Coakley Water Treatment offer a complete well drilling service, in association with recognised well drillers, whereby the client need only deal with one point of contact for the complete project of drilling, sampling & evaluating, specifying the supply and full installation of the required pumps and water treatment equipment.

 

 

  

Guidelines

If building your own well, be sure that you follow the very useful guidelines drawn up by the Institute of Geologists of Ireland (these can be found at www.igi.ie).

This is a really helpful resource drawn up with input from experts including respected drilling contractors, geologists and engineers.

Approximately 130,000 households in Ireland depend on their own private water supply, usually a borehole, and yet Ireland currently has no statutory regulations concerning water well drilling and groundwater abstraction.

Consequently there are inconsistent standards of construction of boreholes, so caution is urged for anyone looking to sink a well.

Pollution

Many private water wells in Ireland are polluted, at least intermittently, due to poor planning or drilling too close to a septic tank with obvious serious implications for human Health.

It is important that water wells are only drilled in locations which minimise the risk of pollution from septic tanks, farmyard runoff or slurry spreading.

Wellheads should be constructed to ensure that surface water and shallow groundwater, which are likely to be polluted, cannot enter the well.

Wells must be cased and grouted to an adequate depth. The casing and grout must meet defined minimum standards, and the placing of the casing and grout must be meet a certain specification.

Getting the equipment safely onto and off of your site in order to drill the well must be planned in advance.

These are impressive machines in operation; they can weigh up to 40 tonnes and be over 8ft wide so access is an important consideration.

They are also tall vehicles when the drilling process begins so due care must be given to issues such as overhead power lines or low hanging trees on the farm, low bridges en route to the drilling site and any soft ground where the rig could potentially get stuck.

Grants and Regulations

Q: Am I eligible for grant aid?

A: You are eligible if providing a piped supply of water to an existing house for the first time or carrying out improvements to a seriously deficient existing piped supply of water to a house. You are also eligible if the dwelling is seven years old or over and not already connected to a public water supply

Who is not eligible?

A person is not eligible for a grant if:

The house is not occupied by the applicant as his or her normal place of residence (e.g. a holiday home);

The house is at present connected to a public or group scheme water supply;

The area in which the house is located is or is about to be served by a public water supply;

The house is under construction or has been constructed within the previous seven years.

 

How far should a drinking water well be located from a septic tank system?

Locating the well up gradient of the tank is most important.

Regulations may require a setback distance of 100ft or more depending on your council regulations.

What width should my entrance be to allow access for the machine?

Allow at least 8ft to 10ft minimum and remember the drilling rigs are heavy machines so expect some ground damage.

How much will my well cost?

Price per foot/meter will usually be given in a free quotation. Final cost will depend on depth of well on completion but a ballpark minimum cost is €3,500.

 

How much water will I need?

You should allow 230 litres (50 gallons) of water a day for each person in your household. Obviously a farm will require much more, varying from about 140 litres (30 gallons) a day for a dairy cow to about 20 litres (4 gallons) a day for 100 chickens. You must be sure that your well will be able to provide your daily water needs without going dry. For more advice, you should contact us directly.

How do I know the water is safe to use?

When your well is drilled, you should seal it against pollution and make sure it is disinfected. After a few days, you should send a sample of water from your well to the local Health Service Executive (HSE) for testing. They will then let you know whether your well water is up to drinking standards.