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Found a well in back garden!!

the tidy gardenerthe tidy gardener Posts: 591
in Problem solving
Hi guys!
We had the water company round recently checking back gardens for a problem with sewage.my husband showed them what we thought was a manhole cover but it wasn't.it was a cover for an old well!
It's about 5ft down with bricks and rubble.the water is clear.ive contacted a well company but they haven't got back to me.anybody else had any experience of this?! An old neighbour said every 2 houses had one .house built in 1930s and the village had water connected to the mains 1940s.???!!!
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Posts

  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154
    Could be handy if we get any hosepipe bans ; invest in a submersible pump ! ;)
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    If I've got one, it's covered over and inaccessible. If I had one with accessible water, I'd probably get a sump pump and use it to water the garden.
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154
    WillDB
    Great minds think alike !! :)
  • InglezinhoInglezinho Posts: 568
    Be careful. The water in the well is almost certainly heavily contaminated with bacteria and amoeba. It is of doubtful use, even watering plants. Certainly not fit for human consumption. All you can do is pump all the water out of the well then flush it with clean. I would contact a water supply company as it will need to be pumped in. Even then it will only be suitable for garden use.
    Everyone likes butterflies. Nobody likes caterpillars.
  • the tidy gardenerthe tidy gardener Posts: 591
    Thanks everyone!! I think the main thing is to keep it covered and try and find someone to to something to it like be able to use the water for the garden.the problem is there are no companies around anymore.the water company doesn't want to know !
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    You should be able to find a qualified landscaper who could deal with it. If it's a well, I would have thought it must have a source of natural ground water and it was probably a source of drinking water at one time, so bacteria etc shouldn't be a great problem if you only want to use it for the garden. 
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    We bought our last house in 1986 and up until ours was being renovated for selling, three houses used the well in next door’s garden, the person who renovated ours paid the next door neighbour to relinquish her right to use the well. 
    Bit behind times here.

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    Our water comes straight out the ground and into our water tank. No treatment whatsoever and we have all been drinking it for over 30 years with no ill effects.
    My daughter was born here and still loves to drink it when she comes home. The only time she ever had a tummy upset was when she moved to Manchester and had treated water. She uses a water filter there!

  • PurplerainPurplerain Posts: 1,053
    I love the well with the glass cover. It's gorgeous and I wish I had one in my garden.
    SW Scotland
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