Signs that a Well is Going Dry

The most common reason a well stops producing water is a mechanical problem like pump failure, pressure switch failure, loss of power or other mechanical problem. Failure of the well itself is rarely sudden, but rather happens slowly over time. If your water supply has lost pressure, and seems to be drizzling out of your faucet your problem could simply be a loss of pressure in the pressure tank from damage to or a leak in the bladder or simply a failed pressure switch. If your water pulses as it comes out of the faucet, the most likely cause is short cycling of the pump, which could be caused by inadequate water supply as the well goes dry or another faulty component in the system like the pressure switch. However, there are times that the problem is the well and the water supply. The major signs that a well is going dry are:

1. Water pulsing or sputtering out of the faucet. 
2. The water is muddy and filled with sediment and sand. 
3. Loss of water pressure after doing laundry and bathing, but restored water overnight 

As mentioned above, these can also be signs of other problems, so actually measuring the water level and recharge rate in your well should be done before you spend money replacing equipment or thinking of drilling a new well. In a well, a diminished water supply can be caused by drop in water level in the well due to drought or over pumping of the aquifer, or the well could be failing in several other ways.

The water level in a groundwater well usually fluctuates naturally during the year. Groundwater levels tend to be highest in the early spring. Groundwater levels begin to fall in May and typically continue to decline during summer. Natural groundwater levels usually reach their lowest point in late September or October when fall rains begin to recharge the groundwater again. The natural fluctuations of groundwater levels are most pronounced in shallow wells that are most susceptible to drought. Older wells tend to be shallower.

However, deeper wells can also be impacted by an extended drought. Land use changes that increase impervious cover and stormwater velocity preventing recharge from occurring over a wide area and can make existing wells more susceptible to drought. Significant increases in groundwater use can overtax and aquifer.

Unless there is an earthquake or other geological event groundwater changes are not abrupt and problems with water supply tend to happen slowly over time. If your well tends to dry out during the summer when you try to do a load of laundry, you might want to address the problem before there is a drought when your well is likely to go dry. Addressing the problem could be as simple as implementing water conservation measures, or could require replacing water fixtures, lowering a pump or deepening or replacing the well.

In a well, a diminished water supply in a failing well is characterized by a short period of adequate water in the morning (or after resting the well for hours or days) and then almost a complete loss of water. Most modern pumps will automatically shut off when the well runs out of water. This is why a dry well is often mistaken for a failed pump.

Another symptom of a drying out well is loss of water after doing a load or two of laundry. (A top loading washing machine uses about 51 gallons of water and a front loader uses 27 gallons.) What is happening is overnight the well bore hole is filling with as much water as it can still produce and when there is water in the bore hole the pump will turn on in response to the pressure switch and the pressure tank gets filled. Even a tenth of a gallon a minute will still be able to fill the pressure tank overnight and give you enough water for a bit of a wash up in the morning (depending on whether you have low flow toilets, sinks and showers).

• This low flow to the well can be caused by many things some which are fixable, some which are not: 
• A drop in water level in the well due to drought or over pumping of the aquifer. 
• The fractures that feed water to the well could be failing due to a buildup of dirt, sediment and gravel reducing the flow to the well. 
• There are times that the steel casing that lines the first 40-60 feet of a well does not extend deep enough and the well walls crumble over time filling the well with dirt and gravel. 
• Geological events can cause a sudden failure of a well. 

One or more of these factors could be the cause of a well problem. If your water loss seems to be from failure of the well itself, the first step is to call a well driller and measure the water level and recharge rate of the well. That information will tell you what you are dealing with and what choices you have to fix the problem. For the next steps