Kinda have a two fold problem with my pond. One is a leak that I've posted about in the new member section & the other is the question of drilling a well to supplement the pond's water supply. Obviously I need to repair the leak before drilling the well, but I need to know if using the well to help maintain the water level during dry spells is realistic. The pond is about 3/4A (surface area) & about 20+' deep when full. I live on hill ground that should provide some very accessible veins of water for the well.......

Using a well will work. My general rule of thumb is that if the water is drinkable without having to do anything to it, it's O.K. to put in a pond. I would tho, run it over rocks or something else to mix it with air, both to get out dissolved gasses and to help oxygenate it.

As for the volume of water needed, it all depends on how leaky your pond is, and how deep your pocketbook is (to pay the utilities). I'm spending about $100/mo right now to keep my pond from dropping any further, which means that I'm pumping approximately 30,000 gallons into the pond every day.

My pond is dug in sandy soil, and is also dug into the water table, so when it's dry out it really starts dropping fast. There was not enough clay in the pond basin when dug out to line the pond, so I knew it was going to be a problem.

54, glad to see another Kansas pond owner found PB. I have a 3/4 acre pond just out side of Wichita, during the summer months I pump 30,000 a day into the pond, at that rate it adds about 1" of water per day and cost around $100.00 per month.

54, it really depends on your well capacity and checkbook.

One acre foot of water equals 325,829 gallons.

Thanks guys for some very helpful info! I'm just now starting to explore the well idea & hope to resolve the leak to minimize the well use.

I was hoping someone would post some costs associated with the actual well drilling & pump, etc.

Well drilling costs can run anywhere from $2-$15 per foot plus set-up costs, pump, casing, etc. Calling around to local drillers will give you an idea of nearby well depths and estimates for complete jobs.

I'm on one of the local drillers waiting list, but it seems they're crazy busy. I had a tough time even getting them to return my calls & never had a chance to discuss any details with them.......... Perhaps I should look elsewhere...

I'd keep looking. With this economy, they aren't as busy as they were a few years ago.

Pricing will vary greatly depending on soil type, depth and what mechanicals you install. A variable speed well pump was quoted to me as costing about 1K more than a standard pump. The added wiring expense, controller and pump were the reasons.

Ask for references also (and check them). One driller in the area drills the well, installs the hardware and leaves. It's up to the homeowner to clean up the soil and stuff that he drilled out of the hole. Another leaves the place looking just like it did when they pulled up. Price was the same.

Go with a local driller - they seem to know the area the best. Talk to neighbors and ask them who they used. My new well was slightly over 3K. That included them drilling thru a 10" thick cement wall to install a water line and bladder tank. I have a 4" well, 1 hp motor, 66' depth and a double screen. This well is supposed to be capable of flowing 100 gpm if I change the well pump. They also ran electric (trenched and buried) about 150' to the well and to the pressure switch.

Thanks esshup for chiming in! I've tried to search the net (unsuccessfully) for the information you've given me. I now have a better understanding of cost & construction.

The driller that finally returned my call didn't seem too interested, said he'd put me on the list...... I was thinking, "what recession?"

My soils are sand/sandy loam/a bit of clay/and more sand, so drilling is easy.

When I lived in So. Cal. I talked to a well driller that said he had to go thru 100's of feet of rock to drill a well. Back in the late 1980's they were charging $20/foot. That could run into some serious money quickly. One well that I know of was over 500' down.

Yikes! I don't have pockets that deep! I've researched my state's drilling data & it would appear that most of the wells already drilled in my area are around 60'- 80' deep but the GPM varies considerably. Turns out, the driller I'm trying to work with is the lone dog in my neck of the woods. That would explain his lack of interest in new business.......

That sucks. Nobody else in the yellow pages? Or is there just enough business in the area for one company?

The going rate in central Kansas is 16-18 a foot, 20 if they hit solid rock. It's important that you take Esshup advice and "Ask for references and check them", the scammers are out in full force.

[quote=esshup]That sucks. Nobody else in the yellow pages? Or is there just enough business in the area for one company? [/quot


I agree! I've checked the Kansas Bureau Of Water's web site which lists the registered drillers in your area & this is the only company within 60 miles. Kind of a monopoly...... I'm sure he has more business than he can handle... He said he'd put me on the list, but never gave me any idea how long that might be.

The driller I talked to has been in business for longer than I can remember & he's the only game in town, so he should be trustworthy. I'll still check references if he ever gets around to me.

I''d broaden my search. There is a driller there with a home base of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Is the driller you are looking at license # 182?

60 to 80 ft, you guys are lucky! Here in Albany, La they have a flat rate for the first 400', including 50gal tank, 3/4 hp submersible pump, 4" pipe. That price ranges from 4500.00 to 5500.00 then 10.00 per ft past 400'.

I had mine dug in 2008, I upgraded to 100 gal tank, 1 hp pump and they had to go almost 600' to hit good water source. Most other wells in my area are between 450 and 500'. Total price was right at 7,000.00!

That would be him! I didn't see a driller from Indy listed in the Kansas registry.

I would think there are several drillers in the KC, St. Joe, Lincoln area that will drill in your neck of the woods.

Look at license #811.

Ahh, yes........ Helps if ya scroll all the way down! How far do some of these drillers travel?

Thanks Rainman! I know there's drillers in the KC area, but wasn't sure they'd travel 60 miles west. I'll give em a shout out, because I could be old & grey(oh, wait..I already am)before this local guy 30 miles away gets to me.

If the economy is slow, and you've got people to put to work, you do what you've gotta do.

I'll go ahead & plead ignorance up front & get it out of the way...... When having a well drilled, who selects the actual site? Is the owner expected to know the best location on his property to drill or is this something the driller should know? I know maps & data are used by hydrologists, so does the owner need to hire a hydrologist before drilling? I live just north of the Kansas River in the hills & my property is down in a valley with a small creek running through it, so there should be sufficient ground water available.......

I've drilled wells a long time ago and had a well drilled on my present place. The theory is that one place is probably as good as another.

That's probably not true and if a Hydrologist could better your odds, I would probably go for it.

Found a well on the Kansas Bureau Of Water's website registry for existing wells that was drilled just a mile east of me in 03. Owner drilled 180' to get a 10 GPM well...... The big difference here being the fact that this guy was located on top of a hill & I'm located in a valley......

Sounds promising.

Being in a valley,I'm hoping I don't have to drill anywhere near 180' deep to establish a well that only produces 10 GPM....... Ya never know until it's drilled!

Pick a general area of convenience and then witch for water.
http://www.pobonline.com/Articles/Features/ed9d27290e108010VgnVCM100000f932a8c0____
Talk around and you will find someone that has done this with success.

I had a dry hole drilled 580' on my place. My neighbor that's 1 mile away only went 350' and hit good water but that's Texas for you.

580'& dry ......Wow! I'd be in deep Kimchi if I ran into your situation! What's the going rate per foot for drilling in Texas?

I'm old enough to remember the old gentleman in our rural town that had the gift of witching for water (dowsing). He was a very popular man before rural water districts existed.

You had to go 600' for water in southern Louisiana? That's really surprising.