Restoring our original water well

In August the volunteers investigated the old water well that sits within the walls of the garden. A thick cover of brambles, chicken wire and old wood had to be removed first, for the shaft to emerge from darkness. It was found to be 2 m in depth and diameter, and to be lined the traditional way with dry stones. The water level was measured at 1.5 m below ground level. The well was dewatered with a pump, and many buckets of mud and plant debris were removed from its base. Its wall was also jetted with a water hose to improve the inflow of groundwater. A pole gauge was installed to monitor the recovery of the water level after pumping, thereby to determine the yield of the well. Preliminary results suggest a yield of about 500 l/d in the summer, when the water table is deepest. More work remains to be done to make the well fully safe, operational and durable: extending its wall above ground level, installing a heavy-duty cover, laying a clean bed of gravel at its base, and fitting a submersible pump. After this, the well may be used to feed a pond – another project of the volunteers – or to water the vegetable plots.