If you have a private residential well in Utah or Wyoming, it’s important for you to learn more about how drought may affect your water supply.
Large portions of the United States continues to battle drought conditions and reduced aquifer levels. In fact, the National Drought Mitigation Center currently shows that almost 1.7 million Utah residents live in a drought area. In Wyoming, almost 80,000 residents live in a drought area, but 77 percent of Wyoming is now abnormally dry or worse.
How Does Drought Affect My Well and Well Pump?
Not only can drought have an impact on your well and pump; seasonal variations in rainfall totals can as well. Unfortunately, in past four years (2012-1015), the Salt Lake City metro area has received only about half of its 30-year average total rainfall*.
A well is said to have run dry when its level drops below the well pump’s intake. Of course, the level can return to normal after heavy rainfalls and when drought conditions improve. In the meanwhile, you may be stuck without a source of water.
What Can I Do If My Residential Well Runs Dry?
You could of course wait to see if your well capacity returns when drought conditions lessen, but that’s not a practical solution for most well owners.
It’s important for you to first determine if your well has indeed dropped below a usable level, or if your well has failed for some reason. If the latter problem is to blame, restoring your water may be as simple as making the necessary repairs.
If an insufficient water level is to blame, a residential well rehabilitation service can often correct the problem. You may also have the option of deepening your well, but this is a question for a professional well services contractor.
Can I Help Prevent a Dry Well?
If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to cut back on water use as much as possible. The more wisely you use your water, the better your chances of making it through the drought period unscathed.
Almost three-quarters of the average home’s indoor water use is in the bathroom. A little more than half of that is used for flushing, and the rest for bathing. You can learn lots of important water saving tips from the EPA’s Water Sense website.
But perhaps the most important step you can take is having your annual residential well checkup. Not only will this ensure that your well remains in good working order, but it can also help determine whether your water level could become a problem in the near future.
The Mike Zimmerman Well Service team serves customers in Wyoming and Utah, and all along the Wasatch Front. We understand how important it is to maintain your well during this time of drought, and we are standing by to help you with all of your commercial or residential well and well pump needs.
