Your water well has been drilled, now what?  There are several steps that need to be taken upon the completion of drilling a water well.  You Contractor will need to look at well depth & yield, well cap, disinfection, pump install, well log, and water sampling.  All of these stages are critical to ensure you have an efficient, water well that you can use for many, many years.  Want to learn more about the steps that need to be taken after drilling?  Read this article on Well Owner Org.

Thanks,
Mike

Prior to any written contract with a customer, a Water Well Contractor should physically assess your location and work with you to obtain all of the necessary documents (land map, easements) to create a water well drilling plan.  From there, the Contractor will create a written contract that includes all of the necessary work and costs involved.  This contract should be detailed covering the many aspects included in drilling a water well.  As a consumer, I encourage you to read the article from Well Owner Org.  The article provides a summary of what should be included in your water well written contract.

At Granite Drilling, I take the contract process very seriously – it’s important to be open and honest with the consumer and address any unforeseen circumstances; communication is key.  If you have any doubts or concerns, never hesitate to address with your Contractor – better to navigate any issues ahead of time.

Thanks,

Mike

The National Groundwater Association provides a thorough Homeowner Checklist.  While all of the items mentioned, in the checklist, are important, the first one is critical – “Always use licensed or certified water well drillers and pump installers when a well is constructed, a pump is installed, or the system is serviced.”  Need to verify a license?  Click on the  – Contractors State License Board website.

If you need a water well drilled or a pump installed in Monterey, San Benito, or Santa Clara counties, please give us a call – 831-206-0991 or send an email to mike@granitedrilling.com.

All the best,

Mike

National Ground Water Awareness Week is an annual, weeklong observance established by the National Ground Water Association to highlight the responsible development, management, and use of water.  Established in 1999, #GWAW provides an opportunity for people to learn about the importance of groundwater and how the resource saves lives.

In honor of this important week, I’d like to share some facts about the Distribution of the water on Earth – 

• Ocean water: 97.2%
• Glaciers and other ice: 2.15%
• Groundwater: 0.61%
• Fresh water lakes: 0.009%
• Inland seas: 0.008%
• Soil Moisture: 0.005%
• Atmosphere: 0.001%
• Rivers: 0.0001%

Surface water is far easier to reach, so this becomes the most common source of potable water. About 321 billion gallons per day of surface water is used by humans, and 77 billion gallons of groundwater is used each day.  While the amount of water that exists seem to be plentiful, the availability of water for human consumption is limited – remember to keep conserving!

Thanks,

Mike

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving!

Today’s topic is on well owner maintenance practices. Regular check-up’s can prolong the life of the well system and protect your investment.  A licensed certified water well system professional should perform annual water well inspections on the following –

• Flow test
• Visual inspection
• Water quality test for coliform and anaerobic bacteria, nitrates, and anything else of local concern
• Check valves
• Electrical testing

Keep in mind, water quality issues can have an adverse health impact without noticeable indicators, so be sure to get your annual check up.  For more detailed information, please read the article, Well owner maintenance practices, from the National Ground Water Association – Well Owner.

Thanks,

Mike

In 2017 Jerry Brown announced the drought in California had ended, and in a recent article in the Mercury News, it stated that urban Californians have declined in their conservation efforts since the Governor made this announcement.  As a 30 year seasoned, water well driller, I can tell you that California was never out of a drought. While we experienced a wet winter in 2017, it’s going to take several years to replenish California’s extremely low rain yields. In light of this, water conservation is still and always will be critical.

Working out in the elements, I see many opportunities for water conservation improvement.  From Water Use it Wisely, my top 5 noted below –

1. Avoid planting grass or high water usage vegetation in areas that are hard to water, such as steep includes and isolated strips along sidewalks and walkways.
2. Have a plumber re-route your greywater to trees and plants rather than the sewer line. Check with your city and county for codes.
3. Minimize evaporation by watering during the early morning hours when temperatures are cooler and winds are lighter.
4. If you choose to keep a lawn – if walking across the lawn leaves footprints (blades don’t spring back up), then it’s time to water.
5. Leave lawn clippings on your grass, this cools the ground and holds in the moisture.

If we continually maintain our water conservation efforts, then we will feel less burdened when State restrictions are put in place. We are all in this together, so let’s keep conserving!

Thanks,
Mike