*75 Years of Service*
Remember...
GROUND WATER FROM
PROPERLY CONSTRUCTED DRILLED WELLS IS THE SAFEST FORM OF DRINKING WATER AVAILABLE
Is
your well going dry?
There are a few things you can do before drilling a new well. Maybe there is a
pump problem. Or...
If you have a shallow dug well and you have less than 1
foot of water or no water, you really don't have too many choices except for
waiting for the water table to recover, maintaining a separate water storage
tank that you would have water delivered to or drill a new well.
If you have a drilled well that can still recover water, you may have a biofouling problem that is limiting the flow of
water in the well. In this case you may be able to at least temporarily
improve this flow and get through the drought. This is the
procedure. Have potable
water delivered to your well. Before the water is added to the well, add
both vinegar to lower the pH of the water then add either a well sanitizer product
or preferably sodium hypochlorite (regular clorox) we recommend an NSF approved
chlorine. Circulate this mixture
for 30-45 minutes and then add the delivered potable water until
it reaches the top of the casing. This will create a positive pressure on
the well. What this is doing is to effectively forcing the solution back into the water bearing zones in the well. Hopefully this
will begin to remove the biofoul that may be causing your problem. If you
are going to try this, check out our Disinfection and Testing Page or contact BMI for instructions on the proper mix of vinegar
and chlorine.
New Regulations For The Water Well Industry
In New York!
As of January 1, 2000, anyone obtaining water for economic use is
considered a well driller and must register with the New York State Department
of Conservation (DEC). Anyone who works on a well or well pump, new
installations or repairs, is considered a well driller and must be
registered. The DEC has a registration system in place. You can
check that we are registered at www.dec.state.ny.us.
Soon all registered drillers will have to be certified and will carry an
identification card. The New York State Department of
Health (DOH) have implemented new
standard for water wells as of November 23, 2005.
What this means to you: By law your well driller or pump
installer must be
registered with the State of New York. Barney Moravec, Inc. is. Anyone that works on a well (including
pump installations) for profit must be registered with DEC. This law also
requires the driller to be adequately insured. And most importantly, your
local code enforcement officer will be aware of these new regulations and has
the authority to enforce them. They can request the registration number of
your driller and insurance certificate. If they do not receive this
information, they can stop work on your project or not issue a
certificate of occupancy. They can also request other
information about the well that you may have to provide.
The drillers and pump installers at Barney Moravec, Inc. have already taken and passed the certification exams
prior to 2003. We are and always have been fully insured. Our DEC Registration
number is NYRD 10024. This decal is posted on all of our equipment.
Things To Consider...
If drilling a water well is a new step for you or even if it's old hat, there are many things that you may not have thought of in planning for
your new well or in maintaining your existing well. Barney Moravec, Inc.
tries to be as informative as possible in order for you to make the best
decision possible. Here is a list of things to think about when trying to
decide what to do with your situation:
Are You Drilling a New Water Well?
- Get an option to buy if possible! If you don't own the land
yet, don't buy it until you know it has a useable supply of water.
It's better to be out the cost of a well rather than owning a piece of
property with no water on it. This is a rare occurrence but better
safe than sorry.
- Where is the septic system going? Keep the proper distances
from the septic tank and leach lines (including neighbors). New York
State recommends that the well is located at least 50 feet from the septic
tank and 100 feet from any leach line. If you are forced to be
down-gradient of the septic, they want the well to be at least 200 feet from any
leach line. For public systems it is always 200 feet. Think
about neighboring pasture areas too. Notice:
the new DOH regulations have changed the way we evaluate separation
distances. The 50 and 100 foot rule is still in effect unless
you have less than 50 feet of casing in your well and in that case you need
to add 50% to the separation distances. Unfortunately, you don't
always know how much casing you will have in your well. Therefore, in
almost all cases, keep the well 150 feet away from the nearest leach line of
the septic system.
- Maintain Access! Make sure there are no over-hanging wires or
branches over the well site, now or 20 years from now. If you are planning
to build a pool or barn etc., make sure you can always work on the
well. If a pump ever fails you will need access. Do not build
over your well.
- Can you get a rig to the location to drill? You can't always put a
drilling machine on a steep grade or a wet location. Sometimes an area with a lot
of topography or trees has to be leveled before a rig can get to the site.
You may first need us to
conduct a
free site inspection. Selecting the best location may save time and
money.
- 8" vs. 6" Do I need extra water storage in my new well or a separate storage
system? When planning your
new well, we will discuss your water requirements with you. Depending
on where you are planning to drill, you may want to consider a larger
diameter well. It is a geological fact that some areas do not produce
a great deal of water. If you happen to be in such an area, then a large diameter well
may be a very prudent choice for
you. For instance; a 6-inch diameter well contains 1.469 gal./ ft., an
8-inch well stores 2.611 gal. / ft..
In some instances, a separate storage system is required. This system
can be installed in the ground or in a basement. Remember, 1 gallon
per minute doesn't seem like much water but in 24 hours it equals 1,440
gallons. A normal household doesn't use that much water.
The decision to go to an 8-inch well ultimately rests on you. However,
we won't recommend it unless it is the best choice for your location and
planned use. Cost becomes a factor also. Essentially the
difference between a 6-inch well and an 8-inch well is just over $500 per
hundred feet of drilling. Storage systems installed even by the owner
will cost over $1,400 and up to $4,500 if someone else is paid to do
it. To us, an 8" well is an insurance policy in case you get a low
producing well.
- Do I need water for construction or analytical test? For new
construction we often install the well pump immediately after the well is
drilled. This allows for any testing required by the town building
inspector and provides water for the contractor. The contractor may
charge for water if it isn't on site.
- Are there any underground utilities on your property? We
routinely call Dig Safely New York formerly Underground Facilities Protective Organization
(UFPO).
However, you may be aware of such underground services that we want to know
about in case someone makes a mistake. BY LAW the person or company
that is conducting
any excavation must notify Dig Safely New York (outside NYC and L.I.)
at 1-800-962-7962. www.digsafelynewyork.com
Well Maintenance...It's Your Investment!
- Keep your well secure! Make sure the cap is tight and has no
cracks in it. Kids love to drop things down holes and that will get
very expensive. Do not place potential contaminants near your well or
up-gradient of your well. Install a vermin-proof well cap that will
keep the bugs out...we have them in stock and offer them on every well we
drill.
- Disinfect your well. As a regular maintenance item, you
should disinfect
your well either annually or semi-annually. We have a specific
disinfection procedure with directions on the quantities of disinfection
materials to be used (see our new Disinfection and
Testing Page). There is such a thing as too much chlorine.
In fact we are now using white vinegar as part of the process.
Disinfection not only cleans your well but helps control other things that can reduce the
production capability of your well. REMEMBER...MORE CHLORINE IS NOT BETTER.
You can actually put too much chlorine in your well and cause more problems
than you already have.
- Test Your Well. Once you have a new well it is your
responsibility to maintain it and care for it. We provide literature
for your to do just that including a handout on proper sampling of your
well. In addition, it is important to check your
water by testing it 1 to 2 times a year for at least total bacteria and if
there is a concern, nitrates. This will give peace of mind and
confidence in your water supply. Nitrates should seriously be
considered especially if the residence will have infants drinking the water.
SKEPTICAL
OF HAVING A WELL? HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT WELLS?
ONE FACT IS TRUE...WELL
WATER is NATURALLY
BETTER!
When
you're sick you go to a Doctor. When you have questions about wells you
should contact a water well professional.
Please call us.
There is so much incorrect information out there about wells. The one fact
we want you to remember is, that there is no better source of drinking water than water from a
properly constructed well. Additional information is available on excellent sites for
the well owner from the National Well Owners Association at: www.wellowner.org
www.watersystemscouncil.org
www.nywelldriller.org
www.agwt.org