I have learned alot about basic well construction and also found a pretty amazing MDEQ free on-line database in my search. It was commissioned by the MDEQ in cooperation with MSUutilizing what is called ARCIS software. GO to http://gwmap.rsgis.msu.edu/ and then click on the button called STart Viewer in the middle, far left side of screen. This service is incredible - anyone in MIchigan will find it amazing for research and learning!

Steve: I have also talked with several "well men" and they indicated the almost 50 yr. old 2" steel pipe well currently running may have no screen at all. The well behavior is such that whenever we crank open the 2" ball valve we put on the side for drinking water (thermos fill up etc.) that a small handful of sand comes out for 3-5 seconds. When we had ratcheted back the flow in August for 2 months (while hte major excavation was being done we put a pipe reducer on the well and ran a garden hose 75 ft. outside the fence to the surrounding wetlands (to prevent flow into the pond during the big dig out). When we took the hose off and re-connected the 2" horizontal pvc pipe and let it flow fully, a hole bunch of sand came out for perhpas 3-5 MINUTES- very muddy looking (which had never happened before like this). It cleared up and was only sand, but lots of it. Another intersting test we did was to raise the garden hose up to actually test the height of the head- strangely enough, it stopped flowing completely at just 6 ft! Not was I hoped for, but consistent with the modest 15 gpm flow that been going on for almost 50 yrs. So, low pressure, but my guess is a fairly robust reservoir.

Another piece of the puzzle I just validated is that a well was dug in 2003 less than 1000 ft away
on our side of Dow Rd. (Hodgins Asphalt)and the record indicates a 40 ft. total depth AND it was a flowing well (artesian). FYI- the second to last layer on the nearby well was CLAY, just as you found and the final "layer" lsited as sand/water. With a pump they got 60 gpm for one hour with NO apparent drop in the aquifer. They ran the 60 gpm test for a whole hour, agin testifying that the aquifer is large. Better than that is that as this well was for a business, that torqued it back to about 10 gpm, thereby not draining more of the immedaite aquifer. The record doesn't show the unassisted flow- fyi (darn!)

On a related note, a driller mentioned he knew of a well 4 miles away that hot 1500 gpm in an artesian well- am I jealous or what??? We don't anticipate anything like that. They also ratcheted that well back to a modest low output in the end (no trout pond there)

THANKS for all of your help on this- your input has been very helpful!!