Conservation & Ecology
might want to know more about irrigation and, hopefully, this will enlighten you as to the merits of installing your own well.
Why would I need a well?
Good question Iain! The answer is that you might not! If you have adequate access to water from other sources, such as a licence to extract from a river, or you have a brilliant rainwater harvesting system that does more than enough for your needs, then you don’t need a well. If, on the other hand, you struggle with irrigation throughout the seasons through lack of water, then a well might be a way forward. If you currently buy reasonable amounts of water from the mains utility supplier, then this can be another reason for considering a well - more on the latter point later in the article.
How much does a well cost?
In the UK, we are blessed (or cursed) with one of the most diverse range of geological and hydrogeological conditions anywhere in the world. We have a right mish-mash of all sorts … we really do. If you looked at a geological map of the USA, from the north central states right down to the south west, you have rock, rock and more of the same rock all the way. The UK’s map looks like a patchwork quilt reflecting many different strata types. So, what this means is that your well could be a couple of grand (shallow sand and gravel extraction) or £100k for wells that need to go deep to access the water. Understanding how much a well is likely to cost to be installed is something that needs
to be understood from an early stage because, if a facility is buying in say £3,000 worth of water per year from the mains, then a £100k well isn’t going to be that appealing, is it ? If, however, the well is at the other end of the spectrum then it probably is worth further consideration. A high level assessment of how much a well is likely to cost in your given location is something that needs to be done early doors.
How do you know that there will be water there and what is guarantee?
Many people think that drilling for anything (water, oil, minerals etc.) is very much hit and miss and the perceived risk, therefore, is great. This is actually not true. In terms of groundwater availability, the UK aquifers
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