The purpose of this document is to provide reference information relative to responding to drought effects on wells. See DES fact sheet WD-WSEB-1-4 for more information concerning dug well construction and WD-WSEB-1-2 for drilled well construction. Dug wells are more likely to be impacted by droughts than bedrock wells.

There may be concerns on the part of the other well owners relative to possible negative impacts of sharing water. The home providing the water should be given assurances of the following:

1. This is only a temporary situation.
2. Pumping for two homes does not damage the well.
3. There should be no damage to the pump so long as air is not seen in the pumpage. Full water depth around the electric motor of a submersible is needed for cooling.
4. A water meter can be installed to measure usage of the second home, and thus allow a fair method for payment of electricity and water treatment costs (if any).

If using this approach it is very important that the tank truck be scrupulously cleaned from the previous use, and that all water that will be placed in a well should be from a water supply source proven to be safe.

A useful alternative to placing water in a well from a tank truck is to fill storage tanks, such as 30 gallon clean trash cans placed in a cellar or garage. Add a tablespoon of chlorine to each tub every few days to control taste and odors. Cover the tanks to protect against dirt and vermin (see section 1506.4.3 state plumbing code). Service from these tanks will typically be by hand dipping using small buckets. This water should not be considered safe for drinking, but can be used for other household purposes.

Drilling requires mobilizing heavy equipment, which may cause damage to the landscaping near the well, and requires that the submersible pump and a portion of the pitless adaptor be removed.

Hydrofracturing opens up the factures in the rock with very high pressure water (3,000 psi) to achieve greater flow. Hydrofracturing also requires equipment mobilization, which requires repair of landscaping and disassembly of the pitless adaptor. This is a specialized service costing $1,000-$1,500 and typically takes a day to complete. See fact sheet WD-WSEB-1-3 for more information on hydrofracturing.

Lowering The Pump Intake

See Illustration
This is feasible if the present pump intake point is somewhat high off the bottom of the well. An extension can be added to the suction line. Make sure the seal between the permanent pipe and the extension piece is air tight.

If a submersible pump is used in the well, fabricate a cradle so that the pump can be installed sideways, a few inches off the bottom of the well. Remember to raise the intake again when the drought abates.

Deflector Plate

Fabricate a deflector plate for dug wells. The plate would hang below the intake pipe - say 4" minimum clearance. The purpose of the plate is to prevent silt from being riled up below the lowered intake point. The suction assembly and plate would then be lowered until the plate just rests on the bottom of the well.
Deepening a dug well

See Illustration
First, probe the bottom of the well to see if the well can be deepened. This is often done by driving a thin rigid steel rod into the bottom of the well. If soils are found to exist, deepening the well is possible. If rock is encountered, the well cannot be conveniently deepened.

The method illustrated below consists of making a smaller well in the bottom of an existing dug well. When deepening a dug well two precautions are critical. First, examine the general strength and integrity of the well casing. Next, develop a plan for rescue if cave-in or other unexpected conditions were to occur. Ensure that there is no weakening of the soil support under the outside well tile. This could result in the lowest tile sinking, and dirt entering the well higher up between other joints in the casing. NO DEEPENING WORK SHOULD EVER BE ATTEMPTED ON A WELL MADE FROM FIELDSTONE.

To develop the sump, drive a smooth, thin, 18" + diameter pipe into the bottom of the dug well. This pipe is a temporary shield. Use a 2" x 4" sacrificial wooden timber and heavy hammer to drive the shield into the soil. Now place a permanent 12" diameter heavier plastic pipe inside the temporary shield pipe. Drill many small holes through this permanent 12" diameter pipe. Now place small pea stones between the two pipes and compact. Finally, carefully remove the larger temporary diameter shield, and further compact the pea stones. The pea stones should be larger than the drill holes in the 12" permanent casing.

Often a dug well has been installed as deep as possible and no further deepening is feasible. In that case, a bedrock well can be installed in the middle of the dug well, and the dug well filled in with clean fine fill material to the finished grade. This bedrock well position allows the same water discharge line and electrical conduit to be used.