Drilling a Water Well
Now that you have the property of your dreams, what do you do? You want to build the dream house, but you need water in order to get your building permit. Where do you start?

The first major issue is where the property is located. Some counties in the Pacific Northwest require county site approval before the well is drilled. For a fee the county will inspect the site and give their approval of the location of the well.

The second major issue is finding a knowledgeable and competent well driller. Make sure that the well driller has a contractor's registration number and has a well driller's license. This assures you that he is up-to-date on all of the state and county regulations. Make sure that the driller is a member of the national and state ground water associations. You would not go to a doctor who was not a member of the American Medical Association. Meet with the well driller and go over the property. He will advise you the best location of the well.

After the location is chosen, the drill rigs will move onto the site. The site must be somewhat level and clear. The driller will drill an oversized hole to a minimum of 18 feet. The surface seal or ecology seal will be placed in this oversized hole as required by state law. The purpose of the surface seal is to keep surface water from following the casing down to the aquifers below. This prevents any chance of contamination.

After the surface seal hole is drilled, the driller will install his first piece of casing. On the end of that casing will be a drive shoe. The drive shoe protects the casing from damage due to rocks and boulders. The driller will then drill beyond the end of the casing and examine the materials as they are removed from the borehole.

After the borehole has been drilled, the casing is advanced either by pushing or by using a casing hammer. Each twenty-foot piece is welded as the casing is advanced down the hole. This method is repeated until a water-bearing formation is encountered. At this time the driller will sample the material in the formation. If the driller determines that the particles are too fine, a stainless steel sand screen will be installed to keep the sand out and let in clear water. After the screen is installed (if needed), the driller will develop the well with the use of a high volume of air or surge the well with equipment called a bailer. The air rotary method is extremely cost-effective and faster than other methods.

This does not mean that other methods of drilling are not as qualified. With almost 50 years of experience, we believe that the air rotary method provides the best available method of drilling for our customers. With three state licensed and nationally certified water well drillers, our expertise gives you the most for your money.