Help with my future well drilling situation.

C

Chris142

Joined
Jun 5, 2003
Messages
30,680
Location
Apple Valley, California
In the past I posted about my well and it's issues. It's currently still pumping but is on its last leg so I'm preparing for that day.

I was at a snack bar yesterday. A guy walked over to me and asked if I lived where I do and then said he was there the day they tried to bail my well out.


He's the owner of a local well company.

He went on to say that they were very concerned about us with our water situation when they left that day.

We started talking some and he recommended that my new well be 450 ft deep.

I don't think It needs to be that deep.

Well was drilled in 1965. They hit water @257ft back then.

3 yrs ago it sucked air because the level dropped to 286ft. We got rain and it went up. Don't know how much but I assume quite a bit as it's still pumping..... For now .

I know from experience that as long as I have 8 ft over my pump it will pump non stop.

I feel that 320 ft would be marginal with the housing growth we are seeing.

340ft would be better.

360ft would last my lifetime and then some.

They get $80 per ft to drill plus parts and permits.

I just can't see the water table dropping that much as it dropped 29 ft between 1965 and 2022.


Imo 360-380 ft is more than enough.

Money is tight and If I can save several thousand that's great.

Thoughts?
 
Only the company that drilled the well will go down the same well bc they have recorded the size of the bit. Going down the same hole is preferable. A charge can be put down the well to open it up
 
I understand that money is tight.
However, saving a buck and ultimately spending ten when things go sideways isn't a good trade off.
Do it once and do it right, especially since the set up and permitting costs are probably fixed.
So, using your scale, I wouldn't go any less than 360'.
 
Can you pull the well reports for all your neighbors in the area to get a feel for how deep they were drilled and how recently?
Those should be online somewhere. I know in WA State you can pull them up.
 
Chris142 said:
In the past I posted about my well and it's issues. It's currently still pumping but is on its last leg so I'm preparing for that day.

I was at a snack bar yesterday. A guy walked over to me and asked if I lived where I do and then said he was there the day they tried to bail my well out.


He's the owner of a local well company.

He went on to say that they were very concerned about us with our water situation when they left that day.

We started talking some and he recommended that my new well be 450 ft deep.

I don't think It needs to be that deep.

Well was drilled in 1965. They hit water @257ft back then.

3 yrs ago it sucked air because the level dropped to 286ft. We got rain and it went up. Don't know how much but I assume quite a bit as it's still pumping..... For now .

I know from experience that as long as I have 8 ft over my pump it will pump non stop.

I feel that 320 ft would be marginal with the housing growth we are seeing.

340ft would be better.

360ft would last my lifetime and then some.

They get $80 per ft to drill plus parts and permits.

I just can't see the water table dropping that much as it dropped 29 ft between 1965 and 2022.


Imo 360-380 ft is more than enough.

Money is tight and If I can save several thousand that's great.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Go to California Department of Water Resources and launch the Well Completion Report APP. You can then look at how deep people are going in your area and then guestimate future demand as more people move in. I would go deep as you can reasonably afford. It would at least help with resale.

https://water.ca.gov/Programs/Groundwater-Management/Wells/Well-Completion-Reports
 
Astro14 said:
With the water use in SoCal - I would expect future aquifer level drops to be greater than previously. Water usage has gone up, not down, and agriculture in your area continues to be unsustainable.

Go the extra depth!
Click to expand...
I'm no expert but I agree with this sentiment. Like they say in investing, past results are not indicators of future results, and I think water usage is going to go up more than it has in the past. Everywhere.

Not that it's the same situation, but a lot of the far-out suburbs in Chicago are working to tap into Lake Michigan water because their growth is depleting ground water more quickly than planned.
 
What’s a used drilling rig go for? I know almost nothing about about wells but if you can buy the casing and drill your own, then sell the rig for about what you paid, seems like a way to save money. Being in CA you probably need all kinds of permits and licensing though so you’d have to do it off the books.
 
Better to go deep than to go shallow. My parents live out in a small rural subdivision and everything out there is well water. They were about the only house in the area back in the 80-90s that didn't have problems with the well going dry in the summer. Turns out the well was drilled about 2.5x deeper than the average wells when the other houses were built. Not sure why this was done but it turned out to be the correct choice. Still to this day have never had an issue with the well going dry yet the neighbors all end up having to haul water every summer.
 
SevenBizzos said:
I think he may know something you don't. That deep could be a different aquifer that may have better water quality and may be more reliable. I'd put in the extra $1000 if it's needed to go that far.
Click to expand...
The OP is looking at an additional $7200, not $1000 to go deeper from 360 to 450 feet. This would be on top of ~$50,000 if my memory serves me correctly from the original thread back in 2022-2023.
 
Last edited:
Nukeman7 said:
The OP is looking at an additional $7200, not $1000 to go deeper from 360 to 450 feet. This would be on top of ~$50,000 if my memory serves me correctly from the original thread back in 2022-2023.
Click to expand...
That’s what I was thinking.

Put another way - 14% more money to go 100 feet deeper, which takes him well beyond where he was considering, and avoid any future problems.

That appears to be a wise investment. It’s certainly how I would proceed.

The well company guy is getting paid either way - and he is the one recommending 450.

Why do you think that is?
 
Can you get a low interest government loan to cover some of the cost, particularly if it's forgivable?

This well guy sounds like a decent chap.
 
eljefino said:
Can you get a low interest government loan to cover some of the cost, particularly if it's forgivable?

This well guy sounds like a decent chap.
Click to expand...
Or a HELOC?

The way I read his post, it was $80/foot, total, which is a whole lot different that’s the original thread estimate.
 
Last edited:
Nukeman7 said:
The OP is looking at an additional $7200, not $1000 to go deeper from 360 to 450 feet. This would be on top of ~$50,000 if my memory serves me correctly from the original thread back in 2022-2023.
Click to expand...

As a guy who recently had a 4" 198ft well installed can someone explain this 50K cost to me? I get that it is twice as deep as mine but mine was 6300 with a 38 gal expansion tank, in-well pump, permitting, inspection etc.
 
thastinger said:
As a guy who recently had a 4" 198ft well installed can someone explain this 50K cost to me? I get that it is twice as deep as mine but mine was 6300 with a 38 gal expansion tank, in-well pump, permitting, inspection etc.
Click to expand...

From the op, emissions regulations caused contractors to buy new equipment > pass the costs down.
 
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