Water Well

To describe wells in general, they are “holes dilled (or dug) into the ground to access water contained in an aquifer” or the broader water table, where “spaces between the rock and dirt particles are filled with water” using a bucket or “pipe and a pump” to “pull water out of the ground” with a screen that “filters out unwanted particles that could clog the pipe” [1], [3]. The water wells that we find identifiable and familiar with are the older dug water wells that consist of “a bucket” that is “lowered into a hole in the ground” and then “transported to where it is needed,” whereas the modern water well is primarily not visible above ground [5].

The major types of water wells include “drilled wells” which are “constructed by either cable tool (percussion) or rotary-drilling machines,” also “driven wells,” which are “constructed by driving a small-diameter pipe into shallow water-bearing sand or gravel,” and “dug wells,” wells commonly “excavated by hand shovel” [4].

Visually striking and notable, these dug wells are “lined with stones, bricks, tile, or other material to prevent collapse,” with this material visible on the surface or ground level where it sits to form a circular or square shape; “a cap of wood, stone, or concrete tile” [4]. These wells frequently have awnings or other shade structures to help keep the water in the well cool and protect people from falls into the well. They also have “a large diameter, are shallow (approximately 10 to 30 feet deep)” [2]. As Waller, R. M. [3] points out, these dug wells “cannot be dug much deeper than the water table — just as you cannot dig a hole very deep when you are at the beach, it keeps filling up with water!”

References

[1] The Groundwater Foundation. (2021). Get Informed : The Basics : Wells. Retrieved (2021, July 17), from https://www.groundwater.org/get-informed/basics/wells.html

[2] United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). (2020, October 15). Learn About Private Water Wells. Retrieved (2021, July 17), from https://www.epa.gov/privatewells/learn-about-private-water-wells

[3] Waller, R. M. (1982). Ground Water and the Rural Homeowner – Groundwater Wells. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved (2021, July 17), from https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/groundwater-wells?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects

[4] Wellowner.org – Water Well Resources and Water Well Service Directory. (2021). Types of Wells. Retrieved (2021, July 17), from https://wellowner.org/resources/basics/types-of-wells/

[5] Water-Right Group. (2020, January 2). How does a Well Work? Retrieved (2021, July 17), from https://www.water-rightgroup.com/resources/how-does-a-well-work/