A Guide to Private Water Wells for Landowners

It is a well-known fact adequate water supply adds up as an important factor in increasing the demand for land for sale. In this context, owning a private well water system in your property gives you an edge over your competitors while advertising the property to potential buyers.

If you are a proud landowner and intend to drill a private water well on it, then you must first what is private well, how it works, and how to maintain it.

Whatever you plan to do with your land, whether you want to construct a building, farm, or run a business, you need to first figure out how much water you’ll need to develop a functional water supply system.

As such, knowing the basics of water wells is essential for ensuring their correct maintenance and optimum utilization of water.

Sounds like too much work?

This comprehensive guide on what is water well will help you to make informed decisions regarding your water well system. So, let’s get started to explore valuable insights…

What Is Well Water?

Well, Water is groundwater – a private water supply drawn straight from the earth. Water well is an excavation or structure dug on the ground for you to access freshwater resources below layers of soil and rocks. By digging a private well water system, your land receives an independent water supply giving it an edge over other properties for land investment.

To create a private water well, the aquifer (a porous layer of rock that contains water) must be reached by drilling a hole into the ground. The water is then transported up for your use employing a pump mechanism.

When you are connected to the municipal water supply, the tap water you get comes treated with chemicals such as chlorine and chloramines to get rid of bacteria and microorganisms. On the other hand, well water is filtered through a natural process and as it flows through layers of rocks it leaves a majority of the dirt and grime behind. This highlights the importance of what is private well water during the land investment process.

How Do Private Wells Work?

For a detailed understanding of what is private well, you should know how it works.

We already know well water is fresh groundwater that gets stored in Aquifers. These are underground layers of rocks of porous rocks that help in purifying impurities and storing clean water below.

To access this clean water, you need to drill wells as deep as 1000 feet aiming to penetrate the bed of rocks and reach the water table. After drilling through the layers of soil and rocks, workers install pipes into the hole and surround it with a concrete layer of sealant. This shall help protect clear water in the wells from contaminants.

Once the construction is complete, you can pump up the water easily and use it for drinking and various other purposes. The water will also enter your reservoirs and home systems through pipes that connect the casings and pressure tank. From here, the water travels through faucets to reach your home. This is how a private well water system works.

How Do You Keep Your Private Water Well In Good Shape?

A simple maintenance checklist will assist you in taking the required actions to maintain your private well water. Ultimately, this will work to facilitate safe, bacteria-free water access to your land. So, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• The water well should be located at least 50 feet away from the septic tank and 75 feet away from the distribution lines of a standard septic system.
• The well cap should be at least 8 inches above ground level.
• Test your water well, at least once a year.
• During the construction, installation, or service of your water well, hire qualified and certified water well drillers and pump installers.
• Keep fertilizers, paint, insecticides, and other potentially harmful materials away from your well.
• Construct the well away from buildings, chemical storage facilities, waste systems, and other potential sources of contamination.
• Keep the top of your well at least one foot above the ground while landscaping. For proper drainage, the slope of the ground surface should be away from the well.
• Be mindful of any changes in your well, the area around your well, or the water it provides, such as a lingering odor or a color change.
• When your well reaches the end of its functional life (typically more than 20 years), consider fully sealing it by a skilled water well contractor after installing your replacement system.

Procedure for Testing Your Private Well Water

As a wise landowner, you should avoid one common blunder during land investment with private water wells: do not begin testing your well water until you are certain that the system is free of contaminants. If you test the water from a soiled well, you may get false results. For instance, the test may show contamination when the groundwater is clear.

So, while knowing what is private well and how to maintain it, you should have an idea regarding how to test the private well. By doing an anaerobic bacteria test, a positive coliform test, or other tests that demonstrate a buildup of debris in the well, a trained water well systems contractor will be able to identify if your water well system requires cleaning.

There are several other possible indicators of a dirty well such as cloudy water, low water flow, weird taste, and/or odor, etc.

If you have any of the aforementioned issues, you should clean your water well system before testing it. A widespread misunderstanding is that chlorine will clean a well by itself. In reality, Chlorine is only effective as a disinfectant after dirt and other solid materials have been removed from the well. In this instance, hiring a qualified water well systems contractor is the best alternative to avoid exacerbating your well problem.

To go ahead with a land investment with a property that owns a private well, your land investment guide must also involve surveying and testing the well water. This shall help you know about the usability and long-term sustenance of well water. These factors are the driving forces that help determine the fair market value of the property after a long period.

The given below are some of the tests you may need to do on your private well water to reap the benefits of owning land:

• Coliform Test:
  This is a common private water well maintenance test to determine the microbiological purity of well water. The presence of coliform bacteria in well water implies that sewage or some other type of surface water has contaminated your water source. A simple chlorination technique that disinfects the well water can remedy such difficulties.

• Nitrates Test:
  This is another important well water test you must know about while researching what is private well and importance of private wells for real estate investment.

  Like microorganisms, you must also check the level of Nitrates in groundwater systems. High nitrate levels in water indicate that groundwater has been contaminated by humans. Pregnant women and children under the age of one are especially vulnerable to high nitrate levels in the water. To avoid health problems, it is vital to have a professional do the test and remove the nitrates.

• Test for Organic and Inorganic Compounds:
  You must also consider inspecting for organic and inorganic compounds while studying what does private well water means.
  Metals, solvents, pesticides, herbicides, petroleum products, and other man-made and naturally occurring chemicals may be found in your private water well. Make sure you test for and remove these chemicals to keep your well system clean and working well.

Pros and Cons of Private Well

For a detailed understanding of what is private well and why you must know about it to make an informed land investment decision, take a look at its pros and cons.

Pros

• Private water wells add appeal and uniqueness to your land which increases land value.
• The initial installation cost can be offset by the long-term savings that the land will provide after installing a private well water system.
• Private water wells reduce dependency on municipal water supply, which eventually helps lower utility bills.
• You can also enjoy potential tax advantages by investing in land with private water wells.
• Private wells are also environmentally friendly and hold potential for renewable energy integration.

Cons

• Requires regular monitoring as it is vulnerable to groundwater contamination.
• Risks of water supply drying out during hostile summer seasons or when the water table lowers.
• Installation and drilling expenses can be expensive.
• You need several local bodies’ permission to install water wells on your property. Acquiring the same can consume a lot of time.

Treatment of Well Water

Now that you have an idea of what is private well and its perks, let’s take you through the processes involved in the treatment of groundwater.

You must check that the water from your private well is fine to consume before using it. Furthermore, you can invest in numerous types of water treatment equipment. Also, you may focus on purchasing the necessary treatment equipment once you’ve recognized the concerns with your well water. This is critical since no single piece of equipment can solve all of the water quality problems.

For this, you may find well treatment equipment depending on your specific needs, involving:

• Disinfection of the Water contaminated by microorganisms.
• To improve water’s taste, odor, and appearance.
• To remove chemical elements of concern.

Additionally, filtration systems, disinfection systems, air injection systems, cartridge filters, distillers, aeration systems, and ion exchange systems are some of the most regularly used water treatment systems. Nevertheless, for your water treatment system to function properly, you’ll need to choose a reliable installer.

Sum Up

This is everything you must know about what is private well and how it perks up your land investment objectives.

You can avoid paying monthly water fees by purchasing land with a private well or opting to build your private water well. Since you won’t be reliant on the local water supply, you will be spared of the interruptions if the town or city’s water supply is disrupted.

However, just as there are benefits, there are also some obligations that come with owning a private well. You cannot use contaminated water or water that has an unusual flavor or odor. As a result, it is always a good idea to learn about the well’s history (if it is old), condition, and capacity. This information can be obtained from the previous landowner.

Finally, to avoid surface contamination and eliminate a potential safety hazard, the water well must be filled and sealed properly before retirement.

You can check out the best rural land deals with private wells in the USA to reap significant ROI from your land investment opportunity.

Frequently Asked Questions