Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Horizontal Well to Fill Pond with Cold Water?

Hi Folks,

My wife and I are about to snap up some land in the northern VA/northeastern WV area for a hunting/fishing retreat, and are going to build a pond of 2-3 acres on the property. We are attempting to decide between a few different sites, and several of them have land that varies over 100 feet in altitude over the 10-30 acres of the lots.

One of these lots does not have a stream or creek either going through it or along its border, and so we had the idea that perhaps we could find water on the higher part of the property, and then drill horizontally to get to the water and have it flow out and fill a pond.

We are very new to pond construction, and so I am wondering whether this is a practice that has been followed before.

A great side benefit of this would be that the water that would come from the horizontal well/spring would be cold, and would make for good breeding habitat for trout if we constructed it as such.

Thanks, and I look forward to hearing your experiences!

I dug a well on our property to feed our pond in Texas - I do know here that to handle the evaporation during the summer it needed to be 30-36 gallons per minute output - there is a way to calculate it based on size of your pond - we put in a 2 HP pump -

I would touch bases with the state geologist to see what the probability of tapping into water might be in the area. The water would be cold, but likely low in oxygen, so it might need to flow over some rocks to get oxygenated. You might also ask the geologist about the water quality and then see if that is OK for trout.

Is horizontal drilling a thing for water wells? I think it would be pretty neat to basically create you're own spring but most of the search results I saw for horizontal drilling were for petroleum.

Yes, everything I have seen regarding "horizontal wells" or "horizontal drilling" has referred to oil exploration. However, it seems pretty logical that if you have water underground high up on a hill that is higher than where you want the pond, you could drill horizontally to it to feed the pond. It would then be easy from there to have it flow for a bit before entering the pond, and therefore aerate itself and create good trout-spawning habitat!

Might need to look into legality if you are planning to drill under someone else's land. Attached is a publication that might be helpful.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ver...ublication_list

"Abstract
Horizontal well technology, long used in the livestock and construction industries, recently has been applied to the management of wildlife habitat. Horizontal wells are an effective method of developing water supplies in arid regions where more traditional methods may not be adequate. The advantages of this technique are discussed, and brief descriptions of the development processes are provided. Widespread application of this technique is encouraged, particularly at sites that historically produced water but, because of the general drying trend throughout the Southwest, no longer generate surface flows."

http://www.clean-water-for-laymen.com/spring-development.html

"Horizontal Wells

Where a spring has a steeply sloping water table (steep hydraulic gradient), horizontal wells may be used for spring development. Horizontal well intakes must be located in an area with a sloping water table in order to have adequate discharge.


Pipes with open ends or with perforated drive points or well screens can be driven, jetted, or augured into an aquifer horizontally or at a shallow slope to tap it at a point higher than the natural discharge.

The pipe must also enter the aquifer deeply enough to ensure the required minimum flow throughout the year. The water supply reaches the surface by flowing from the tapped aquifer through the installed pipe. See Figure 4 for an example of intake placement for horizontal wells.

Horizontal wells are installed in a manner similar to driven and jetted wells except that care must be taken to prevent water from flowing through the annular space outside the pipe. Any flow can be stopped by grouting or by constructing a concrete cut-off wall packed with clay backfill.

The advantages and disadvantages of spring development of this type are similar to those of the spring box mentioned above. Horizontal wells are fairly inexpensive, spring water is relatively clean, and gravity flow may be acceptable. Springs with flat water tables are not suitable for the use of horizontal wells, and the quantity of water may fluctuate with the season."

Most states have restrictions on water well use - checkout your situation. Horizontal drilling has not been adapted to water well drilling but is used in oil/gas well drilling. It is very expensive and requires some high tech abilities.

Horizontal drilling is actually very commonplace nowadays. Most all utility lines and pipelines are now installed using directional horizontal drilling rigs to some extent, especially in urban areas.

They drill horizontally under roads, parking lots, buildings, rivers, mountains, etc., and either push or pull thru the bore, pipes, electrical conduits, sleeves, casings, etc.

I often see independent drilling contractors working on the roadside using either Vermeer or Ditch Witch brand drilling rigs, and I suspect it may be possible to strike a good deal with a small contractor to drill a horizontal well. However, I would certainly want to first consult with an expert as to the viability of a horizontal well in its particular location before spending the money on drilling.

Also, I’m assuming that drilling into the side of a mountain or a large hillside is gonna involve drilling thru a lot of rock, and that could be very expensive.


Links to pictures of drilling rigs. They come in many sizes

https://i.imgur.com/jHxJcp6.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/kSAspGE.png?1

https://i.imgur.com/AQlRhk7.jpg

Never thought of this idea for a basic supplemental water supply for the pond rather than trying to seal it perfectly. Since I live on a hill, and the pond is at the bottom of it, it would be reasonable to tap into a higher-elevation wet area at the opposite corner of the property from the pond. There would be a decent gamble of creating a "spring" and getting a flow without pumping. Not only that, my entire hill is made of glacial debris, so plenty of stones and clay rather than solid rock.

I will be following this thread to see what it ultimately costs to put one in. If you don't have to pump vs. pumping a vertical well, it would be far cheaper in the long run. Having a flow of cold water would also make trout possible, which would be a heck of a lot of fun.

The concept of horizontal drilling into a higher water table and creating a spring is REALLY cool.

I do not mean to crush any dreams here, BUT that technology is very expensive. I looked into horizontal drilling for a 4 to 6" gas pipe line (for work). The contractor responsible for developing the bid mentioned that horizontal drilling can run, in the neighborhood, of $1200 per foot. That's just for the hole, no liner, pipe pulling, nothing, just a hole.

At a small fraction of this cost ($1200/ft), let's say 10% = $120/ft...I could afford to go about 10 feet before I would start questioning my love for the water. And, don't mention "Rock", then the price can quadruple. Sheezzzz!

Yikes. I wonder if you get two different prices for private vs. commercial. The local cable company (Spectrum) wants about the same to run a stinking coax up the poles to our house. It is simply meant to discourage the job as they just don't want to do it.

I suppose a well trained troupe of ground hogs may be worth the hassle?

Well, I suggest that you make the calls yourself...A co-worker is doubting that the dollars I mentioned are anywhere near correct. I have not verified this and could be passing on bad info. Our setting was, in fact, heavy industrial with space constraints and some railroad tracks to deal with.

For that price, you could buy the rig yourself and drill your own hole and still be far ahead. Right up until you hit something like your neighbor's basement.

That is cheap compared to wells subject to pressure (oil or water). Horz drilling near surface is entirely different than subsurface where pressure is possible. No guarantees either. How would you feel if you paid big bucks for a horz water well with 0 results. Not only do you have to find the productive zone you have to stay in that zone for the duration of the lateral drill.

You had better check state laws first.