The last few years have seen steady interest by farmers in drilling wells in their yards. Much of this has been driven by concern about water charges.

The situation regarding charges has been confusing. Some farmers have for years been charged for water, while others, even in the same county, are not.

However, all farmers taking water from a mains pipe, whether that is public supply or a group water scheme, face being charged from October. The first bills under the new regime are expected to arrive in January and will cover the three months October to December 2014.

The roll-out of charges countrywide will stimulate more interest in boring wells. There are no charges for owners of a private well and no suggestion that any will be introduced. Planning permission is not required.

Investment

Having a well bored on farm is not a small investment. When a pump is included, it will typically cost €3,000 to €4,000 plus VAT. It can cost more if the bore has to be deep. If required, a softener or filter will add further to cost.

Some advance investigation will provide clues as to what can be expected from a well on your farm.

  • If wells on neighbouring farms can extract water reliably at shallow depth, there’s a good chance you won’t have to bore to great depth either.
  • A well on your farm will be likely to produce water of similar quality. Wells in the locality may produce naturally soft water that is pleasant to drink, non-damaging to equipment and does not need treatment.
  • But it could be hard, limey water. It is fine for providing drinking water for livestock. But it will need to be pumped through a water softener if it’s intended for domestic use or even for use in crop spraying.
  • Water in some areas has high levels of iron, manganese or other metals. Again, that will be fine for livestock but may need filtering if it’s intended for domestic use.
  • Siting a well

    Installing a new well has to be done right. There are several steps that can go wrong. Private wells frequently become contaminated and are then a health risk.

    A well can run dry after years of service. The bore can cave in, possibly damaging the pump or the pipes and cables that service it.

    I spoke to Harry Ellis from Hacketstown, Co Carlow. He operates as Ellis Well Drillers and bores wells for farmers and householders across the country. His is a second-generation business with plenty of experience built-up. Choosing a proper site is the first step to ensuring clean water, he says.

    “Fellows usually have a spot in the yard in mind for the well. I will look to see if that is suitable. To avoid possible contamination, it should be well away from any septic tank – including a neighbour’s septic tank – and from a slatted shed or silage pit.

    “It should be at least 100ft away but the further the better. If in a field, then livestock will have to be fenced away,” he said. The well should be at the high end of a yard rather than in a hole. “Run off always goes down the hill.”

    After being bored, the well must be covered on top to keep out dirt, vermin and other possible sources of contamination.

    Drilling

    Rig operators charge per foot of bore drilled. An operator will keep drilling down until a strong flow of water is found. It’s usual to then drill another 40ft to 60ft to provide a storage area in the well.

    “We have found reliable supplies of water at depths as shallow as 60ft, but in other areas, have had to bore to over 400ft,” Harry said. “But if there is a typical depth range, it’s 120ft to 200ft.”

    Lining the bore

    During the operation, the rig operator will line the bore with a steel pipe down through the subsoil layers to the bedrock. Usually, he will then insert a PVC pipe (inside the steel pipe) all the way down to the bottom.

    “You line the well to protect the pump,” Harry said. “Without a lining, stone or other material could collapse and fall onto the pump. Then, if you needed to service or repair the pump, you would not be able to pull it up.

    “We line with PVC the full depth of the bore, bringing it up from the bottom to the top, through the steel pipe – it’s a better job and gives good protection to the pump,” he said.

    “We let down the PVC pipe with a rope until it’s resting on the bottom. It’s a stiff pipe.”

    The standard bore is 6in diameter and a 6.5in steel pipe is inserted, followed by a 5in PVC pipe. “If a farmer wants more storage we can drill wider, at 8in or even 10in,” said Harry. But that’s more costly.

    Topping the well

    “At the top, we bring the steel pipe about 1ft over the ground, until the pump is in. Then we dig out a 1ft deep base, build a concrete plinth and put a manhole cover over it.

    “We put a well cap seal over the top of the steel pipe. It’s made of aluminium or steel. It’s turned down with a flange at the side which sits down over the pipe and seals it. There are holes in the cap for water pipe and cables but nothing else can get through.

    “You want your manhole cover right. If a rat goes down the well, you may as well close it. A child could get very sick drinking water from it.

    “Some people will want to put a pump house directly over the well. We’d rather not. If you want to go back and deepen a well or clean it out, you can’t if there’s a pump house over it. The alternative is to trench the water pipe and the electric cables to a nearby shed or garage.

    “The pump will be sized to match the draw on the well. I would recommend a decent pressure vessel over the well – a 300-litre one. With a small vessel, the pump will be switching on and off more frequently. With the bigger one, it works less often.”

    Drilling rig

    Not surprisingly, ground varies widely around the country, Harry said. “The easiest areas in which to drill are where there’s rock – the drill flies through it. On the other hand, it’s actually harder going into areas where there is sand or soft marl.”

    He uses a Reich drilling rig fitted on to a Mack truck. The rig is powered by its own 465hp Caterpillar engine. Harry bought the machine new in 2008. The price now for this rig is €730,000.