Let's see. Where were we? Aaahhh, yes - Jack, a pair of post-hole diggers, and a mailbox.
Well, we had made the trip from Louisiana to Arkansas one to many times, and the worst part was that once there it was all hard work in the hot sun, packed sandwiches, and ticks. And no baths. But on this particular morning in June I was more than happy to be rolling into Hillsboro.
And sure enough, just as promised, sitting there on the hill - my heart skipped a beat and I may have shed a tear.
The well drillers had beat us there by several hours and were already 75 feet deep in the Earth, looking for the 'green sand' in the return. Apparently, and this is so interesting to me, being a self taught, amateur, unemployed geologist, this green hued sand is an indicator of a particularly good aquifer in the area of Hillsboro, known for pure and plentiful water. This green sand aquifer, while an excellent location for your well pipe, is a bit elusive, with fingers running underneath several thousand acres making tapping into it in any specific location a game of ...chance. According to the drillers, one could hit pay dirt (water) at 90 feet deep on one side of his barn and run dry for 600 on the other. Hmmm.
Now for the last piece of the puzzle. From any location in South Arkansas or North Louisiana one can drill six to seven hundred feet and tap the lovely Sparta Aquifer with it's billions of gallons of high quality ground water that is currently the source of many county, parish, municipal, and industrial water systems.
The good news was that we would get water. The bad news was that the current rate for drilling in our area went as follows:
$3500.00 for 1st 100 feet drilled
$16.00 for every foot after, no cap
This really makes for one risky game of chance. If we were extremely lucky they would drill 75 feet and we would owe the drillers $3500.00. Orrrrrrrr, they could drill and drill and drill all the way to the Sparta and we would owe them $14,000.00ish, or possibly more because, "You just never know." Well drillers use this term a lot. Are you thinking what I am thinking? We can clone cows but not determine where a pocket of water is? Apparently they can't. Or don't.
So, we approached the drillers that sunny morning, heart in throat. 75 ft, no green sand. To pass the time and because I couldn't seem to help myself, I ask the drillers several questions about the process.
Then JD kept going up there and apologizing for me and they would all shake their head and roll their eyes.
150 ft, no green sand. So I busy myself with asking more questions.
300 ft. The driller reaches into the muddy flow of the return and hauls out a handful of mud?, splats it on the ground, and smiles at me.
Green, gorgeous green. I wondered how he knew that we were there at that very moment, so um, I asked. "The drill pipe starts to move different, easier, and you hear it in the gurgle of the return." Ah, two generations of experience - music to my ears.
Of course, these pictures do not do justice to the color of the sand. Compared to every other dirt or sand or mud you have ever seen, it is truly green. Why? Surely something fascinating about what this part of the world was like thousands of years ago. Some deposit in the sand? I asked, but they must not have heard me over the hum of the drilling?
So, our magic number is 300 feet. Doesn't the not knowing how deep your own hypothetical well would be under your piece of Earth just kill you. I am so glad to finally know.
The next day began the process of running the drill pipe back out, installing the submersible pump, and sinking the 300 feet of 4" pvc casing in the hole. A holding tank and ta-da. Water. Finally. The next day we plumbed it over to the house. And all had a bath. I am happy to report that we have all the water we could ever use, clear, cold, clean and pure.
I have heard stories of people being in underground caves and seeing someones well water pipe run down from the cave roof and into the clear water below. Why does this interest me so?
For now, I'll just keep checking the Classifieds for drilling rigs.