Water water everywhere

[annefb]

I recently moved to the watery Malvern Hills and have a sort of water hole/well on my drive covered with a man hole. The water was diverted into the main drain (before my time), but I can use a small pump and fill up a water but and pond-it doesn't dry up and the water keeps collecting. I have asked the various 'green people' around how to harness the water, whether I have a spring in the garden, whether this was a stream or how I could use the water more efficiently but cannot get any help. Is this a case for the Diviners?

[mike]

Cottages in the country often still have the old wells in place, my nans water at Belton ,Norfolk was the coldest clearest water I have ever drank, yet the local water board stopped her using it as it unsafe, load of rubbish, piped water is very often fourth or fifth times recycled, how can that be as fresh as the natural water ? Okay you have to have it tested first before you drink it, to be on the safe side, but many people were told to change to piped water as the old wells were now polluted, sometimes without even testing the water first.If frogs are in your well the water is not so bad, as they will not stay around bad water, its an easy way of checking, fresh clean water is a gift, use it well (Sorry). Watering the plants from the well is a good way to use this gift, a wishing well fed by the spring is another, pumped up every day or so to run down a water fall where the birds can drink.All manner of nice things to do with a natural spring, washing your hair in it offers a wonderful shine thats natural with rain water collected, a water feature where the water runs down a water fall and then on down to the fish pond if the water is clean and clear, all sorts of things to do with a natural well, you lucky person.

[simonwheeler]

annefb: Is this a case for the Diviners?

Quite possibly....but then why not try dowsing it yourself? The fact that you posted here suggests you are not averse to the idea of dowsing/divining per se. Give it a go! (and rods made from old coat hangers are where lots began).
Maybe start by dowsing at a distance from the man-hole and "close in" on it, mapping reactions from the rods. If you approach the project methodically you should pick up any water course and its track.
There are a number of ways of determining amount of flow, depth etc.- if you use a pendulum (could be a metal nut on garden twine) with questions that narrow down the numbers to specific ranges (eg "is it deeper than 100 feet?" yes/no. If yes then "is it deeper than 200 feet?" if no then you have a range that you can narrow down again by repeating the same process.).
You then have used the main 2 dowsing tools and have begun a long and fascinating journey into.....well...that's up to you....

There's plenty of info/ideas/guidance/suggestions/provocative stuff within this Forum.


Have fun!

[annefb]

Thanks for the suggestions
I actually have some dowsing rods and finding the water isn't the problem. I suppose I am looking for some inspiration as to how to convert a little water hole into something other than water running into the main drain. The water holes is on a long drive and runs into the main drain under a courtyard. I would like to take it into the garden, apparently at one time there was a stream and a pond.

[simonwheeler]

Sorry, I seem to have misunderstood from your first post. However, I would suggest that you cannot make an informed decision about what to do and how to do it until you have a clearer idea of where the water flows and how much there is...

[griff]

Hi Anne: First you need to verify the yield of the water running into the manhole. Are you using an electric pump to deliver water to your garden? And is the garden at a higher level than the manhole? Do you want to drink the water? And do you own the manhole and the drive?.
It is difficult to advise or comment on this with so little information.

Regards Griff.

[annefb]

thanks Griff-we do own the drive and the manhole, the water seems to be always at the same level even when we use a rather slow electric pump, and our garden is down hill from the source. It would be really nice to drink the water, but essentially it would be useful to have a source inside the garden so that we could have easier and more regular access for water plants etc.

[griff]

thanks Griff-we do own the drive and the manhole, the water seems to be always at the same level even when we use a rather slow electric pump, and our garden is down hill from the source. It would be really nice to drink the water, but essentially it would be useful to have a source inside the garden so that we could have easier and more regular access for water plants etc.

Dear Anne: If you have time - and a stop watch - pump water into a 3gall or 2gall bucket and record the seconds to fill it. Calculate the pumping rate in gall/hr. Measure the distance from the frame to the WL before and after pumping. Then apply a 3 hour continuous pumping test. If the level falls put a fullway valve in the delivery pipe and adjust the flow until the level remains constant and repeat the bucket test, this will give you the yield of the source.
A simple test for water quality will give you indications. Take a clear glass clean 1litre screw-top bottle, fill and empty it 3 times taking care to wash the cap, avoiding contaminating the neck and cap with the fingers. Put a teaspoonful of white granulated sugar in the bottle, do not shake. Carefully place the bottle on an indoor window sill in daylight,not direct sunlight. Cap the bottle. Leave for 5 days without disturbing it. If white strands or cloudiness appear in the bottom of the bottle, this is an indication of bacterial activity or other biological contamination. If the water is clear a potability test should be ordered from your nearest public analyst's lab.
Bear in mind that well drilling is expensive and that Malvern is a sensitive area as far as the Environment Agency is concerned so it may be more prudent to tap the existing source.

Kind regards
Griff.

[annefb]

thanks, I'll try this at the weekend and let you know how I get on.

[griff]

One thing I forgot to mention: Try to ascertain that the overflow from the 'well' or collector is not feeding a cistern for essential services on another property lower down. The existence of the chamber is an indication that a tapped spring or springs at a higher level is/are the main source.