is as follows: the indicator wires are rotated horizontally by 180°. When a person, walking along the site, comes across an aquifer, the wires close forward, to the right or to the left (along the flow of water). Having passed this place, the indicators again diverge to the sides by 180°.
Now, having marked the place where the wires meet, you should walk with the indicators apart in a perpendicular direction. If the wires came together from the very beginning and stayed that way for some time, then this was the direction of the aquifer. If the rods deviate to the right or left, again look for the place of their contact. It will be the center of the future water source.
Method 2. You can search for water using one frame. A wire 30 centimeters long is bent at about a distance of 10 cm. The short end is taken into a fist so that the long end is horizontal. Forward direction. There is no need to clamp the wire too much. All. We walk around the site. In some places the end of the wire will deviate to the side as if from a single-pole magnet. We keep the direction towards the greatest resistance. The place we need is where the wire will rotate.
3 way. A similar way to search for a water-bearing ball is using a wooden fork (two branches that grew close to each other, connected by a piece of trunk). They are first unbent and dried, the angle between the ends must be at least 150°. Take the fork in two hands, extend them horizontally in front of you and walk through the surveyed area. In the place where the aquifer is located, the section of the trunk will noticeably tilt towards the ground. Often, during an inspection of the territory, the indicators do not respond: they do not close anywhere and do not tilt. This means there is no water-bearing sphere here. Water should be looked for elsewhere.
2. Finding water using indicator plants.
At all times, peoples of different countries have attached great importance to plants when searching for groundwater. The close occurrence of water is evidenced by moisture-loving vegetation, colored with bright and lush greenery. The more abundant, dense and green the vegetation, the more water there is.If wild currants have grown greatly, seemingly in a dry place, you can be sure that there is groundwater close to the surface.
The willow has long been used in Rus' as an indicator of water sources. They said about her: “Where there is water there is a willow; where there is a willow, there is water.”
A good indicator of shallow waters in the temperate zone is meadowsweet, or meadowsweet. Meadowsweet can be found in damp meadows, ravines, swamps, river banks and ponds.
Forest reeds indicate the close occurrence of groundwater.
If the plant community is dominated by forest reed and meadowsweet (meadowsweet), and gray and black alder are also present in them, this indicates that the water lies at a depth of up to 3 m.
The Chuvash used sorrel as an indicator of nearby groundwater: “Dig a well in sorrel places - water will appear.”
The ancient explorer Vitruvius Pollio, who lived in the 1st century BC, attached exceptional importance to vegetation when searching for underground water: “The signs of water in the earth rocks described above are as follows: thin reeds, reeds, willows, alder, vitex, twigs grow there, ivy and others, which have the property that they cannot germinate without moisture."
Where groundwater is located close to the surface of the earth, plants grow best: cinquefoil, hemlock, foxglove, autumn colchicum, coltsfoot, horse sorrel, reed, sedge, nettle, horsetail.
If alder, maple, weeping willow, birch are all leaning in one direction, this is a sign that there is a water vein nearby.
Willow and alder grow well above the aquifers, leaning towards the flow.
In places with high standing waters, single oaks may be found. They grow as if at the intersection of water veins.
If a plane tree grows far from an open source, it means that an underground river flows under it. The location of the trees indicates the direction of the flow.
Licorice glabra grows strongly in places where groundwater is located at a depth of up to 2 meters.
In places where groundwater is close, apple, cherry and plum trees grow poorly, get sick and dry out.
Table of groundwater occurrence, depending on growing plants:Plants Groundwater depth, (m)
_________________________________________
Rogoza 0 - 1
Sandy reeds 1 - 3
Black poplar 0.5 - 3
Reed 0 - 1.5 (up to 3 - 5)
Loch 1 - 3 (up to 5)
Sarsazan 0.5 - 3 (up to 5)
Wormwood paniculata 3 - 5 (up to 7)
Chiy brilliant 1.5 - 5 (up to 8)
Licorice naked 1.5 - 5 (up to 10)
Sandy wormwood 3 - 5 (up to 10)
Yellow alfalfa 1.4 - 2 (up to 10 - 15)3. Finding aquifers by observing the behavior of animals, birds, insects
When a horse wants water, it sniffs the ground and hits with its hooves where it senses the presence of moisture.
The dog, feeling thirsty, begins to dig the ground where it senses water.
The dog avoids lying over the water veins, but the cat does the opposite.
A hen will not sit and lay eggs in a place where the waters are high; Geese lay eggs at the intersection of water veins.
Red ants build their heaps taking into account the location of the water: where it is close, they are not there.
The curling columns of mosquitoes and midges after sunset indicate that there must be water close here, underground.
In damp places, mice make nests on tree branches or in weeds, but not in the ground.4. Search for water using natural signs.
The fog spreading after sunset is a sign of close groundwater in this place.
In the morning dew falls - there is more where the water comes closer to the ground. Dew is formed because the closer the water comes to the ground, the better it cools, and when cooling, condensation forms from the air on the surface of the earth.
An overturned jar or pot above the aquifer will certainly become covered with dew, and a bunch of salt will get wet in dry weather.Water is the basis of life. Every day, people use tons of this invaluable mineral for their own purposes, so it is constantly in short supply. Owners of country real estate in all its forms strive to provide themselves with life-giving moisture and are engaged in the construction of wells or boreholes. Many people are interested in how to find water for a well in their area. It turns out that you can try to do this yourself, using one of the many existing methods.
Where does groundwater accumulate?
Before you start looking, it's worth learning a little more about groundwater. Moisture underground accumulates inside the so-called aquifers as a result of filtration of atmospheric precipitation. Liquid, sandwiched between waterproof soil layers consisting of stone or clay, forms reservoirs of various sizes.
Their location is not strictly horizontal; they can bend, forming in such areas peculiar lenses filled with water. Their volumes are also very diverse: from several cubic meters to tens of cubic kilometers.
A diagram of the occurrence of groundwater is necessary to have at least some idea of where the source may be
Closest to the surface, at a depth of only 2-5 m, lies the “overwater”. These are small bodies of water fed by precipitation and melt water. In dry times, they usually dry out and cannot be a source of water supply. In addition, water from them can most often be used only for technical purposes. Of greatest interest to humans are deep aquifers containing large reserves of perfectly filtered water. They usually lie at a depth of 8-10 meters and below. The most valuable water, enriched with minerals and salts, is located even deeper, at a distance of about 30-50 m. Getting to it is possible, but difficult.
Popular ways to find water on the site
If desired, searching for water under a well can be done in several ways. The most common of them:
Use of pottery
The ancient method of determining the presence of water involved the use of a clay pot. It was dried in the sun, then turned over and placed on the ground above the supposed location of the water vein. After some time, the dishes began to fog up from the inside if there was actually water underneath them. Today this method has been somewhat improved.
You need to take a liter or two of silica gel, which is an excellent desiccant. It is thoroughly dried in the oven and poured into a clay pot. After which the dishes with the gel are weighed on precise scales, preferably pharmaceutical scales. Then they are wrapped in cloth and buried to a depth of about half a meter in the place where the well is supposed to be drilled. Leave it there for a day, then dig it up and carefully weigh it again.
Not one or two aquifers have already been found using silica gel
The more moisture absorbed into the gel, the closer the water. At the initial stage, you can bury several pots and choose a place with the most intense water flow. Instead of silica gel, ordinary brick can be used, which is also dried and weighed.
Observations - where do plants grow?
Some plants are excellent indicators of underground water.
Plants will tell you if there is water in the area
For example, a birch tree growing above a watercourse will be short in height with a knotty, twisted trunk. The branches of the tree located above it will form the so-called “witch's panicles”. The water close to the surface will be revealed by thickets of woodlice, a low herbaceous plant. River gravel directly points to the watercourse located beneath it. But the pine, with its long tap root, says the opposite - in this place the water is located quite deep.
Determination by height difference
This method can only be used if there is any pond or well nearby. You will need a regular aneroid barometer, with which the pressure will be measured. Based on the fact that for every 13 m of height difference the pressure will drop by approximately 1 mm of mercury, you can try to determine the depth of groundwater. To do this, you need to measure the pressure at the site of the proposed well and on the shore of the reservoir. The pressure difference is about half a mmHg. Art. indicates that the depth of the aquifer is 6 or 7 meters.
Observations of natural phenomena
Soil saturated with underground moisture will certainly evaporate it. In the early morning or evening at the end of a very hot summer day, it is worth paying attention to the area where the well is supposed to be built.
If fog forms above it, there is water there. It is best if the fog rises in a column or swirls, which means there is a lot of moisture and it is close enough. You should also know that waterproof layers usually follow the terrain. Thus, in basins and natural depressions surrounded by hills, there will definitely be water. But on the slopes and plains it may not exist.
Exploration drilling
How to find water using a frame?
Very often, the search for water for a well is carried out using dowsing, an ancient and very accurate method of determining a watercourse. Before you begin your search, you will need to prepare frames, which are pieces of aluminum wire about 40 cm long. Their ends at a level of about 10 cm are bent at a right angle. It is believed that it is best to insert frames into elderberry tubes that have had the core removed. The wire in the tubes should turn absolutely smoothly. Forks of viburnum, willow or hazel branches can also be used as a frame.
Frames are small pieces of aluminum wire bent at right angles
- We determine the position of the cardinal points using a compass and mark them on the site with pegs.
- We take a frame in each hand. We press our elbows to our sides, direct our forearms parallel to the ground, so that the frame becomes like an extension of our arms.
- We slowly cross the territory of the site from north to south, and then from east to west. In the place where there is a watercourse underground, the frames will begin to move and intersect. We mark this place with a peg.
- Considering that water usually occurs in the form of peculiar veins, having found one point, we determine the entire watercourse. To do this, we perform the previous operation several times, each time marking with a peg the place where the frames intersect.
- We determine the power and depth of the watercourse. We imagine that we are plunging to the depth of our own growth, then at two, three or more such distances. The first time the frame will react to the upper boundary of the water vein, the second - to the lower one.
A well on the site is a practical solution for ensuring water supply to the house and garden plot. Methods for independently searching for an underground watercourse will allow you to determine the presence of water on the site and help you make a decision about the possibility of developing a system. But you shouldn’t rely too much on them, because all these methods, although considered quite accurate, provide only general answers to questions. Only specialists can absolutely accurately determine the presence of an aquifer, its depth and thickness.
Ecology of consumption. Estate: When purchasing a plot on which there is not even the slightest hint of the source of this inorganic compound, the problem of how to find water for a well or well becomes one of the key ones. We invite you to look at the most popular and effective methods.
Water is an exceptional gift, without which life on earth is simply impossible. Water is an invariable element of the daily cycle: watering plants, household needs, cooking... When purchasing a plot where there is not even the slightest hint of the source of this inorganic compound, the problem of how to find water for a well or well becomes one of the key ones. We invite you to look at the most popular and effective methods.
A little about aquifers
In the soil, as a rule, there are 2-3 aquifers, separated from each other by impermeable layers, the horizons of which can vary significantly.
Aquifers are a kind of underground lakes, mainly consisting of water-saturated sand.
At the smallest depth of about 25 meters there is water of the first layer, called “subcutaneous” or perched water. It is formed due to the filtration of melt water and atmospheric precipitation through the ground. Such water is suitable only for irrigation of green spaces and for household needs.
The water of the second layer of continental sands is already suitable for human consumption. The third layer consists of waters that have excellent taste and are rich in beneficial chemical compounds and mineral salts.
Effective ways to find water
There are more than a dozen ways to determine the proximity of water to the surface. Searching for water under a well can be done using one of the effective methods below.
Using silica gel
To do this, granules of the substance are first thoroughly dried in the sun or in the oven and placed in an unglazed clay pot. To determine the amount of moisture absorbed by the granules, the pot must be weighed before instillation. A pot of silica gel, wrapped in non-woven material or thick fabric, is buried in the ground to a depth of about a meter in a place on the site where it is planned to drill a well. After a day, the pot with its contents can be dug up and weighed again: the heavier it is, the more moisture it has absorbed, which in turn indicates the presence of an aquifer nearby.
The use of silica gel, which belongs to the category of substances that have the property of absorbing moisture and retaining it, will allow you to determine in just a couple of days the most suitable place for drilling a well or constructing a well.
In order to narrow down the location of the search for water for a well, you can use several of these clay containers at the same time. You can more accurately determine the optimal location for drilling by repeatedly burying a pot of silica gel.
Ordinary red clay brick and salt also have moisture-absorbing properties. Determination of the aquifer occurs according to a similar principle with preliminary and repeated weighing and calculation of the difference in indicators.
Barometric method
A barometer reading of 0.1 mmHg corresponds to a difference in pressure height of 1 meter. To work with the device, you must first measure its pressure readings on the shore of a nearby body of water, and then, together with the device, move to the place where the source of water production is supposed to be arranged. At the well drilling site, air pressure measurements are taken again, and the water depth is calculated.
The presence and depth of groundwater can also be successfully determined using a conventional aneroid barometer
For example: the barometer reading on the river bank is 545.5 mm, and on the site - 545.1 mm. The groundwater level is calculated according to the principle: 545.5-545.1 = 0.4 mm, i.e. the well depth will be at least 4 meters.
Exploration drilling
Test exploratory drilling is one of the most reliable ways to find water for a well.
Exploration drilling allows not only to indicate the presence and level of water, but also to determine the characteristics of the soil layers lying before and after the aquifer. Drilling is done using a conventional garden hand drill.
Since the average depth of an exploration well is 6-10 meters, it is necessary to provide for the possibility of increasing the length of its handle. To carry out the work, it is enough to use a drill whose auger diameter is 30 cm. As the drill deepens, in order not to break the tool, soil excavation must be carried out every 10-15 cm of the soil layer. Wet silver sand can be observed already at a depth of about 2-3 meters.
A visual example of test drilling is presented in the video:
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The site for constructing a well should be located no closer than 25-30 meters relative to drainage trenches, compost and garbage heaps, as well as other sources of pollution. The most successful placement of a well is on an elevated area.
Aquifers that follow the terrain at higher elevations provide a source of cleaner, filtered water.
Rain perch and melt water always flows from a hill to a lowland, where it gradually drains into an impermeable layer, which in turn displaces clean filtered water to the level of the aquifer. published
Arranging an autonomous water source on a personal plot is one of the most important tasks for a private developer. Its presence in a country house comprehensively solves the family’s needs for drinking and technical water. Since aquifers are distributed unevenly in the bowels of the earth, and their depth can fluctuate, finding water in an area for a small well becomes difficult. Technical and folk methods will most likely help determine the location of the source, its nature and depth.
The aquifers on which the water intake is placed are represented by three main types:
- Verkhodka and soil waters.
- Groundwater.
- Interstratal sandy horizons.
- Interlayer artesian waterproof layers made of limestone or other waterproof rocks (basalt, granite).
Verkhodka is located at depths of 2 to 5 meters and accumulates as a result of the penetration of melt and rainwater into the soil. The volume of moisture and chemical composition depend on seasonal fluctuations in precipitation. The aquifer is subject to pollution by agricultural products and industrial emissions, which are washed out from the soil surface. To extract such water, a shaft-type well is sufficient. This water is not suitable for drinking purposes.
Groundwater, located in a sandy layer at a depth of 7 to 30 meters, is cleaner and less dependent on seasonal fluctuations in precipitation. The deeper the formation, the purer the water in it. Mine or Abyssinian wells are used as a source.
Interstratal sandy and artesian horizons can be found at depths of 30 meters or more. Passing a long filtration path through various types of soil, the water is purified and becomes suitable not only for domestic and technical purposes, but also for drinking. The volume and chemical composition of such resources is practically constant. Wells are used to extract them.
How to determine the presence of water on a site?
Frames, vines and other alternative methods may be useful only for searching for perched water. They can be used as an indirect guide to the location of interstratal waters. The surest way to search for water in the area for a future well is exploratory drilling. Thanks to it, the depth of the water carrier, the quality of moisture and the approximate debit of the source are determined.
At the stage of test drilling when searching for an aquifer, water samples are taken for laboratory testing. The primary analysis gives a complete picture of the microbiological and chemical composition.
This is due to the fact that the drilling process uses imported volumes of water and a clear picture will appear only after long-term pumping.
The following methods are used to determine the location of suitable aquifers:
- Parametric well drilling method.
- Seismic exploration method.
- Method of electrical sounding of the earth's thickness.
Drilling parametric or exploratory wells
The work is carried out for research purposes. The main task of the test search is to find a thick aquifer that lies deep in the earth's crust and determine its main characteristics. Using parametric wells, hydrological indicators are collected to determine the location of the optimal water intake point. Drilling a well into sand, provided it hits well, is easier and cheaper.
Before searching for water using exploratory drilling, you need to familiarize yourself with the general hydrological data of the area, which will tell you the optimal type of well. Studying special documentation will help assess the nature of geological sections in the region and suggest the expected depth of the aquifer. Such data is easy to find when it comes to densely populated areas.
On the plain, the depth of the water carrier is approximately the same. You can estimate the approximate depth based on how deep the wells are in neighboring areas.
After appropriate preliminary measurements and work with hydrological data, the proposed area for parametric drilling is determined. With a successful combination of circumstances and the experience of the drillers, a parametric well may well turn into a stationary water intake point.
Basic drilling methods
Core drilling method used to search for deeply buried aquifers (up to 100 meters or more). When deepening the rotating core pipe with the core, a washing liquid is supplied. A powerful jet washes away the soil exposed along the ring, throwing it to the surface. The core (rock in a cylindrical shape) remains in the pipe itself. When passing through a waterproof roof, in order to prevent siltation of the horizon, compressed air is used instead of flushing liquid.
The core method has its advantages:
- High performance.
- The ability to penetrate to a depth of 100 meters or more.
- Easy passage of hard rocks.
The main disadvantages of this method include:
- Involvement of additional equipment (pump, compressor)
- There is a high probability of siltation of the aquifer with leaching products when it is opened.
Auger drilling of a well used when searching for aquifers at shallower depths. The main feature of this method is the simultaneous removal of the mined rock from the mine by lifting it along the flange of a rotating auger. The auger itself is a steel rod, along the entire length of which there is a spiral flange. At the end of the projectile there is a chisel. Screwing the bit into the rock, it destroys it, and the flange blades lift the soil to the surface.
In order to prevent the walls of the well from crumbling, after drilling 1...2 meters, a casing pipe is placed in its trunk, gradually increasing as it goes deeper into the ground.
The main advantages of this method include:
- Low cost.
- Quick dive.
- No barrel flushing required.
- There is no need to lift the auger for cleaning.
Disadvantages include:
- Unsuitable for the development of loose and rocky rocks.
- Shallow dive.
Shock-rope method used on hard rocks. An impact projectile attached to a steel cable and mounted on a mast-like structure gradually breaks down layers of rock formations, creating an exploration hole.
Manual drilling with a garden auger. It is carried out independently, suitable for depths of 15-20 m. Gradually passing through the layers of soil, the soil is examined for moisture levels.
All these methods are used both for exploration and for creating the well itself. The choice of method depends on geological factors and the project budget.
Seismic survey method
The search method is based on “tapping” the earth’s crust with an energy device through the action of sound waves and capturing response vibrations using a seismic-sensitive device.
Depending on the structure and material of the layers of the earth's crust, waves pass through them in different ways, returning as damped reflected signals, the properties and strength of which are used to judge the rocks representing these layers, the voids and the presence of aquifers, and the accumulation of water between durable aquifer layers. They take into account not only the strength of the returned vibration, but also the time it takes for the wave to return.
Water and rock do not reflect sound waves equally, therefore, knowing the difference in these indicators, one can judge where and how deep the aquifers are located.
Testing is carried out at several points on the site, all indicators are entered into a computer and processed by a special program to determine the location of the presence of the water carrier.
Compare the obtained data collected in places with similar geology, immediately adjacent to bodies of water, with data collected at the proposed drilling site. Or they find out the standard of the seismic signal, which is characteristic of most points in a particular location, and by deviation from this standard they identify the proposed area of occurrence of the aquifer. Artesian waters produce a high seismic background, several times higher than the standard one.
Electrical sensing method
The method allows using instruments to record the presence of water based on the resistivity of the earth layers. Special probing equipment is used.
Used to search for water at depths from ten to hundreds of meters.
Four electrode pipes up to one and a half meters long are driven into the soil. Two of them create an electrical voltage field, and the other two act as testing devices.
They are sequentially moved apart. At the same time, data are recorded from which resistivity is measured, potential differences are determined, thus consistently identifying indicators at different levels of the earth's crust.
Resistance varies depending on how high the moisture level is and what the composition of the rock layers is. This is an electrical sounding technique that helps determine the presence and depth of water.
Thus, electrical prospecting reveals information that is inaccessible to the seismic spectral method, being a less expensive search method.
The disadvantage of the method is that if the search area is enriched in fossil metals or is located close to railroad tracks, then sounding will become impossible.
How to find water on your own at your summer cottage?
Independent research is only possible when it comes to sand wells. Artesian water intake requires a more serious approach.
Studying the terrain
The same relief features that we encounter on the surface are projected onto the aquifer. You can find water on the site yourself on gently sloping, straight lowlands, at the foot of slopes, in places near reservoirs or with nearby wells and boreholes.
Using a barometer
If there is a pond or a neighbor’s well nearby, an aneroid barometer will help you find out the availability of a resource on your site. The closer the water, the higher the atmospheric pressure will be in a given place. The search sequence is as follows:
- The pressure is measured near a well or lake.
- Measurements are taken at the location of the proposed water intake.
- The data difference coefficient is calculated.
- The resulting figure is a measure of the depth of the aquifer. One scale division is per meter of depth.
The method is suitable only in cases where we are talking about horizontally lying aquifers. In mountainous areas, adjustments are needed to take into account the possible slope of water flows.
Instruments that measure the distance to the aquifer can only provide approximate information; accurate, complete data is provided only by exploratory drilling.
