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huntingteacher
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# Posted: 11 May 2015 10:35pm
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Hi All! I am in Lawrence country Ohio. I have a question regarding my water table. I would like to do a drive point well. I have no idea how to tell If I have water five feet or five hundred feet down. But here is what I am thinking. When I dug my hole for my outhouse, about 4 feet down, I cut the bottom of a garbage can bottom out and lined the hole with that. I did that so my sides would not cave in. The outhouse rarely gets used as I am there infrequently. That hole always has water in it. It has water at most times almost all the way up to the top. If it has been dry it may be halfway down. So my question is do you all think I have water pretty much right beneath the ground given that information or is this wishful thinking and there is another explanation for this? I know there was a large well dug on the property when I bought it but never any water in that since I bought it. But this outhouse hole always has water in it. I am on the top of a hill if that helps. Thanks for all the responses in advance. Hope someone has some insight.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 11 May 2015 11:14pm
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It would seem that unless water is running into the hole from the surrounding surface, the water table is high. However that may not be a good thing, IMO. Water close to the surface is easily contaminated.
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Gary O
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# Posted: 12 May 2015 12:15am
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Couple thoughts;
Rain? If you have clay soil, it'll hold rain water for quite a spell.
On a hill top?...never heard of a high water table on a hill top.
Possible spring near or in the privy?
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Littlecooner
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# Posted: 12 May 2015 07:46am
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Could you water inside your lined hole be the collection of rain water run off? You said you were on top of a hill. Also think it is not the water table. I could be a spring near by but it would have to percolate in from the bottom if you lined it with a plastic "can". A simple test of repeatability would be to take a pair of post hole diggers and put you a couple of "test holes" around your site , cover them and make sure no rain water run off can enter the hole and then just check them each time you are at the cabin for any water in the hole.
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huntingteacher
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# Posted: 12 May 2015 08:28am
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Yes my cabin spot is at the top of a hill however I own the property at the bottom of the hill too. So would my absolute best bet of trying to find water be to try and drive the drive point at the base of the hill? Obviously for convenient the top of the hill would be better because my cabin is located there but I don't want to wast my time pounding away for nothing! I like the idea of doing a repeatability test too.
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 12 May 2015 08:34am
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If indeed you do have so high a water table, and it is flooding your outhouse, the outhouse may be contaminating the water, in which case you don't want your well anywhere near there.
Often when wells are drilled an effort is made to prevent any surface or near surface water from getting in. They drill deep, and seal the upper portion of the well, so that water can only be pulled from a greater depth where the water is clean.
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hattie
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# Posted: 12 May 2015 11:00am - Edited by: hattie
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My advice (for what it's worth): Keep your well at least 100 ft from your out house to prevent contamination and make sure your well is lined with concrete and has a concrete lid on it. Our well is shallow (15 ft) and we have never had a problem with contamination. We get it tested regularly and it is always perfect, but it is lined and it always has a concrete lid on it. Don't place anything near the well that might contaminate it (ie: compost bins, gas tanks, etc.).
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creeky
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# Posted: 12 May 2015 12:40pm
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http://www.front-street.com/comorg/gwac/Hydro.htm
has a good primer on basic ground water hydrology.
your pit at the top of the hill is most likely capturing rain water, but water can also be forced up a hill by pressure from confined aquifers.
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huntingteacher
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# Posted: 12 May 2015 08:47pm
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Thanks for the info guys. I know a lot of people here are from Ohio. Anyone down near Lawrence county or neighboring counties ever use one of these drive point wells? Or is the ground not the right structure for it?
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Just
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# Posted: 13 May 2015 02:45pm
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I have 4 different sand point driven wells all on sand hills all with high water levels . Hattie is wright, keep away from the out house . my wells are all about 10 ft. deep
Any well can have polluted water have the water tested after the well has been installed and flushed .. good luck. The way you describe your sight sounds perfect to me .
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