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NH Drilled Wells a Common Water Source

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Bean Group | Brin Realty Associates

Many cities and towns in New Hampshire do not provide town water outside of city limits and some cities don't provide municipal water at all.

It is very common in New Hampshire for properties to be services by NH drilled wells.  There are different kinds of wells, but the most common in NH  is a drilled well.



Most wells for residential use are 100-500 feet in depth, depending on the amount of water flow into the well.
An average gallon per minute yield is about 5-6 gallons a minute; a poor yield would be 1-2 gallons per minute and would require a deeper well to provide adequate water supply   .A deeper well with a  low flow rate can provide an adequate supply since  a typical 6" pipe will store 1.5 gallons of water per foot.  So a 500' well could provide over 600 gallons of storage in the pipe alone.

There are no mandatory flow rates required by the State of NH. 

A true Artesian well  is one that gushes out of the ground without the need for a pump.  Artesian Wells only account for about 2 percent of wells, they are quite rare.  I have seen them a couple of times in NH.

A common procedure done when a well has a low flow rate is called hydro fracturing which enhances the productivity of existing fractures, joints and faults by flushing and opening existing fractures in the well to provide more water flow to the household  This is typically done in deeper wells that just haven't provided an adequate flow rate.

Municipal water supplies are regulated in terms of water quality.  Individual wells are not.  It is prudent for a buyer of a property with a well to have water tests done that would test for minerals, contaminants, radon and bacteria, etc.  There are water filters and systems to treat most issues that arise.

I recommend you have your water tested with your next home inspection, your inspector will discuss the various tests that can be done.

There is nothing better than settling into your NH home and turning on the tap and drawing an ice cold glass of good clean well water.

 

 

 

 

Comments (3)

Laura Giannotta
Keller Williams Realty - Atlantic Shore - Little Egg Harbor, NJ
Your Realtor Down the Shore!

We have a lot of wells in this part of NJ...also New Jersey has strict well testing requirements.  Before you can get a CO, for sale or rental, you have to have a well test!

Dec 10, 2010 12:37 AM
Brin Realty Associates Team At Bean Group
Bean Group | Brin Realty Associates - Amherst, NH
Amherst NH homes and Southern NH real estate

Yes NH requires "potable" water on CO, but that doesn't address asthetic issues...and NH  is the LIVE FREE OR DIE state, which means we aren't supposed to see lots of government controls, but we do.

Dec 10, 2010 12:51 AM
Joyce Godwin, Realtor, CRS
RE/MAX Elite Properties; Serving Cypress, Spring, Tomball, NW Houston - Houston, TX
RE/MAX Elite Properties

Rene, Interesting information!

Dec 12, 2010 04:26 PM