Myth or real?

We want to drill a well but only going to use it may be once or twice a year. A friend told us that the well will become dry eventually because lack of use. THis area doesn't have a water table. The well gets water from cracks in the rock. His explanation was that water flow through those cracks when the well is being used regularly. When not in use, it will eventually plug by mineral deposits caused by standing water. Is this a myth or real? BTW, the water in this area does have very high mineral content.

Would not the water be standing still prior to drilling? [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

Egon

[img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] Dear stumpy: About the only thing that would cause that well to plug up and quit drawing is if the perforations rusted up. If you used something besides steel pipe, you would avoid that issue entirely. I have set rigs up on water wells ....big ones....14-20"...... up to 1000' deep....that had not run for twenty years, and many were silted up from lateral flow through the well by various water strata. After we reopened the well by bailing with a Hooded Moran Bucket, we ran a scratcher tool and then we ran a dry ice tool to blast the perforations open. If you are in rock, that's a plus, less silt, less lateral movement of water. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

MYTH

Hard water scale, high TDS, chlorides and bacteria block well screen or rock bore fissures when/where the velocity of the recovery water flow is the highest. That can form hard encrustations reducing the recovery rate of the well. Real well screening doesn't rust.

So not using the well for long periods would reduce the buildup of anything that would block the recovery flow.

There is nowhere that doesn't have a water table, although it may be deeper than someone wants to look for it but more than likely in flat/rolling land it won't be more than a few hundred feet. And a well with water in it will only lose its water if the area suffers a serious drop in the water table.

Gary
Quality Water Associates