Period borehole

[JoceAndChris]

After years of assuming this will be our solution to lack of water and amassing the funds it seems it won't be. The prognosis was most discouraging in our British Geological Survey.

I'm afraid it means BC is rather devalued if there really is no way out of drought. I will now be researching spring water harvesting, as well as the alternative, which is building a pumping station for mains connection on Beacon Lane.


The conclusion of the survey:


'The proposed borehole site is not a good one, and a successful borehole can by no means be guaranteed. A 55 m deep borehole to the base of the Marlstone Rock may provide a small supply (1-2 m3/day) of the order of magnitude required. However, as the base of the Marlstone Rock lies above river level, it could be essentially unsaturated. Also, the groundwater at these depths may be mineralised with an high iron content. If this borehole was dry, continuing it another 10-15 m into the upper part of the Charmouth Mudstone Formation may encounter some water, but is unlikely to provide a significant supply as it is probable that the Dyrham Formation will not be present below this site, with the rocks below the Marlstone Rock being mudstones.
If a borehole is attempted, further advice should also be taken regarding drilling into potentially unstable ground. Plain casing would be required against the strata above the Marlstone Rock and possibly slotted casing and a sand pack against siltstones of the Dyrham Formation, if penetrated.
According to the geological maps, the geology, and therefore the borehole potential, does not vary significantly across the site as outlined on the map supplied by the client. The chances of drilling a successful borehole are therefore similar across the site.'

 

[skier-hughes]

Oh dear, what is the cost of the pumping station in comparison?

 

[Flyfisher]

Just thinking out loud really, but have you thought about rainwater harvesting? Presumably your existing well is adequate for potable water, which is typically only a very small proportion of our average water usage, so perhaps you could collect rainwater throughout the year into large buried storage tanks for all your other needs?

 

[Keith Bowman]

That's remarkably bad luck. The pumping station sounds like the best long term solution but just check carefully first to see if there is any river or stream near enough to use a hydraulic ram: http://www.greenandcarter.com/main/products.htm

Of course, having a steam driven pumping station using a wood fired boiler fuelled from those 200 odd trees would be fun!

 

[Gareth Hughes]

Oh, the opportunities afforded by the need for a pumping station, particularly one for watering the garden, didn't daunt our predecessors.

 

[Penners]

That's a real kick in the teeth for you, Joce. However, I tend to agree with FF that rainwater harvesting could well provide a solution - possibly at a lower cost than a borehole (but that's just wild amateur guesswork).

But if you do decide to build a Machine de Marly, in order to power Versaillesque fountains, I demand to be allowed to come and help the construction work.

 

[Moo]

, I demand to be allowed to come and help the construction work.

You don't mean, surely, the sort of work that involves the rolling up of sleeves and sweat on the noble manly brow?

 

[Penners]

Oh, but I do. And I do approve of your adjectives (although I confess that, after a day's tiling and grouting today, my brow was more plebeian than patrician).

 

[JoceAndChris]

What a splendid sight that would be! A very kind offer Mr P, yes please, I'm sure Mrs P can spare you.

It would be nice to have a noble and romantic pump that married power with soaring architectural grace, but rather more prosaically, what if we were to excavate a great big hole the size of BC in our field? And wait for the rain to fill it, as well as our spring that's there? Then, perhaps, a pump and a pipe could get it to the house. We already catch all the rain from the roof of the house and the workshop. And it isn't enough, Lincs is a low rainfall area.

Work is underway to construct a large pool in the garden, I'll fill it from our rainwater chamber and possibly the well if the well gets full in Jan ( hardly any in there right now). Then I'll have some garden water if I get desperate.

I manage fine, most of the time, but crave and fantasise about things I've denied myself here like a daily bath, a new bathroom with clean water, ( our rainwater is unfiltered into the loos and shower so I bathe in mud and worms, essentially), a pressure washer for the hen house, a hosepipe.

 

[Penners]

I bathe in mud and worms, essentially

Why not take a leaf out of Cleopatra's book, and get yourself a female donkey?

 

[JoceAndChris]

A splendid idea! She wouldn't get a lot of water in July and August but would perhaps be happy with wine, like us.

 

[Feltwell]

Sorry to hear such bad news Joce. I presume you've come to the conclusion that the risk vs expense of the borehole isn't worth it then.

Dare I ask how much the pumping station would be?

 

[JoceAndChris]

I think the risk of the borehole not working is too great, yes.

I have absolutely no idea what the pumping station would cost. The water pipe is in place so that bit's done, it was part of our sale agreement and the former owner simply hired a digger and laid a trench down to Grantham and sunk the pipe. It is the correct pipe, I checked. But I don't know what pump is needed, I don't know what kind of housing or shed it would need, I don't know how electricity would be supplied to the pump. I don't know if the land owner would sell us the land, and if the pumping station would require and get PP. And I don't know who might know the answers to these questions! Anglian Water are very firm that it's nothing to do with them.

But thanks for sympathy!

 

[Flyfisher]

I'm only guessing here, but surely everyone has some sort of right to be connected to mains services, albeit at a price?

I'm wondering if it all depends on how you approach Anglian Water. This guide describes how to request a new connection to the water mains: http://www.anglianwater.co.uk/_assets/media/How_to_get_connected_to_our_water_network.pdf

It will involve a site survey before the connection costs are confirmed.

If it's anything like when we had a new gas connection installed, I'd expect them to come out and discuss the options with you during which you coould point out that they can use the pipe you've already laid, which should save a lot of costs. They'll then point out the water pressure issue and tell you that you'll need a pump, in which case you could simply ask how much they would charge for that.

If they're happy to quote you a price then it becomes their responsibility to do everything concerning its installation (and probably subsequent maintenance as well).

I don't know if this would work, but it might be worth a try.

 

[JoceAndChris]

I haven't actually met anyone, but there have been umpteen phone calls with Anglian Water over the years, speaking with differing people working in the New Connections department. New connections are usually along the lines of an extra house in a village, not getting a supply to one house on a hilltop a mile up from nearest neighbour. They have all said the same thing, the purchase of the land, the sourcing and costs of the pump and its housing, must be carried out and paid by us. We can pay them to close and dig up Beacon Lane, for the connection, but the lack of pressure is our problem. There's no intrinsic right to be connected to mains water. If your house is in a remote location, it's tough luck.

 

[Flyfisher]

How frustrating!

I can understand that you would have to pay for everything, but I'm surprised they insist you must source and install the pump. Surely there are standards and regulations that you can't be expected to know about whereas they would. I'm sure they'd insist on a final inspection and approval of whatever was done, so why would they not want to do the whole job themselves? Presumably there must be specialist contractors out there who could handle such an installation to the required standards.

As for the pump 'housing', do you know how large this would have to be? Could it be installed in an underground chamber for example and would the farmer who laid the pipe for you be amenable to a bit of digging at the end of the pipe? After all, what's the point of him laying the pipe and then not allowing you to connect to it?

I wonder how developers handle such things when they build a new housing estate on a hill?

 

[88v8]

How long is the pipe, what is the diameter, what is the rise?

Ivor

 

[JoceAndChris]

The diameter of the water pipe is 50mm, its length to Beacon Lane is 1500 metres approx and the rise is 116 metres approx.

The land up here - about 150 acres all told - is wild unfarmed land that was grazing a very long time ago. The previous owner of Beacon Cottage did not obtain any permissions but hired a digger himself and laid the trench and pipe himself, with a piece of paper from the 1930s claiming that BC can take water and services from the surrounding fields in his back pocket. Nobody noticed or said anything. The water pipe emerges in a very wooded hedgerow that borders Beacon Lane and I really don't know who owns that hedgerow but could probably find out.

When we first moved here and were under the impression mains water would be connected we really begged and pleaded and pestered Anglian Water. They asked us to wait and they'd do some research. When they came back to us they said it was impossible because we'd need to build a pumping station, not a sunken pump by the roadside, but a pumping station. This they did not think we'd be able to do. I assumed that the issues would be size and cost of the installation and really just dismissed the idea. Now, I need to find out exactly what this pumping station is.

 

[Penners]

I need to find out exactly what this pumping station is.

I quite agree. I can't believe that a major installation is needed to pump one modest domestic supply up a rise of 116 metres. If there's adequate water pressure for the houses lower down, then the head of the water tower must be above them, which would presumably give your pump a head start (excuse the pun).

Do you happen to know how much higher you are than the water level in the local water tower (wherever it may be)?

 

[spooksbooks]

We enquired a few years ago about having a mains supply pipe laid 200m along the grass verge of a main road to reach our house and, from memory, I think it was going to cost nearly £10,000!
Fortunately, we managed to improve our spring supply and avoided the need to connect to the mains, but as you can see, the cost of getting a water company to do any works can be very high.
I hope you manage to find some experts that can provide an economic solution.