The amount of effort required for drilling a water well, whether it is one foot or a hundred, can only be gauged when you actually do it. You should always find out how deep a well should be for drinking water ahead of time so that you can be prepared for exertion in advance. But who knows about it? What is the appropriate depth of a well for drinking water? Let’s find it out.

Having your own well is a step toward self-sustainability, and it shows you are concerned about your health and well-being. After all, drinking well water proves to be healthy given that it has been filtered out from impurities.

Well depth is an important factor to determine before you start the drilling process. In general, a residential well’s depth lies between 100 to 150 feet, but as always, it matters to the availability of water. If there is a presence of water down to 50 feet, you won’t need to drill more than that. The same goes for the upper limit.

In addition to the availability of water, there are a few other factors too that you need to take into consideration. It is important to note that well depth directly affects the average cost of drilling a well. So, give it a read before you make a huge investment and get nothing in return.

Factors affecting the well depth

No exact figure can be given when it comes to the well depth because there are more than one factor involved. Knowing about each one of those is important, so your effort does not go to waste.

Groundwater depth: It is obvious that we are drilling a well in order to get water from the ground, and we will go down as long as we don’t find an aquifer. There will be variations in this range depending on the location.

The water table: It’s highly possible that with time, the water may rise or fall. It is due to rain, flooding, and how much groundwater is being used in the area.

Contamination: Well water may not always be as pure as you think; there is a high chance it will contain pollutants. However, water filtration removes all contaminants if you have chosen the filters accordingly. The deeper the well is, the greater the chances of getting less contamination. This is because the bacteria and germs will have a long way to reach your home, and they might be trapped in between.

Rock formation: The formation of rocks heavily affects the presence of aquifers under the ground. If the area has rocks where you are going to drill a water well, you will have to go much deeper.

Water quality: You may find water at 100 feet, but it might not be as clean as you have thought. Going a little deeper may bring you to more clean water. Thus, water quality also matters how deep a well should be.

Government regulations: With each state, it varies how deep you can drill a well for drinking water. Besides depth, rules may also define other requirements such as casing and grouting.

How deep should my well be?

Based on the geology and the factors discussed above, the ideal depth can vary from 100 to 1000 feet. It can also go beyond this if you don’t find the aquifers in this range.

For drinking water wells, we have also had to think about surface contaminants. If the well depth is less than 100 feet, the water you will get might not be drinkable, as it will be affected by surface pollutants. As a result, it is best to drill drinking water wells at least 100 feet deep. Further, you can go deeper as long as you find a clean water aquifer.

Keeping aside the well depth, if you are using the water for drinking, you must ensure its purity. The most reliable way to check water quality is through laboratory testing.

A test will tell you about the characteristics of well water and whether it is safe to drink or not. Remember, the water may look clean, but it may have bacteria present in it. So, testing is necessary at least once a year.

Moreover, the well water may smell like sulfur or rotten eggs. Therefore, do check it out before you drink and use reliable filters.

Conclusion

We all need water to survive, and therefore, it should be available to all of us at all times. Drilling a well for drinking water is beneficial in a number of ways, such as you don’t have to pay local authorities for getting clean water.

But you don’t find drinkable water in all places, no matter how deep you go. At some places, you will find water aquifers at 100 feet, and in other places, you get this at 1000 feet under the ground. It all comes down to geographical position, rock formation, and groundwater level.

You should speak with registered contractors because they will be familiar with your area’s geology and hydrology.