Water Supply: the Present Practice of Sinking and Boring Wells: With Geological Considerations and Examples of Wells ExecutedSpon, Ernest
Science
Water Supply: the Present Practice of Sinking and Boring Wells: With Geological Considerations and Examples of Wells Executed
Spon, Ernest
Boring; Water-supply; Wells
The reservoirs for storing well-water should be covered with brick
arches, as the water is generally found to become rapidly impure on
being exposed to the sunlight, principally owing to the rapid growth of
vegetation. Various methods have been tried, such as keeping up a
constant current of fresh water through them, and a liberal use of
caustic lime; but so rapid is the growth of the vegetation, as well as
the change in the colour of the water, that a few hours of bright
sunlight may suffice to spoil several million gallons. These bad
results are completely prevented by covering the reservoirs.
HINTS ON SUPERINTENDING WELL-WORK.
The engineer who has to superintend the construction of a well should be
ever on the watch to see whether, in the course of the work, the strata
become so modified as to overthrow conclusions previously arrived at,
and on account of which the well has been undertaken.
A journal of everything connected with the work should be carefully
made, and if this one point alone is attended to it will be found of
great service both for present and future reference.
Before commencing a well a wooden box should be provided, divided by a
number of partitions into small boxes; these serve to keep specimens of
the strata, which should be numbered consecutively and described against
corresponding numbers in the journal. At each change of character in the
strata, as well as every time the boring rods are drawn to surface, the
soil should be carefully examined, and at each change a small quantity
placed in one of the divisions of the core box, noting the depth at
which it was obtained, with other necessary particulars. A note should
be made of all the different water-levels passed through, the height of
the well above the river near which it is situated, as well as its
height above the sea. The memoranda in the journal relating to accidents
should be especially clear and distinct in their details; it is
necessary to describe the effects of each tool used in the search for,
or recovery of, broken tools in a bore-hole, in order to suit the case
with the proper appliances, for without precaution we may seek for a
tool indefinitely without being sure of touching it, and perhaps
aggravate the evil instead of remedying it. It is by no means a bad plan
to make rough notes of all immediate remarks or impressions, in such a
manner as to form a full and detailed account of any incidents which
occur either in raising or lowering the tools. At the time of an
accident a well kept journal is a precious resource, and at a given
moment all previous observations, trivial as they may have often
seemed, will form a valuable clue to explain difficulties, without this
aid perfectly inexplicable.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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