Owing your private well offers a lot of benefits. Your property value will increase; you have to pay less for water with unlimited access. So, if you plan to install a water well in your home, its depth should be the most important consideration. In general, the depth of the water well should be 100 ft because it will allow maximum ground filtration, impurities removal and ensures the highest quality water. You will have to read this guide till the end to get detailed information on well water depth.
How Deep Should A Drinking Water Well Be?
The depth of the drinking water well should be at least 100 ft because, at this depth, surface contaminant doesn’t enter the well water. The average depth for home wells is kept at 100 to 800 ft. It mainly depends on the geology of your region and how deep your well should be. Besides this, type of soil and the presence of rocks under the ground also determine the depth of the drinking water well. If impermeable and hard rocks are present, you may need to dig your well deeper than usual.
If your area’s water table is low, you will also require digging well deeper. You need to take permission from the local county health department before digging a drinking water well in your home.
Factors Affecting The Depth of Residential Water Well
Certain factors determine the depth of the drinking water well. Considering these factors, you can dig your residential water well easily.
Surface contaminants
Proper and strong construction of drinking water well provides better protection to the water. The deeper the water well, the lesser will be the risk of surface contaminants in the well water. Water will take more time to flow from the aquifer to the well pump. This longer water travels results in dying off and trapping bacteria and other water contaminants.
Depth of Aquifer
Underground aquifers are the sources of well water. Your home will should be deep enough to get access to aquifers. Usually, well drilling needs to reach at least 300-500 feet deep to hit the bedrock. In some cases, a well may even need to reach 1,000 feet.
Seasonal Fluctuations of Water Table
If you live in an area whose water table fluctuates with seasons, you might need to dig your well deeper to have water access every season. You can find information about the water table in your area from the concerned departments or online.
Geology of Bedrock
The geological characteristics of bedrock under your well are linked with the location of the aquifer. The location of the aquifer directly links with the depth of well. The rock’s geology also determines the well’s size, and somehow the size will also affect the well’s depth.
Water Quality
Certain zones in the US have poor water quality, and you have to go deeper to dig your water well to avoid such dangerous zones. If you are drilling your water well deeper for better water quality, keep a few things in mind. First, it usually takes a full day to get the well, cap, and casing properly installed, and secondly, an extra day to install the well pumps.
Problem with Shallow Wells
Less than 50 feet well is considered shallow. A well with less than 100 feet in depth has less absorbent soil, so it cannot absorb contaminants. A shallow well can result in poor water quality, discoloration, black sediments in water, and much more. Shallow well water also has surface contaminants because it extracts the water, which is highest in the water table. Besides this, shallow water may dispose of animal wastes, motor oils, pesticides, or fertilizers.
Deeper Water Doesn’t Always Mean the Best Quality; Use Water Softeners and Well Water Filters
The deeper you drill a well, the more minerals will be available. This might be great for well-being, yet the water might be excessively hard. So you may require a water softener to prevent damage to your pipelines and domestic appliances.
Water softeners and well water filters are best to treat well water and make it perfect for drinking.
Water Softeners
A water softener is a salt tank that can be installed near your home’s plumbing system. It softens the hard water by adding sodium ions into it, so you can use your well water easily for drinking. Various affordable water softeners are available online; you can choose as per your needs and affordability.
Water softeners make water taste better by removing the hard bicarbonates from water, making it suitable for drinking.
Well Water Filters
Well water filters are designed to clean drinking water. These filters remove harmful contaminants from your home’s well water. They are made up of a series of filters that remove sediment, rust particles, and other contaminants. In the first stage, larger particles such as dirt and sand are removed from the well water. The second step is to remove finer particles from water, such as bacteria and other microorganisms.
Final Thoughts
Home well water should be at least 100 feet deep to avoid surface contaminants and to ensure better quality water. Still, well water can have various contaminants that can be removed through water softeners and well water filters.
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