HOW DEEP SHOULD A WELL BE?
“How deep will the well be?” is a common question before drilling a well. If the driller has drilled several wells in the nearby area, he may be able to estimate the approximate depth where water will be encountered. Most of the time, however, the depth needed to find the required well yield cannot be determined accurately prior to drilling. A well is an engineered hole in the ground via which ground water can be brought to the surface. Drilling machines can drill to great depths. Deeper wells usually cost more than a shallow well to construct in the short-run. However, not drilling deep enough can result in later problems that will be much more expensive to fix.
LISTED BELOW ARE SOME OF THE FACTORS THAT MAY INFLUENCE DECISIONS ABOUT THE DEPTH OF A WATER WELL
• SEASONAL RISE AND FALL OF THE WATER TABLE
During the year, the water table will fluctuate up and down in the well in response to seasonal precipitation in the area and local ground water use. The well must therefore be drilled deeper than the lowest expected elevation of the water table. Water level fluctuations may occur over several years if there have been drought conditions. Knowing the lower limit of the range of water levels over several years therefore can be helpful.
• SURFACE CONTAMINATION RISKS
Deeper wells that are properly constructed (including grout, casing, well cap, and pitless adaptor [in freezing climates]) usually provide guaranteed protection from bacterial contamination sources originating at the surface. Increasing the well depth and the length of well casing will result in a longer flow path of water from recharge at the surface to pumping from the well. The longer the length of time water is in the subsurface, the more opportunity there is for bacteria to die-off or be trapped by soil and rock.
• POOR QUALITY WATER ZONES
In some areas of the country with multiple aquifers, there may be zones of poor water that should be avoided or “cased off” so this lower quality water does not adversely impact the well.
• LOW YIELDING ROCK FORMATIONS
In low yielding rock formations the well may have to be drilled deep enough to serve as a storage cavity for ground water. Once a well is drilled, the total depth, depth to the top of the ground water table (static level) and diameter of the well determine how much water will be stored within the well cavity. The larger the well diameter the more water will be stored for a given well depth and water table elevation.
 To find the “thickness” of the water stored in the well subtract the depth to the static water level from the drilled depth of the well.
 To determine the volume of water stored in a well find the well diameter in the table below and multiple the “thickness” value by the gallons per foot factor.
Well diameter in inches
4
6
8
12
24
36
Approximate Gallons per foot of well depth factor
0.65
1.5
2.6
5.9
23.5
52.9
Well depth plays a role in pump placement. Pumps should never be set directly at the bottom of a well. It is usually best to place the pump 10 to 20 feet up from the bottom of the well. In low-yield wells that recharge slowly, placing the pump below the recharge zone may create cascading water situations that lead to additional sediment build up in the well cavity. An automatic shut-off switch can be wired into the pump power line so that the pump will shut-off when the water level falls close to the pump.

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HOW DEEP SHOULD A WELL BE?
“How deep will the well be?” is a common question before drilling a well. If the driller has drilled several wells in the nearby area, he may be able to estimate the approximate depth where water will be encountered. Most of the time, however, the depth needed to find the required well yield cannot be determined accurately prior to drilling. A well is an engineered hole in the ground via which ground water can be brought to the surface. Drilling machines can drill to great depths. Deeper wells usually cost more than a shallow well to construct in the short-run. However, not drilling deep enough can result in later problems that will be much more expensive to fix.
LISTED BELOW ARE SOME OF THE FACTORS THAT MAY INFLUENCE DECISIONS ABOUT THE DEPTH OF A WATER WELL
• SEASONAL RISE AND FALL OF THE WATER TABLE
During the year, the water table will fluctuate up and down in the well in response to seasonal precipitation in the area and local ground water use. The well must therefore be drilled deeper than the lowest expected elevation of the water table. Water level fluctuations may occur over several years if there have been drought conditions. Knowing the lower limit of the range of water levels over several years therefore can be helpful.
• SURFACE CONTAMINATION RISKS
Deeper wells that are properly constructed (including grout, casing, well cap, and pitless adaptor [in freezing climates]) usually provide guaranteed protection from bacterial contamination sources originating at the surface. Increasing the well depth and the length of well casing will result in a longer flow path of water from recharge at the surface to pumping from the well. The longer the length of time water is in the subsurface, the more opportunity there is for bacteria to die-off or be trapped by soil and rock.
• POOR QUALITY WATER ZONES
In some areas of the country with multiple aquifers, there may be zones of poor water that should be avoided or “cased off” so this lower quality water does not adversely impact the well.
• LOW YIELDING ROCK FORMATIONS
In low yielding rock formations the well may have to be drilled deep enough to serve as a storage cavity for ground water. Once a well is drilled, the total depth, depth to the top of the ground water table (static level) and diameter of the well determine how much water will be stored within the well cavity. The larger the well diameter the more water will be stored for a given well depth and water table elevation.
+ To find the “thickness” of the water stored in the well subtract the depth to the static water level from the drilled depth of the well.
+ To determine the volume of water stored in a well find the well diameter in the table below and multiple the “thickness” value by the gallons per foot factor.
Well diameter in inches
4
6
8
12
24
36
Approximate Gallons per foot of well depth factor
0.65
1.5
2.6
5.9
23.5
52.9
Well depth plays a role in pump placement. Pumps should never be set directly at the bottom of a well. It is usually best to place the pump 10 to 20 feet up from the bottom of the well. In low-yield wells that recharge slowly, placing the pump below the recharge zone may create cascading water situations that lead to additional sediment build up in the well cavity. An automatic shut-off switch can be wired into the pump power line so that the pump will shut-off when the water level falls close to the pump.

Cooleasy:

Please how do we classify a 220 ft deep depth requirement for a borehole in a place like Ikorodu, Lagos? Is that a deep type or shallow type of borehole? We were told that the soil type is sedimentary. Please enlighten me.

ikorodu is mostly 150ft or so and in sure area 220ft could be consider as deep to some extent.
but for you to be certain of what depth to drill in order to have Good yield of water and maybe spend less. i will advice a standard Geophysical survey and if you have done that then go with the depth recommended.

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hi nairalanders

Direct shallow borehole: This borehole type is the most common within lagos and its environs. It is the least expensive of all borehole types, the reason why it is called shallow borehole is because the borehole is not drilled to a far depth, it has active production sustainance and it is economically very affordable. In some challenging environments like victoria island, lekki, ikoyi, ajah, lagos island, satellite town, sango-tedo, etc. There is the possibility of saline contamination,sewage infiltration, organics, hydrogen sulphide(H2S) and run-off incursion in the shallow bed. It is therefore advised that water treatment plant be installed for safety, human health and environmental pressure

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Government at all levels are failing in provision of pipe water to people.

But remember to drink a lot of water daily.

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We are expert in water borehole drilling, soil test, pile foundation, geophysical survey

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