Contoocook Artesian Well

How We Price Wells

Here’s a simple explanation of how we price our wells, and why wells vary in cost and water production.

Every single well is different – as unique as its GPS location on the planet. Contoocook Artesian Well prices our artesian water wells based on our 70 years of experience. There are three main variables:

1. The distance to good solid bedrock dictates the amount of casing used to seal off the overburden -- or sand, gravel, big gravel, and wet material around the casing. Solid bedrock is interlaced with aquifers of water.

2. Whether the overburden surrounding the drill hole is considered stable or unstable. If the overburden is unstable, it may require intensive techniques to properly set the casing into the underground aquifers that produce water. The most stable overburden is hardpan, clay, and clay-sand mixes that are easily drilled and allow easier installation of the casing into bedrock. Think of it this way: Which would be more stable and apt to stay open -- a hole drilled through modeling clay or sand and sugar?

3. The amount of drilling required to reach competent bedrock. This is defined as stable underground rock that can support the casing and provide an adequate water supply. The well driller determines when competent bedrock has been reached during the drilling process.

WELL DRILLING TERMS

Flow rate: The gallons per minute of water per minute that the well will yield

Casing: The steel pipe installed down through the overburden material into solid bedrock underground

Footage: The distance underground to reach an adequate water supply

Seal: The interface between the bedrock and the casing

Bedrock: The rock underground that has aquifers of water at varying depths

Overburden: The sand, gravel, boulders, and soil that are layered on top of the bedrock to ground level

Horsepower: The effective power rating for the submersible pump that brings water up the well and into the home. Horsepower is a power unit in the US equal to 746 watts or 550 foot pounds of work per second.

Hydrofracture: A process whereby water is injected into the well at high volumes to increase well yield, measured in gallons per minute

Competent bedrock: Stable bedrock that can support the borehole without collapsing. The well driller determines when competent bedrock has been reached during the drilling process

If HIGH flow rates of water are achieved during the drilling process, the well will require a pump with a lower horsepower and a more shallow set depth. This well will constantly be producing water for the home’s immediate use. For example, a 400-foot well may have the pump set at 200 feet instead of 380 feet.

If LOW flow rates of water are achieved during drilling, we take full advantage of the well’s storage capacity. The water is stored in the entire column of the well, usually to within 20 feet of ground level. We then install a larger horsepower pump toward the bottom of the well to utilize the water storage. This is why “size matters” when it comes to the size of casing in the well.

TOO LOW YIELD wells can be hydrofracked. This process includes injecting thousands of gallons of water against thousands of PSI of back pressure into the well. New water fractures are opened, making more water available to the existing well.

When we price a well, we take into consideration:

Your location and the DISTANCE to ledge
+
The VOLUME of water we can expect
+
The horsepower (HP) of the pump that will be needed
+
The amount of steel pipe, or CASING, to stabilize the well to prevent it from caving in
+
The cost of HYDROFRACTURING the well if adequate water isn’t reached through drilling
+

Any excavating costs to prepare the site for drilling or pump installation

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= TOTAL COST

Questions?
We’re always happy to answer questions. Call 603-428-6060 between 6am and 5pm Monday through Friday.
Calls over the weekend will be responded to promptly by pager and a weekend service technician.