Irrigation from Lake? Why not just sink a well.

[Harry Everhart]

I have been following your desire to irrigate your yard/garden from a lake that is 100 feet away and 10 feet down. I may be missing something

- but it seems to me that since you are so close to a lake - you could sink a shallow well and draw fresh clean water right out of the ground. My house is on a small lake in Tallahassee - I own frontage on the lake and it may be 10 feet lower at the lake than my house. My neighbor sunk a well and hit plenty of water by digging down less than 5 feet. He uses a simple sump pump motor and draws water up the pipe to irrigate his plants. It seems like a lot of trouble to save a couple dollars a month on his water bill - but if it makes him feel good to have his little "save the planet" project - who am I to judge it. Another thing about well water versus lakes water - is that well water is less polluted by runoff. Harry

[Duane Bozarth]

Depending on where he is, just because there's a lake doesn't mean there's shallow underground water of any sizable amount--or any, even...

[xrongor]

sure its a possibility. but i wouldnt bet against it. and it's easy enough to find out considering how much digging and pipe laying it could save.

besides the 'save the planet' project aspect, you could make a good argument that lake or well water is better for your plants than city treated water too.

randy

[Duane Bozarth]

Well, around here I'd bet a bunch against it...of course, there aren't many lakes, either... :)

[David Efflandt]

One example is the Rock River in WI/IL (which currently may run in some places to one side of the ancient glacier melt channel). On one side of the river, if you dig into the limestone (beginning 3' underground), water flows from the well without even a pump (artesian well or spring). On the other side of the river, you would have trouble sucking water unless down into the sandstone more than 120' down.

My grandparents had a lakewater pump for outside spigots. Not sure about details, but their pump was in a bathhouse not far from the lake. If this is still allowed, you would need to make certain that any piping was below the frost line and water intake below lake freeze level.

In this case (distance involved), some sort of submersible pump might make more sense (no need to maintain prime).