Evidence of
New Hampshire’s Granite State nickname surfaces when you put a shovel to dirt
and almost immediately hit rock. When we were situating our mountainside house
last year and excavator Dave hit the dreaded “ledge,” we were forced to relocate
the house 3 feet from the initially chosen spot.
(Photo courtesy of Valley Artesian.) |
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(Creative Commons License.) |
So, when Valley Artesian (Ascutney, Vermont) began drilling our well last week they quickly hit bedrock. But drillers are equipped to push through. Their powerful drill pulverizes rock, which, when mixed with cooling water (they bring a truck full of it), forms a messy sludge. With us, it was short work. A hundred feet down they hit water, which was obvious from the watery slurry gushing. They then drilled to 285, hitting even more water on the way. Doug beamed when Peter (25 years of experience) said one word—15—referring to gallons per minute of water being produced. Five is acceptable but 15 means never having to worry about running out of water.
Thirty
minutes after drilling stopped and the multiple sections of the drill were pulled
out, Peter picked up a small stone and dropped it down the well casing,
listening to the splash. This time he said another number—30 feet. The water
had risen 70 feet. The next day, water was spilling over the top of the well
pipe at the surface, which means the water had risen 100 feet from its source
in just a short time. Valley Artesian placed a pump in the drilled column at 220
feet, creating a reservoir of 330 gallons of water in the well (1.5 gallons per
foot). Even though we have a pump, we have a true artesian well; the water,
working against gravity, is being forced up out of the ground by the pressure
of the aquifer.
Well pipe and ditch running to house.
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And so, we
have a prefect water scenario, unlimited water at a high rate of flow, a
particularly impressive result in September after a dry summer. A runoff pipe
was installed to allow excess water to flow by gravity into the nearby creek.
Or, we may fashion a small pond a little further away, near our flower garden,
so the birds and wildlife will have a source of fresh running water when it is
10 below this winter. As a bonus, we will have water available even if we lose
electricity. A tap in the basement will operate without the benefit of a pump.

Our mascot, mighty dog Gracie, the Border Terrier. |