Hello,

New here and loving this place already. We are having a pond dug here in just a few weeks and I have a question. We have a old hand dug well that is going to be included inside of the pond. Hoping to gain 4 to 5' of water from it. I also have another well that will be right close to the shore. This one is a 6 inch aluminum pipe that sticks up from the ground about 10 inches. No idea of water flow from it, never been used according to previous owners. Anyhow, question is what is the best way (pump type) to get water out of this well and into the pond. I would love something set up permanent so that I only have to throw a switch to turn it on. Thanks in advance. The pond will be a 1/4 acre and 10' deep.

Eric

Wally, if I understand correctly, the pond water will communicate with the well water. It will not likely help to fill it the pond. Let's hope the well doesn't drain the pond instead. If it does, you will probably have to pack it with clay.

If you have a dug well beside the pond, it's very possible that it can help. If the well is no less than 20 feet deep, you can pump water from it from above. You have 3 choices. A sucking electric pump, a sumerged well pump, or a centrifugal gasoline pump. The electric pumps are slow, but they quietly and reliably do their job. Gasoline powered centrifugal pumps have very high output. If the gasoline pump doesn't suck the well dry, you can fill your pond in a day or so of pumping, and top it off in a few hours.

If the well depth is 20' or more, you can not suck water from it. The water will have to be "pushed" up with a submersible electric well pump.

Good luck, and let us know how you make out.

Eric, I'd try to find another location for the pond. Here's the problem. A well indicates the location of an aquifer, usually water bearing sand. If you inundate it, your pond could, and probably will, flow backward into the well/aquifer. The depth of the well indicates the depth of the aquifer. It's all about something called head pressure. Head pressure from the aquifer fills the void in the ground that is created by digging the well. If you get enough rain to totally fill the aquifer from your pond, it will temporarily stop flowing backwards into that aquifer. However when dry weather hits, the aquifer will become somewhat depleted and the head pressure will be greater from above (your pond).

Anytime a pond digger hits sand or water bearing sand, he knows to stop digging and cover it with clay. This is the absolute lower limit of the pond depth.

To illustrate: I had a small pond that seldom totally dried up. I figured there was a seep spring down there that I could use to keep the pond totally filled. I rented a backhoe and dug down to the water level. Then, no rain came for months. The pond water ran backward into the spring/aquifer and I lost the whole works. I finally filled the bottom with bentonite and then a couple of feet of clay. It is now holding water nicely from runoff.

I expect somebody here can give advice on the switch.

Dave and Bobad,

My thinking was that if the well is deeper than the pond that the water would just spread out over the area instead of back flowing into the well. Or wont that matter?

I am hoping this worked, rough sketch of proposed setup.

Eric, when you hit sand, it's like having a bucket with a hole in it.

Trying to figure out how to explain this. Get a bucket and put a small hole in it. Put some sand in it. Put the bucket in a washtub or something. Pour water into the washtub. You will see the water rise in the bucket and equalize to the level in the tub. Now suck some of the water out of the tub and you will see the water level decrease out of the bucket into the tub. The same thing will happen if you put sand in both the bucket and tub to find an equal level. Water always seeks it's own level. A spring and/or aquifer can both give and take.

Another way of looking at it is to dig a hole next to and deeper than the well. Use a pump and empty the water from the new hole. The water previously contained at the bottom of the well will flow into the newly created void.

If you dig the pond deeper than the water bearing sand and hit good clay, the water in the aquifer will fill the new area below the aquifer and keep the pond full at the level below the sand. However, you won't know until you dig just how deep the aquifer/sand goes.

So if I dig and dont hit sand, staying above the aquafier what then? I am only excavating approx. 6 feet lower the the top of the well. the rest will be built up. the well will actually be sitting on the slope as it sits. I understand what you are saying and it makes sense.

I just have to ask so I will know. When people are talking about digging wells to help fill thier pond they are some distance away from the pond then?

Eric,

Yes, either some distance away, or significantly deeper than the pond. Being hand-dug wells, they are probably not very deep. That indicates the aquifer is fairly shallow.

Perhaps you could dig a test hole or 2. If you don't run into sand or gravel, you may be in luck.

Now I am more worried than ever about this pond!!
Everything you guys are saying makes perfect sense I just wish it were the other way. I am going to do the test holes and hopefully I dont hit any gravel or sand near the well. I think I may just forget going over the well though for now and go just next to it. Or will that be bad as well?

As long as you have plenty of clay between you and the old well it will probably be OK. You have to determine which way the aquifer goes. I would rather find sand on the bottom than the sides. Atleast, on the bottom, you can pack with clay.