Originally posted by Steve Young:
Mike:
I'm trying to help you figure out how deep your well needs to be so you can determine if the hand method can work or if drilling is needed. Since we are talking about an artesian well, you will most likely need to penetrate an impermable confining unit, which is probably what stopped your progress. If you can look at some well logs and adjust for differences in elevation between the wells, you might be able to figure it out.
My best guess from your description is that you are either in Churchill or Ogemaw Township. The section number that I requested refers to square mile (640 acre) mapping units that are numbered from 1-36. There are generally 36 sections in a township. Dow Road is the dividing line between the two townships mentioned above. The MDEQ arranges their boring log records by section number. Based on your description of 1/2 mile north of Main Street off Dow Road I found the following two options:
West side of Dow: T22NR1E Sec 24 (Ogemaw)
East Side of Dow: T22N R2E Sec 19 (Churchill)
You can follow the link to look up the well logs and hopefully find a couple close by that will give you an idea of the geology.
Our drilling rates are approximately $10/foot. Costs increase incrementally with depth. The well string, screen, etc. and labor to install the well would be additional. That is for hollow stem auger drilling which is primarily for environmental work. You will probably find cable tool operators to be less expensive.
As you saw in the Artesian well document, a permit will be necessary to install the well.
Michigan Well Logs MIke,
Steve is obviously right about the hard confining layer potentially separating you from your artesian flow. Maybe Limestone?
A friend in Ohio that has a trout farm has a confining layer composed of limestone. Once you punch through that layer all hell breaks loose! He has 1500 gpms of water shooting out of the ground with two wells and more than he can handle with the excess going into a nearby river. He's sold that though just recently and is putting in another farm nearby on the same property. He's learned a few things over the years and wants to incoroporate those ideas into his new farm.
One intersting caviat though... When he put in a third well recently the ground caved in and became bigger and bigger. He had to invest $10,000 in limstone and build a mound to keep if from imploding more. He said it was the scariest thing he had ever seen. He almost lost the farm. In his area they have this things they call blue holes which are old wells that have caved in and gotten bigger and bigger. He has one on the property that is 60 feet deep but only about 100 feet wide. Instant trout pond! He actually puts trout in them and they do just fine!
