Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations cleaning out a drill well?

I have an approximately 1/4 acre pond. I live in north Alabama. We have had NO rain since winter until the last 2 weeks or so, and not much then. My pond has probably dropped about 3 ft.Most of the shallow banks are dry, only the deeper middle has water. I found a drill well down below the dam a couple years ago. I stuck it and it is about 20 ft deep or so, the first time it had 108 inches, a couple weeks later is had about 75 inces. 20 feet seems shallow for a drill well around here. I've been told they are usually 100 ft or so. The bottom feels fairly hard with the stick that I use. It is a 4 or 5 inch pipe cut off level with the ground. No telling how long it has been there as I didn't even know it was there when I bought the land in 95. I'm sure a good bit of dirt and grass etc has fallin into it. Any ideas on something I can use to try to clean it out some? I'd like to try to put some kind of pump in it and pump some water up into my pond to help with my water level. Thanks!!!!

keven does it have a concrete pad around the pipe? If so it could be a hand dug well. I have one on my property that is about the same depth, but it is open about 3ft in dia and is rock lined all the way to the bottom. I can pump my down and it will fill by the next day but this is not near enough water flow to help with keeping my pond levels up. I dought you will have enough water at that depth to do any good but I could be wrong.
You might try something like this
http://www.surechem.com.my/download/eijkelkamp/P1/P1-22e.pdf good luck

Are you sure it hasn't been capped with concrete?

No concrete around it, just a 4" pipe cut off level with the ground, it's out in the middle of a pasture, about 20 yards below my dam, which I had built. I have no idea why it would be there. Even my grandma who is 82 doesn't remember a house ever being there. It used to be a 40 acre farm before I bought this section of it. Only think I can figure is that maybe it was drilled for watersource for cattle, don't know why it would be cut off level with the ground though. I have owned the land since 95 and my mom accidentally found it about 2 years ago. As for the concrete, I don't think this is the case. I would think they'd cap it to the top probably. I wish I could find out why it is there and how long it has been there. That way I could get an idea maybe of how much dirt etc may have fallen in. The bottom feels pretty firm, although after picking up and dropping the 15 ft stick with string attached, I did get about 4 more inches of water on it due to it burrying up in mud. I thought about tying a treble hook on some fishing line and seeing if I could bring up leaves or anything. Any extra water would help a little. I'm scared to death my fish are gonna die because of my water being so low. Yesterday I put my 8' bass hunter plastic boat in the pond and ran it around with the trolling motor barely in the water to stir it up and hopefully get more oxygen in the water. If this is for some reason a bad idea somebody please let me know. Thanks guys.

keven You can clean out the well by pumping water into the well.Run pvc to the bottom of the well and pump into the pipe.Water comes from the bottom up and brings the debrie out with it.Good luck Tom G

a hand auger or sludge sampler with rod attachments is what you need to clean that well out. you might be able to rent them from a local geotech or environmental firm.

afterthought.....you could also rent a gas powered "fence post" digger if you can get additional auger rod to get you 20 feet, although i think the hand tools would be better for yer purpose.