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Why You May Need to Be Flexible When Looking for Underground Water

8 October 2020

Tommy Franklin

If you plan to move to a very rural location and one that is not served by utility companies, then you will need to look for some natural resources instead. In particular, you'll want to find a source of water underground so that you can establish a well and become self-sufficient from this point of view. Yet it is not always as easy as you might think to tap into an unrestricted source of water, and engineers may need to adopt a particular approach known as directional drilling to achieve the goal. What is this, and why is it something that you might need to consider?

Drilling Down

Most people would imagine a drilling rig that extends downward at a 180° angle to the surface. This would be the simplest approach when looking for resources underfoot, but its success will depend on many different factors.

For example, what if the drill encounters a particularly solid piece of rock along its intended path? What will happen if part of the drilling equipment malfunctions underground and, theoretically, in a direct line between your property and the resource?

In these and other cases, contractors can employ a directional drilling approach. They will be able to turn the drill so that it moves at an angle compared to the original shaft, in search of a productive resource or to avoid geological issues.

Changing Direction

This type of solution will rely on advanced technology. For example, workers may vary the rotational speed of the drill bit and the configuration of the string, so that they can change direction at will. They can "persuade" the drill bit to move away from a straight line by shooting water under high-pressure to one edge of the bit, as another example.

Meanwhile, special sensors are attached to the drilling equipment that will send back valuable data to the surface engineer as work goes out. This will help them to stay on a specific path, while they may also rely on GPS technology as well.

Flexibility Is Essential

Remember, if you are looking for underground water reserves, your approach will need to be flexible. You're unlikely to find this water in a very contained or predictable environment, and may not be able to take full advantage of the resource if you can only access one point. Consequently, your contractors may need to drill in different directions to find the most productive part of the underground well, and this may take some exploration.

Getting Down to Work

Talk with your contractors about directional drilling to see if it can help you establish your long-term water supply.

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