One of the main questions facing the owner of the acquired land is how to find water on the site?
Even if your site is located near a reservoir (pond, lake) or river, it will not solve the problem of autonomous full-fledged water supply. As a rule, water from open reservoirs is suitable only for irrigation, but not for domestic needs and, especially, not for drinking and cooking.
The water supply source must be selected in accordance with your requirements and the geophysical features of the site. The best option is to invite experts, they know how to find water on the site, determining the composition of the soil layers, their depth and thickness, the presence of aquifers and their water availability.
Groundwater is of several types:
- ground water (the so-called "water conduit");
- interstratal waters;
- artesian (self-pouring) waters.
The choice and source of water supply depends on what type of groundwater prevails.
Close groundwater (top water) is easily accessible, but this is precisely what causes their drawbacks: their level is unstable, depending on external conditions (drought, heavy rains), pollution by drains or precipitation.
Interstratal waters can be pressure and non-pressure, they lie much deeper than surface, so their level is relatively constant, and the quality is better.
Pressure water (self-flowing) is known in our country as “keys” or artesian.
Wells are usually placed on the “keys”. If the seams with water lie deep, then they use drilling wells, the depth of which can be quite significant, but the water is clean and transparent.
Many decide to find water on the site themselves, and this is possible.
This is easiest to do when it comes to surface waters. Dowsing, indication with wire frames - old and tried and tested methods.
“Close water” is noticeable even to an inexperienced gardener.
People have long been using nature's hints about water. The type of vegetation, plant species, and the behavior of some animals indicated that there is groundwater in this area. Another thing is that the depth of the water reservoir, its volumes remained unknown.
So, before looking for water on the site, pay attention to the following signs:
- the abundance of moisture-loving plants;
- density of plant thickets;
- bright and saturated color of greens.
If wild currants, nettles, horse sorrel have grown densely, and apple trees and plums, on the contrary, do not grow well and grow weak, it means that the groundwater lies close, the soil is moist even in hot weather.
The behavior of animals and insects will tell you how to find water on the site.
In your summer cottage settlement there may not be a horse (feeling moisture, it beats with a hoof), but a dog in hot weather digs a hole where the ground is cool, wet.
Where there is a lot of moisture, the mouse will not dig a hole, the chicken will not make a nest, and red ants will not settle. But if in the evenings clouds of mosquitoes wind above the ground, it is safe to say that there is water in this place.
In the old days, a very common way to find water on the site was dowsing, they use it now. It is almost impossible to determine the deep water depth for them, but a depth of 10-15 meters is available for the vine. To search, you need to take a freshly cut rod with a fork (slingshot), and in clear, dry weather, go around the site with it.
You need to hold the rod by the "horns", not too tightly, walk slowly. Where the twig will bend, there is probably water.
The modern display method is based on the same principle. Two aluminum wires (length 40 cm), bent at right angles, are inserted into a hollow wooden tube. They must rotate freely in it. If they are rotated 180 degrees apart, then there is no water, but if they intersect, then most likely aquifers lie close here, you can dig a well or drill a well.