Property maintenance can become a very costly exercise, especially if you have an expansive garden that needs alot of watering and attention.You could go the traditional route and pay your monthly water bill while following the current restrictions placed on water consumption or you could consider sinking a borehole or wellpoint.Underground water in these cases is free and depending on how much water you use every month, having a borehole or wellpoint could save you hundreds of rands.
What is a borehole?
A borehole is drilled into the ground and can be anywhere between 30m and 100m+ deep, it is also at least 156mm wide. The object is to drill into any water-bearing rock or sediment (aquifer) that can deliver a usable, reliable source of water.The water found at this depth is usually of good quality and is not as likely to be contaminated by activities at surface level, such as industrial seepage, as a wellpoint is. The people installing the borehole will be able to tell you of what quality the water is.
Borehole water is pumped to the surface but the pressure is not usually great enough for immediate use in an irrigation system.One would then want to install a water storage tank that will enable an irrigation system to be linked to it.An average residential borehole can deliver between 1500 and 3000 litres of water every hour but it could be much more.
What is a wellpoint?
A wellpoint is very different to a borehole.Wellpoints are dug to an average depth of 10m to 15m.They do not typically penetrate hard geological structures as the drilling technique is completely different.They are usually installed where there is a softer sandier sediment structure.
The advantage of these smaller scale installations is that they are faster to install (they take about a day) and they are less expensive.The disadvantages are that they are not as constant and reliable a source of water and the water is not usually of such good quality, limiting it’s uses.It can also easily be contaminated by surface activities such as seepage from industrial areas or informal settlements which have poor waste management.
Before choosing an option decide on what your needs are.If you have a very large property that needs plenty of water everyday then a borehole is probably for you, and if you have a smaller garden perhaps you should consider a wellpoint.
When it comes time to sell your property additions like these could prove to be very attractive to the buyer. They know they will always be able to maintain the garden and grounds to a high standard, essentially for free.
