The Safest Water In Los

[ETC]

If I were to drill a borehole in LOS, where would I find the safest untreated water and at what average depth?

Edited June 20, 2008 by ETC

[slapout]

About 4 to 5 meter south of Tesco entry door and a depth of .25 meter below cement surface. If no H2O there plumb into the water dispenser direct. Sheeeeesh

[ETC]

About 4 to 5 meter south of Tesco entry door and a depth of .25 meter below cement surface. If no H2O there plumb into the water dispenser direct. Sheeeeesh

<slapout>

That wasn't what I had in mind. It was a serious question related to a future project. I want to thank you for your reply however, as I was wondering how long it would take for someone to make lite of my question, and you did not dissappoint me in that regard.

I have to believe that studies have been conducted on the water quality in different areas of LOS and that is what I'm interested in learning about.

[slapout]

You are correct there have been many studies made in Thailand on water, quality, and quanity. As far as a center where all of this info is cataloged, and is reliable, use your best judgement. If you are not Thai, I would ask the same question about your home country, doubt if there is a single answer, unless your from a island with a single water source. I normally try to put into my answers the thought that went into the question. Not to dissappoint anyone.

[ETC]

You are correct there have been many studies made in Thailand on water, quality, and quanity. As far as a center where all of this info is cataloged, and is reliable, use your best judgement. If you are not Thai, I would ask the same question about your home country, doubt if there is a single answer, unless your from a island with a single water source. I normally try to put into my answers the thought that went into the question. Not to dissappoint anyone.

Never expected a single answer but rather some positive feedback from those that have knowledge in the area. If you lack that knowledge I understand.

[bratpack]

I would go to the dark side and drill right next to the lake,and take plenty of bottles.

[Crossy]

If I were to drill a borehole in LOS, where would I find the safest untreated water and at what average depth?

With respect ETC, you really are asking "how long is a piece of string".

Thailand is a big country, with widely varying geology. Perhaps if you reveal what you want to do with this water, how much you'll be needing and if you have any preferred area then you may get a better response

[ETC]

If I were to drill a borehole in LOS, where would I find the safest untreated water and at what average depth?

With respect ETC, you really are asking "how long is a piece of string".

Thailand is a big country, with widely varying geology. Perhaps if you reveal what you want to do with this water, how much you'll be needing and if you have any preferred area then you may get a better response

Hi Crossy..Thank you for your reply..

What I need the water for and the volumne needed and the area is not important here. I am also fully aware of geological differences in LOS. I want to know where the best known naturally untreated water has been found whether North, South, East or West LOS. I know there are many borehole drillers and professionals with knowledge of water quality and that is the information I'm seeking.

This is a very simple question and if someone had asked this same question of the United States I would've responded with three different areas. Wells in the states of Oregon, Washington and Colorado, and the U.S. is a big country too.

[Farma]

This link to a pdf download report on inland water pollution 1993 – 2003 might give you somewhere to start. www.deqp.go.th/SepII/Inland%20water.pdf

[ETC]

This link to a pdf download report on inland water pollution 1993 – 2003 might give you somewhere to start. www.deqp.go.th/SepII/Inland%20water.pdf

<farma> thank you for the link.

I had read that information before, and it referenced more on polution then the question I originally posted. You're right though, it does give evidence of areas under stress.

[Samuian]

The Region around, produces some springs.

Here on Samui is a bottled Water "Neptune" availabe from there.

tastes good...in my opinion.

West and Northwest of Nakhon si Thammarat ... large watershed areas - protected too!

[ETC]

The Region around, produces some springs.

Here on Samui is a bottled Water "Neptune" availabe from there.

tastes good...in my opinion.

West and Northwest of Nakhon si Thammarat ... large watershed areas - protected too!

<Samuian>

Thank you for your post as that is the kind of information I'm looking for.

[Gary A]

Sometime back a farang posted that he had drilled a well somewhere west of Udon Thani. It turned out to be an artesian well and he couldn't figure out how to get the water to stop flowing out of the casing. Capping the casing caused the water to flow out around the casing and created an even bigger problem.

[ozzydom]

A clue to the answer to the OP,s question may lie in the fact that most of the major bottled water suppliers spend big bucks to treat water from the local reticulated system.

If good potable spring water was available I am sure they would be making good use of it .

We have a local farmer with a spring of great drinking water which he supplies to the villagers during dry times,but if I were to divulge its whereabouts I would then have to kill you to keep his secret safe.

[ETC]

Sometime back a farang posted that he had drilled a well somewhere west of Udon Thani. It turned out to be an artesian well and he couldn't figure out how to get the water to stop flowing out of the casing. Capping the casing caused the water to flow out around the casing and created an even bigger problem.

Gary A

Thank you for your post and i will try to find something on that.

etc

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

Know of one guy near Hua Hin recently drilled a well. Hit water at 30mtr drilled on down to 80mtr to insure good supply. To soon to know the quality of the water yet.

[ETC]

A clue to the answer to the OP,s question may lie in the fact that most of the major bottled water suppliers spend big bucks to treat water from the local reticulated system.

If good potable spring water was available I am sure they would be making good use of it .

We have a local farmer with a spring of great drinking water which he supplies to the villagers during dry times,but if I were to divulge its whereabouts I would then have to kill you to keep his secret safe.

ozzydom

Thank you for your post. Just so I understand you correctly, you're telling me good potable water is not and is available.

[ETC]

Know of one guy near Hua Hin recently drilled a well. Hit water at 30mtr drilled on down to 80mtr to insure good supply. To soon to know the quality of the water yet.

BEENTHEREDONETHAT

Thank you for the info and I will try to follow up on this.If you hear anymore please keep me informed.

Thanks again

[ETC]

Sometime back a farang posted that he had drilled a well somewhere west of Udon Thani. It turned out to be an artesian well and he couldn't figure out how to get the water to stop flowing out of the casing. Capping the casing caused the water to flow out around the casing and created an even bigger problem.

Gary A

I did a search and found the information you referenced here.

Thanks again

[ozzydom]

A clue to the answer to the OP,s question may lie in the fact that most of the major bottled water suppliers spend big bucks to treat water from the local reticulated system.

If good potable spring water was available I am sure they would be making good use of it .

We have a local farmer with a spring of great drinking water which he supplies to the villagers during dry times,but if I were to divulge its whereabouts I would then have to kill you to keep his secret safe.

ozzydom

Thank you for your post. Just so I understand you correctly, you're telling me good potable water is not and is available.

Thats correct,there are a few springs of potable water in the hilly areas,but to small and in the wrong areas to be useful for crop irrigation.

You would know that much of Isaan is sitting on a huge salt deposit and much of the bore water is to saline to be of use for irrigation, it has been tried and the result is vast areas of salt degraded soils . This is one of the reasons that Isaan has a much lower crop yield than some other areas.

There are a couple of successful rice growers groups in operation, mainly in areas where the land holdings are of much bigger average size, but the bulk of Issan is made up of small family holdings (3-10 rai ) which hardly grow enough to feed the family for a year.

[ETC]

A clue to the answer to the OP,s question may lie in the fact that most of the major bottled water suppliers spend big bucks to treat water from the local reticulated system.

If good potable spring water was available I am sure they would be making good use of it .

We have a local farmer with a spring of great drinking water which he supplies to the villagers during dry times,but if I were to divulge its whereabouts I would then have to kill you to keep his secret safe.

ozzydom

Thank you for your post. Just so I understand you correctly, you're telling me good potable water is not and is available.

Thats correct,there are a few springs of potable water in the hilly areas,but to small and in the wrong areas to be useful for crop irrigation.

You would know that much of Isaan is sitting on a huge salt deposit and much of the bore water is to saline to be of use for irrigation, it has been tried and the result is vast areas of salt degraded soils . This is one of the reasons that Isaan has a much lower crop yield than some other areas.

There are a couple of successful rice growers groups in operation, mainly in areas where the land holdings are of much bigger average size, but the bulk of Issan is made up of small family holdings (3-10 rai ) which hardly grow enough to feed the family for a year.

ozzdom

My interest in water is for Thailand as a whole, but I also have a personal interest in Isaan.

Thanks again

[ozzydom]

ozzdom

My interest in water is for Thailand as a whole, but I also have a personal interest in Isaan.

Thanks again

ETC

The problem in Thailand is that through lack of action by Governments over a long period have failed to provide infrastructure in the form of water storage.,hence we suffer from flood in the wet season to drought in the dry.

Bores do not provide enough water during the dry for irrigation and cause problems through lowering the water table ,making it inaccessable to 100,s of thousands of Thais who rely on it for their daily household requirements (on our farm ,the water table can drop 8 metres).

Authorities along with overseas experts have been working on salination and soil degradation problems for over 10 years.

Making water from the Mekong River available is touted as being a possibility but this requires co-operation from other countries bordering the river ,plus mega billions in infrastructure costs .

[ETC]

ozzdom

My interest in water is for Thailand as a whole, but I also have a personal interest in Isaan.

Thanks again

ETC

The problem in Thailand is that through lack of action by Governments over a long period have failed to provide infrastructure in the form of water storage.,hence we suffer from flood in the wet season to drought in the dry.

Bores do not provide enough water during the dry for irrigation and cause problems through lowering the water table ,making it inaccessable to 100,s of thousands of Thais who rely on it for their daily household requirements (on our farm ,the water table can drop 8 metres).

Authorities along with overseas experts have been working on salination and soil degradation problems for over 10 years.

Making water from the Mekong River available is touted as being a possibility but this requires co-operation from other countries bordering the river ,plus mega billions in infrastructure costs .

ozzydom

Am in accord with what you say and there are water problems in certain areas of the U.S. too. An 8 Meter drop in your well water is quite substantial. If you were to go back and read my OP, "If I were to drill a borehole in LOS, where would I find the safest untreated water and at what average depth?", you will find that I did not say I was going to drill a borehole. What my objective in this forum is to gather information for a project that I wish to pursue when I return to LOS in a couple of months. In no way do I intend to add to the problems of the local population, but rather to add something postive instead. I have an extensive background in agriculture at both the personal and academic level and I find the acidic and saline soil in LOS a challenge.. Information on many of the poorer areas of LOS is hard to come by and there is immence knowledge to be gleened from the locals and expats such as yourself. Thank you...

[slapout]

etc; there is a regular on TV, whose business it is to drill water wells in Thailand. You may want to research this type of individual/company to get a answer to your inquiry. Most of my experience is confined to an area where I have farming intrest or Tesco where we get drinking water(which my wife boils prior to hosehold use) so I do not know the answer to your intial question. I do know there are flowing springs and wells north of Chiang Dao and water flows in various hot spring resorts in northern Thailand (not drinkable stright from the source). You could probably approach someone in the business of drilling for water and get some specific answers if they want to give them or you could offer to pay for their knowledge and experience and maybe get a more straight forward response, depending on how your request is received. Another excellant source of info may be the government officials who work with the ag sector thoughout Thailand. They may or may not have internet access so personal visits may be required. Hope you or a personal assistant can speak and understand the local language from the south to the north of Thailand as the good water sources and location are not given out free of charge (refer to ozzdom.) The Thai government has a water resources group who may be able to answer all your questions in a single stop. Since you have a extensive background in the academic ag sector I would suspose you have been involved in individual research at various times, so maybe they would be interested in a proposal from you. I know individuals who have been in Thailand for 20+ years working in the ag sector (World Bank, and NGO) who would give their left nut to have the info you have requested. Good luck on your quest.

[ozzydom]

etc; there is a regular on TV, whose business it is to drill water wells in Thailand. You may want to research this type of individual/company to get a answer to your inquiry. Most of my experience is confined to an area where I have farming intrest or Tesco where we get drinking water(which my wife boils prior to hosehold use) so I do not know the answer to your intial question. I do know there are flowing springs and wells north of Chiang Dao and water flows in various hot spring resorts in northern Thailand (not drinkable stright from the source). You could probably approach someone in the business of drilling for water and get some specific answers if they want to give them or you could offer to pay for their knowledge and experience and maybe get a more straight forward response, depending on how your request is received. Another excellant source of info may be the government officials who work with the ag sector thoughout Thailand. They may or may not have internet access so personal visits may be required. Hope you or a personal assistant can speak and understand the local language from the south to the north of Thailand as the good water sources and location are not given out free of charge (refer to ozzdom.) The Thai government has a water resources group who may be able to answer all your questions in a single stop. Since you have a extensive background in the academic ag sector I would suspose you have been involved in individual research at various times, so maybe they would be interested in a proposal from you. I know individuals who have been in Thailand for 20+ years working in the ag sector (World Bank, and NGO) who would give their left nut to have the info you have requested. Good luck on your quest.

Thailand, as a leading agricultural producer and exporter is blessed with wall to wall academics both Thai and Western engaged in both the public and private sectors. The ongoing research and development in all phases of agriculture is very big indeed.

I am sure that somebody with a whole 20 years experience will fit right in.

[Khonwan]

Hi ETC

The following link provides a map of Thailand indexing fresh water quality during 2003: http://www.wepa-db.net/policies/state/thailand/thailand.htm

Rgds

Khonwan

[ETC]

etc; there is a regular on TV, whose business it is to drill water wells in Thailand. You may want to research this type of individual/company to get a answer to your inquiry. Most of my experience is confined to an area where I have farming intrest or Tesco where we get drinking water(which my wife boils prior to hosehold use) so I do not know the answer to your intial question. I do know there are flowing springs and wells north of Chiang Dao and water flows in various hot spring resorts in northern Thailand (not drinkable stright from the source). You could probably approach someone in the business of drilling for water and get some specific answers if they want to give them or you could offer to pay for their knowledge and experience and maybe get a more straight forward response, depending on how your request is received. Another excellant source of info may be the government officials who work with the ag sector thoughout Thailand. They may or may not have internet access so personal visits may be required. Hope you or a personal assistant can speak and understand the local language from the south to the north of Thailand as the good water sources and location are not given out free of charge (refer to ozzdom.) The Thai government has a water resources group who may be able to answer all your questions in a single stop. Since you have a extensive background in the academic ag sector I would suspose you have been involved in individual research at various times, so maybe they would be interested in a proposal from you. I know individuals who have been in Thailand for 20+ years working in the ag sector (World Bank, and NGO) who would give their left nut to have the info you have requested. Good luck on your quest.

Slapout

Thank you for the info and fortunately my wife speaks Thai, Lao, Chinese, nit noi Japanese and 75% English. I figure I have the language issue pretty well covered. Am a bit of a mustang myself and never have been influenced by those that can't do, as I believe their is a solution for most everything. Life has taught me to enjoy the journey.

[ETC]

Hi ETC

The following link provides a map of Thailand indexing fresh water quality during 2003: http://www.wepa-db.net/policies/state/thailand/thailand.htm

Rgds

Khonwan

Khonwan

Thank you for the site...Information was helpfull.

[Boksida]

You can buy hydrogeological maps of all areas of Thailand from the Groundwater Division, which I think is now part of the Ministry of Science and Environment. They are color coded and show well yields, depths, static water level and some basic water chemistry. Books are also available showing data obtained from the huge number of wells drilled by government entities.

As a general answer to your question, I would say along the major river basins is your best bet. This means the Chao Phraya in the Central Plains area and the four major basins in northern Thailand. Generally speaking, depths are in the 100 to 300 metre range and yields of over 100 cu.m./hour can be obtained. The best wells in Bangkok are now around 600 metres deep as the shallower aquifers have been contaminated and depleted by over pumping.

Unfortunately the north-east does not have much potential for large scale production with the exception of a couple of limited areas and industry is already exploiting these.

I am only referring to wells producing water meeting drinking water quality standards.

Edited June 23, 2008 by Boksida

[ETC]

etc; there is a regular on TV, whose business it is to drill water wells in Thailand. You may want to research this type of individual/company to get a answer to your inquiry. Most of my experience is confined to an area where I have farming intrest or Tesco where we get drinking water(which my wife boils prior to hosehold use) so I do not know the answer to your intial question. I do know there are flowing springs and wells north of Chiang Dao and water flows in various hot spring resorts in northern Thailand (not drinkable stright from the source). You could probably approach someone in the business of drilling for water and get some specific answers if they want to give them or you could offer to pay for their knowledge and experience and maybe get a more straight forward response, depending on how your request is received. Another excellant source of info may be the government officials who work with the ag sector thoughout Thailand. They may or may not have internet access so personal visits may be required. Hope you or a personal assistant can speak and understand the local language from the south to the north of Thailand as the good water sources and location are not given out free of charge (refer to ozzdom.) The Thai government has a water resources group who may be able to answer all your questions in a single stop. Since you have a extensive background in the academic ag sector I would suspose you have been involved in individual research at various times, so maybe they would be interested in a proposal from you. I know individuals who have been in Thailand for 20+ years working in the ag sector (World Bank, and NGO) who would give their left nut to have the info you have requested. Good luck on your quest.

Thailand, as a leading agricultural producer and exporter is blessed with wall to wall academics both Thai and Western engaged in both the public and private sectors. The ongoing research and development in all phases of agriculture is very big indeed.

I am sure that somebody with a whole 20 years experience will fit right in.

ozzydom

We can only hope that some of those wall to wall academics are working to curtail the overuse and misuse of fertilizers and pesticides. Feeding the world is one thing, and killing it is another.