Where does the water in a well come from?

Question

Why are people answering me like I'm an idiot? If you don't like the question don't answer.

Answer 1

I hate the stupid answers too.

The water comes from a Bucket on a rope in old fashioned wells,,,
then on later wells it came from a big handle you had to pump.
On Modern wells,,it just comes from a faucet same as any other water does.:)


Seriously,,,it's Underground Water generically called Aquifers.

RARE,,but in Someplaces it's practically a free running river underground.
Florida for example is sitting on a limestone "shelf",,,it's like a stone honeycomb.
Someplaces it's an actual tunnel,,free flowing for miles.
Like a big pipe.

Most often it's sand-like sediments that are porous/permeable and water flows thru it.

Surface water seeps into ground in various places refilling it.
Much of it originates in mountains,,maybe 100's of miles away.

A LOT of USA's water is Ancient,Trapped water from Ice Age.
And it's almost Non renewable.
Like a huge underground Pool with practically NO way to add new water IN

I think that lots of the people who ridicule the "Tree Huggers"/Environmentalists Dont quite realize that Fresh Water is such a fragile resource.

Rio Grande River between USA/Mexico Border has had so much water pumped out of it's aquifer,,,it's almost NOT a River anymore.
now nearly a "Dead River",,,simply a long skinny Lake.
Lots of times it's water dont even reach the Gulf of Mexico anymore


California has water supply probs because they pump it Out faster than the aquifers can be refilled.
Wastewater gets deposited Locally,,,but that dont help much to replenish the underground aquifer 'cuz it usually originates very far away in the mountains



WELLS--- usually are drilled down to a Known water bearing depth.
The hole is line with Pipe,,,
and has a "Screen" filter arrangement on the bottom end.
The pipe also has a thing called a packer,,,which is device on OUTside of pipe to keep the water from coming up around Outside of pipe.
It confines the water to Inside of pipe.

Usually the water must be Pumped.
An electric motor pump way down hole pushes the water UP,,,
Or a Siphon-type Jet Pump sorta "vacuums" the water to the surface.

The Old Fashioned Hand Pump thing I was joking about in the beginning---thats a FOOT VALVE type pump.

A Rod goes way down to the water,,,and it has a One Way Flapper valve on it.
When pushed Down ,,,it opens up and water can pass thru.
But when the Rod and Valve are pulled back UP,,,it snaps closed holding the water on top of the valve.

There's a 2nd one-way valve in the pipe that allows the Lifted water to flow thru Upwards,,but not fall back down.

Each Pump Stroke increases the amount of water "trapped" above the valve till it fills the pipe and overflows out the top end of the pipe.

It literally Lifts the water up stroke by stroke.
......................................
Here's a wikipedia article,,,a good basic primer with some pics.
***Note their comment about MISCONCEPTIONS,,that water is not generally an "underground river"

At end of article is another link to Florida's underground aquifer,,one of the few exceptions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquifer

Hope that helps


** besides Well Water,,,water is also found way down beneath surface.
Very common to find water at 1000's of feet deep when drilling oil/gas wells.

That too is "Dinosaur Days" water,,,deposited in some prehistoric period and trapped,,,then covered over with no way to escape.
Usually Salt water,,,but also lots of other chemicals too---some very nasty stuff sometimes.

Not unusual for water and oil to exist is same formation underground.

A Lot of "WELL WATER" has not been Surface Water for at least Dozens,,or Hundreds of generations.

Here's a thing about WELLS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_well


here's some more info/pictures of how well pumps are

http://www.homeinspectors.net/water.htm

http://www.richardsonwell.com/faq.html

Aquifers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aquifers

artesian
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artesian_Well

Answer 2

You really did leave school in the 9th grade. I didn't think you were serious. Basic chemistry, combined with a dash of cosmology. An atom of Hydrogen collides with two Oxygen atoms and forms a molecule of water. Gravity provides the pressure needed. An atmosphere provides the cooling effect needed to slow down the gas atoms and turn them into liquid. The continuing expansion of the Universe provided all the time necessary for the cooling and combining effect to take place. (seriously, 8th graders know this)

Answer 3

well it really isn't a econ question, but i also took enviormental engineering class (because it is a requirement for econ majors) so i can help you

wells are made so that it is build under an Aquatard so water down there wont be affected by the water near the surface

the well itself acts as a filtering system in which the groundwater is separated from dirt, since ground water constantly moves, it has to move through area where the well is and the water is built up from there.

Answer 4

Think of the ground below you as having many layers, think about turning on a lawn sprinkler and having that water soak into the ground.The sprinkler is like rain or melting snow.

The water slowly seeps deeper and deeper until it meets a layer of clay or rock that doesn't let the water through.

Now these layers all have slopes to them, like underground hills or valleys, water flows down the underground hills and fills up the underground valleys, Where the water gets deep enough it forms streams or lakes.

But when you dig a well, you cut down to this water layer and the water goes into your hole
as long as the bottom of your hole is waterproof, water seepin in from a slightly higher layer, will give you water to drink.

Answer 5

The short answer is It comes from the ground.

A well is essentially a hole that's been dug into the ground below the water table. You have to be on an aquifer, where the underlying rocks are saturated with water. The hole fills with water, which can then be drawn or pumped out.

Answer 6

we see rivers, lakes, streams and ponds everyday because these are surface waters. however. beneath the ground are major aquifers. water pressure builds, water always finds the weakest point to follow. thus, water will find a fissure and make its' way upward by being pushed from the pressure. this is what we call a spring. another scenario is, on a mountain. water goes down into the soil, accumulates and protrudes out along a hill side as a spring.

Answer 7

the water table
http://www.infoplease.com/search?fr=iptn&query=water+table&in=all&x=0&y=0

Answer 8

an underground stream or spring....

Answer 9

the ocean duh