Well, Well, Well.

[Alf Witt]

I know that there is a lot of information posted here already on this subject but I have two questions.

Is the liklihood of finding a reasonable supply of ground water affected

a] if the land in question is on a steep slope?

b] if the location of the well is close to a seashore?

Are there any other issues specific to ground water at these locations.

Thanks.

[SamSipEt]

Steep slope no problem provided that the drilling rig can gain access – they will keep going down until you get a good supply.

[GuestHouse]

First thing I'd do is ask around your neighbours to see it they have wells or bores and if so is the water 'sweet'.

A point to note is that many water borers work on the basis of 'We'll find you sweet water at this fixed price'.

You may find that if there is a risk of brackish water then the water borers are unwilling to take the job on.

Also have a good read up on water boring, there is a whole lot of things to know about location of bores, distance from sesspits/drains.

Not to mention the boring technique itself. (Use of mud / sealing the well walls / keeping out surface water etc).

Here a good Well Water Information Resource

[Alf Witt]

Steep slope no problem provided that the drilling rig can gain access – they will keep going down until you get a good supply.

Thanks 31. How does the water table run on a slope? Parallel with the slope or horizontal? I know that sounds kind of stupid, but are you saying that if I am 50 meters up a hill the well will have to be 50 meters (and then some) deep before water is reached?

If I can also respond to guesthouse in this post - there are no neighbours so it is virgin territory.

[chownah]

There is not necessarily any correlation between how the surface of the land slopes and how the water table underneath slopes. You could assume that they run the same but you might be wrong.....depends on the geology of the area and what created the slope way back when. It also depends on whether you are getting water from a large regional water table or if you are getting it from a local water table containing water just from the hill. If its a really big hill then maybe a local water table would hold enough water for your needs but a small hill probably wouldn't. If there are no wells already drilled on your hill then go to the next hill over and check out the situation there...I guess. If its a steep hill I think I would look for wet spots at various times of the year as indication for what might be a likely spot to drill.

Chownah

[Gary A]

Steep slope no problem provided that the drilling rig can gain access – they will keep going down until you get a good supply.

Thanks 31. How does the water table run on a slope? Parallel with the slope or horizontal? I know that sounds kind of stupid, but are you saying that if I am 50 meters up a hill the well will have to be 50 meters (and then some) deep before water is reached?

If I can also respond to guesthouse in this post - there are no neighbours so it is virgin territory.

I certainly don't understand it and wouldn't pretend to, but where I live the wells in the mountainous areas here are more shallow than on the flat ground. In fact the natural springs in the mountains create waterfalls that run 24/7 year round.

[SamSipEt]

Steep slope no problem provided that the drilling rig can gain access – they will keep going down until you get a good supply.

Thanks 31. How does the water table run on a slope? Parallel with the slope or horizontal? I know that sounds kind of stupid, but are you saying that if I am 50 meters up a hill the well will have to be 50 meters (and then some) deep before water is reached?

If I can also respond to guesthouse in this post - there are no neighbours so it is virgin territory.

I certainly don't understand it and wouldn't pretend to, but where I live the wells in the mountainous areas here are more shallow than on the flat ground. In fact the natural springs in the mountains create waterfalls that run 24/7 year round.

As mentioned by Chownah it all depends on the local geology – our well is only 4 meters deep, has plenty of water all year and is on the highest point of our gently sloping land. The bottom end of the land is 150 meters away and lower than the bottom of the well but dry as a bone.

[lazeeboy]

Steep slope no problem provided that the drilling rig can gain access – they will keep going down until you get a good supply.

Thanks 31. How does the water table run on a slope? Parallel with the slope or horizontal? I know that sounds kind of stupid, but are you saying that if I am 50 meters up a hill the well will have to be 50 meters (and then some) deep before water is reached?

If I can also respond to guesthouse in this post - there are no neighbours so it is virgin territory.

I certainly don't understand it and wouldn't pretend to, but where I live the wells in the mountainous areas here are more shallow than on the flat ground. In fact the natural springs in the mountains create waterfalls that run 24/7 year round.

As mentioned by Chownah it all depends on the local geology – our well is only 4 meters deep, has plenty of water all year and is on the highest point of our gently sloping land. The bottom end of the land is 150 meters away and lower than the bottom of the well but dry as a bone.

water is in pockets not like an under ground river make sure when they hit water they continue to drill deeper as in the dry season the water table drops and you could end up dry half the year and getting them back will cost you again take my word for it

[Alf Witt]

Thanks for the answers. Much appreciated.