You may know that groundwater serves many purposes worldwide. Of course, drinking water and domestic uses of water are major components of those uses. The ways of getting at groundwater differ depending on the local underground conditions.
How do I find the best place to drill for water on my property?
Many factors must be considered before deciding where to drill a water well. The most important is to decide how the well will be used. If the well is for drinking water, then local geology, hydrology, and state regulations are important to know. Contact the department in your state government that regulates and tracks water and natural resources. They should have information on licensed drillers and any required groundwater withdrawal permits. They can also provide guidelines for required distances from septic or water treatment systems, well construction, water testing, and well purification and maintenance.
States also have databases of previously drilled wells that can be used to estimate required well depth and possible pumping rates. For information on local geology or hydrology, contact your state geological survey or your local USGS Water Science Center, which can also help you find the appropriate state agency.
Learn more:
Related Content
What determines if a well will go dry?
A well is said to have gone dry when water levels drop below a pump intake. This does not mean that a dry well will never have water in it again, as the water level may come back through time as recharge increases. The water level in a well depends on a number of things, such as the depth of the well, the type (confined or unconfined) of aquifer the well taps, the amount of pumping that occurs in...
Where can I get my well water tested?
Some counties offer free well water testing, so check with your county first. If they don't, use this EPA website to find a list of state-certified laboratories in your area that do water testing, or contact your county or state health department or your State Certification Officer for assistance. Prices will vary depending on the laboratory and the test(s), but most people consider the cost to be...
Where can I find information about my local drinking water supply?
The best way to learn about your local drinking water quality is to read the annual drinking water quality report/consumer confidence report that water suppliers now send out by July 1 of each year. The reports are often sent out with water bills, but they may be sent separately. The reports tell where drinking water comes from, what contaminants are in it, and at what levels. The U.S...
How can I find the depth to the water table in a specific location?
The depth to the water table can change (rise or fall) depending on the time of year. During the late winter and spring when accumulated snow starts to melt and spring rainfall is plentiful, water on the surface infiltrates into the ground and the water table rises. When water-loving plants start to grow again in the spring and precipitation gives way to hot, dry summers, the water table falls...
What is the difference between a confined and an unconfined (water table) aquifer?
A confined aquifer is an aquifer below the land surface that is saturated with water. Layers of impermeable material are both above and below the aquifer, causing it to be under pressure so that when the aquifer is penetrated by a well, the water will rise above the top of the aquifer. A water table--or unconfined--aquifer is an aquifer whose upper water surface (water table) is at atmospheric...
What is groundwater?
Groundwater is water that exists underground in saturated zones beneath the land surface. The upper surface of the saturated zone is called the water table. Contrary to popular belief, groundwater does not form underground rivers. It fills the pores and fractures in underground materials such as sand, gravel, and other rock, much the same way that water fills a sponge. If groundwater flows...
Groundwater might seem like magic to a youngster.
You may know that groundwater serves many purposes worldwide. Of course, drinking water and domestic uses of water are major components of those uses. The ways of getting at groundwater differ depending on the local underground conditions.
USGS employee taking a measurement on a domestic groundwater well
USGS employee taking a measurement on a domestic groundwater well. Photo from the USGS circular 1360 "Water Quality in Pricipal Aquifers of the United States, 1991-2010."
USGS employee taking a measurement on a domestic groundwater well. Photo from the USGS circular 1360 "Water Quality in Pricipal Aquifers of the United States, 1991-2010."
domestic well in the north Atlantic coastal plain
domestic well in the north Atlantic coastal plain. Photo from the USGS circular 1353 "Water Quality in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Surficial Aquifer System, Delawarem Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Virginia, 1988-2009."
domestic well in the north Atlantic coastal plain. Photo from the USGS circular 1353 "Water Quality in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Surficial Aquifer System, Delawarem Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Virginia, 1988-2009."
USGS employee sampling an urban groundwater well
USGS employee sampling an urban groundwater well. Photo from USGS circular 1352 "Water quality in the Glacial Aquifer System, Northern United States, 1993 - 2009.
USGS employee sampling an urban groundwater well. Photo from USGS circular 1352 "Water quality in the Glacial Aquifer System, Northern United States, 1993 - 2009.
Domestic well on the Arapahoe Aquifer
Domestic well on the Arapahoe Aquifer from the USGS Circular 1357 "Water Quality in the Denver Basin Aquifer System, Colorado, 2003-2005."
Domestic well on the Arapahoe Aquifer from the USGS Circular 1357 "Water Quality in the Denver Basin Aquifer System, Colorado, 2003-2005."
Related Content
What determines if a well will go dry?
A well is said to have gone dry when water levels drop below a pump intake. This does not mean that a dry well will never have water in it again, as the water level may come back through time as recharge increases. The water level in a well depends on a number of things, such as the depth of the well, the type (confined or unconfined) of aquifer the well taps, the amount of pumping that occurs in...
Where can I get my well water tested?
Some counties offer free well water testing, so check with your county first. If they don't, use this EPA website to find a list of state-certified laboratories in your area that do water testing, or contact your county or state health department or your State Certification Officer for assistance. Prices will vary depending on the laboratory and the test(s), but most people consider the cost to be...
Where can I find information about my local drinking water supply?
The best way to learn about your local drinking water quality is to read the annual drinking water quality report/consumer confidence report that water suppliers now send out by July 1 of each year. The reports are often sent out with water bills, but they may be sent separately. The reports tell where drinking water comes from, what contaminants are in it, and at what levels. The U.S...
How can I find the depth to the water table in a specific location?
The depth to the water table can change (rise or fall) depending on the time of year. During the late winter and spring when accumulated snow starts to melt and spring rainfall is plentiful, water on the surface infiltrates into the ground and the water table rises. When water-loving plants start to grow again in the spring and precipitation gives way to hot, dry summers, the water table falls...
What is the difference between a confined and an unconfined (water table) aquifer?
A confined aquifer is an aquifer below the land surface that is saturated with water. Layers of impermeable material are both above and below the aquifer, causing it to be under pressure so that when the aquifer is penetrated by a well, the water will rise above the top of the aquifer. A water table--or unconfined--aquifer is an aquifer whose upper water surface (water table) is at atmospheric...
What is groundwater?
Groundwater is water that exists underground in saturated zones beneath the land surface. The upper surface of the saturated zone is called the water table. Contrary to popular belief, groundwater does not form underground rivers. It fills the pores and fractures in underground materials such as sand, gravel, and other rock, much the same way that water fills a sponge. If groundwater flows...
Groundwater might seem like magic to a youngster.
You may know that groundwater serves many purposes worldwide. Of course, drinking water and domestic uses of water are major components of those uses. The ways of getting at groundwater differ depending on the local underground conditions.
You may know that groundwater serves many purposes worldwide. Of course, drinking water and domestic uses of water are major components of those uses. The ways of getting at groundwater differ depending on the local underground conditions.
USGS employee taking a measurement on a domestic groundwater well
USGS employee taking a measurement on a domestic groundwater well. Photo from the USGS circular 1360 "Water Quality in Pricipal Aquifers of the United States, 1991-2010."
USGS employee taking a measurement on a domestic groundwater well. Photo from the USGS circular 1360 "Water Quality in Pricipal Aquifers of the United States, 1991-2010."
domestic well in the north Atlantic coastal plain
domestic well in the north Atlantic coastal plain. Photo from the USGS circular 1353 "Water Quality in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Surficial Aquifer System, Delawarem Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Virginia, 1988-2009."
domestic well in the north Atlantic coastal plain. Photo from the USGS circular 1353 "Water Quality in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Surficial Aquifer System, Delawarem Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Virginia, 1988-2009."
USGS employee sampling an urban groundwater well
USGS employee sampling an urban groundwater well. Photo from USGS circular 1352 "Water quality in the Glacial Aquifer System, Northern United States, 1993 - 2009.
USGS employee sampling an urban groundwater well. Photo from USGS circular 1352 "Water quality in the Glacial Aquifer System, Northern United States, 1993 - 2009.
Domestic well on the Arapahoe Aquifer
Domestic well on the Arapahoe Aquifer from the USGS Circular 1357 "Water Quality in the Denver Basin Aquifer System, Colorado, 2003-2005."
Domestic well on the Arapahoe Aquifer from the USGS Circular 1357 "Water Quality in the Denver Basin Aquifer System, Colorado, 2003-2005."