Water!
Part of the infrastructure construction involves creating a water system that serves each of the homes in the village. For this type of system, the state water board requires that two wells be drilled to provide the water for the residents. To serves the maximum water demand, each well needed to produce at least 16 gallons of water per minute (gpm).
In the foothills of North Fork, wells are drilled quite deep to tap into water that is flowing through the cracks and crevices of the granite bedrock that lies beneath the surface. Unlike areas where there is a known aquifer, locating a well involves more luck than science. Many homeowners use water dowsers to locate the wells and our well drillers offered to do the same for us. We declined, and instead chose locations that were practical in nature, one location was next to where the storage tank will be located and the other was about 400 feet away, along the route of the water main to the storage tank.
While drilling, the operator gave us periodic updates. The first well, near the location for the water storage tank, hit water in the first few hundred feet, a very good sign but only 5 gpm, so the drilling continued. At a little over 400 feet, a fracture producing another 5 gpm was hit. This would have been a good amount for a well serving one or two homes, but not enough for the 26 homes and a small group home in the village. It took another 430 feet of drilling before more water was reached, but this time the well fracture yielded another 15 gpm for a total production of 25 gpm at a total depth of 850 feet. Overall a very positive result.
Brian and I patted each other on the back for picking such a good location, but held off from bragging to the well driller about not using a water dowser until we saw the outcome of the second well.
The drilling on the second well started two days later. While it was only 400 feet away, it was completely different, the first fracture with water was found between 332 and 338 feet with only 1 gpm. Four more fractures were found at 529, 609, 651, and 745 feet adding 13 gpm more for a total of 14 gpm. Since we needed at least 16 gpm, we kept going and it was a good thing we did. At 825 feet, we got a text from the driller saying he had hit “substantial water,” by the time we arrived to inspect, he had measured 35 additional gallons per minute of water. More than enough. We took some celebratory photos, and while we were congratulating each other, the drilling continued. All of sudden, Brian pointed at the water coming out of the well and said it just changed color. Then the flow increased dramatically. This surprised everyone, including the well driller. He estimated the flow had at least doubled which would mean we had an 830 foot well producing over 90 gpm which was borne out on his subsequent air lift test. Way more water than we needed or expected. While not exactly the same experience, we now have an inkling of what it must have been like to strike oil in the early days of oil exploration.
Before we could brag about our choice of well locations, the well driller questioned us about whether we had actually used a water dowser or not. We confirmed that we had not, but offered to help him locate future wells for his other clients. With a smile, he said he would consider it.