M. K. BOTZ, HYUROGEOLOGIST 

 Montana Bureau of Mines & Geology 



WATER WELLS FOR IRRIGATION 

 AND DOMESTIC USE 



Planning to drill a well for Irrigation 

 or domestic use this spring? Water wells 

 are being more widely used in Montana for 

 irrigation and household use. Underground 

 water usually is pure, dependable, and is 

 found in abundance in many areas in Montana. 

 Wells, however, can represent a' substantial 

 cash investment. Drilling and construction 

 of wells should be given as much attention 

 as the purchase of new farm machinery. The 

 true cost of a well depends on many factors, 

 not Just the initial cost of drilling and 

 construction. Cheaply constructed wells 

 usually turn out to be the most expensive 

 investment in the long haul. 



What can be done to insure that your 

 new well will be drilled properly and will 

 provide many years of trouble-free opera- 

 tion? 



The first step in developing ground 

 water by means of wells is to evaluate the 

 geological and water-bearing character of 

 the underground formations. In some areas, 

 the local well drillers can provide such 

 information, and agencies such as the Soil 

 Conservation Service, the U. S. Geological 

 Survey, and County Extension Agents can be 

 very helpful. The Ground-Water Branch of 

 the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, 

 Butte, Montana, 59701, will provide, free 

 of charge, geological and ground-water in- 

 formation to Montana citizens. When writing 

 the Ground-Water Branch, be sure to state 

 the amount of water required and tlie exact 



location of your land, by legal subdivision. 



After obtaining geological and ground- 

 water information and choosing a well site, 

 a well driller should be selected. A reli- 

 able driller, with a good reputation for 

 his work and who has had experience in the 

 type of well you need should be selected. 

 The proposed well should be discussed with 

 the driller, and the method of drilling and 

 construction and costs should be clearly 

 understood by both you and the driller. 

 High-capacity irrigation wells can vary in 

 cost from a few thousand dollars to as high 

 as 10 to 15 thousand dollars. For such 

 wells, competent advice should be obtained 

 from qualified experts, and detailed de- 

 sign and construction plans should be de- 

 veloped and used. The money spent on en- 

 gineering and planning prevents very cost- 

 ly well failures and insures proper well 

 performance. All too often, misunder- 

 standings occur on expensive wells. If 

 large diameter wells have been drilled 

 without previously drilling small diameter 

 test wells, the result can be a very ex- 

 pensive well with inadequate water for 

 your purposes. All large diameter irriga- 

 tion wells should be preceded by small di- 

 ameter test wells to insure that the re- 

 quired amount of ground water is present. 



After completion of the well, the well 

 driller should furnish you a geological log 

 of formations penetrated, yield, and draw- 

 down of the well, as well as details of 

 construction. A "Notice of Appropriation 

 of Ground Water by Means of Well" should 

 be obtained from your County Clerk and Re- 

 corder. This form should be completely 

 and accurately filled out (the driller us- 

 ually fills out this form) and returned 

 to the Clerk and Recorder. This form is 

 a legal record of your water appropriation. 



After installation of a pump and pump 

 house, all wells should be sterilized. Irr- 

 igation wells in certain areas can be ruined 

 by bacteria that cause deposition of iron. 

 Tlie Montana State Department of Health, 

 Helena, Montana, will gladly furnish details 

 on sanitation and sterilization of wells. 



Montana's ground water is a valuable 

 asset. Proper construction and development 

 of wells, with assistance of specialists in 

 hydrology and engineering where needed, will 

 continue to be a great benefit to our state. 



