If water is declared potable by the Campbell County or Bedford County health department it is safe to drink.

The safety is determined by examining the water at your source and the conditions around it. You will probably not be surprised to learn that animal manure and soil bacteria are usually harmful to a water supply.  Human sewage and poisonous sprays are the primary causes of contaminated water.

Drinking, tasting or smelling water will tell you little about its potability, because even clear, good tasting water may be contaminated.

However, your local Campbell County or Bedford County health or sanitation department will gladly conduct a free or inexpensive water analysis for you.

A health inspector will come out to collect the sample and to examine the source and surrounding area.  The inspector will determine if an existing or intended septic tank, outhouse or cesspool is too close to the water source.  If the water flows through farmland or irrigated land it can be tested for the presence of insecticides.   Hazardous-waste-disposal sites are an increasing source of groundwater contamination.  If your land is very isolated, the health inspector will give you a sanitized bottle and tell you how to properly collect a water sample for the testing.  The basic water test includes a coliform bacterial count, which reflects the amount of human and other war-blooded animal excreta in it.  If you want a more complete mineral and bacterial analysis, which is not usually necessary, you will have to pay to have it done by a commercial laboratory.

Underground well or spring water is usually safer than surface water.

Underground water has been sifted through the porous earth, which purifies it, whereas contaminated surface water must travel a long distance to get the cleansing effect of underground sifting.

I always recommend that you get the basic water test done, no matter the history of the water on the land is.

The family living there now may have been drinking the water for 50 years, but pollution can occur virtually overnight.  Polluted water can cause choler, typhoid fever, amoebic dysentery, infectious hepatitis and possibly polio.  Don’t take any chances, get the test done.

This is a basic introduction to the types of wells you may encounter on your land in Campbell County or Bedford County.

This could help you estimate the costs of sinking a well on land you intend to buy or also evaluate wells already on the land you intend to purchase.

The oldest type of well is the dug well.

Usually 3 to 4 feet in diameter, it is dug with a pick and shovel to a maximum depth of 50 feet.  These wells are dangerous and painstaking to dig, and they often go dry because they are so shallow.  Their main advantage is in the large storage area, but this permits contamination more easily than other wells because of seepage  through the well walls and from the large opening on top.

Bored wells are similar to dug wells, except that they are often deeper and smaller in diameter.

An auger bucket, either power or hand-operated, is used to dig these wells, which often run to 100 feet in depth and are cased all along the inside walls.  The bored well is practically obsolete today because of more efficient driven or drilled wells.

Jetted or Hydraulic Well can be done only in soft sandy soils such as those found in some coastal areas.

The well is drilled by applying a high pressure stream of water that cuts through the earth and washes it out of the hole.  As this is done, a  1 1/2 inch pointed jetting tool is shoved down into the loose sand as far as it will go and when it stops the well is complete.  If you take a garden hose and get the water into the ground, you would do the same thing.  This method is useless if rock or clay is reached.

To dig a Churn, Spud or Percussion-Tool Drilled Well a large, chisel-shaped bit is pounded into the ground over and over again by lifting it high into the air and dropping it.

With each fall, the bit digs deeper into the ground.  During this process, water is poured into the developing hole to transform the loosened dirt into mud, which is then drawn out of the hole.  It takes a long time to drill a well in this manner, but it is still effectively done by commercial drillers.

A drilled well is the most common type of well being used today.

The method was first used when oil drillers built special power equipment to drill oil wells.  The type of drill used is the rotary tool, which rotates into the earth like a drill rather than pounding the surface as the percussion tool does.  The drill has a sharp cutting bit on the end, and the shaft is hollow.  As the drill turns into the earth, water is forced down into the drill stem, and the pressure of the hole.  As the drill goes deeper into the ground, additional sections of stem are screwed on to increase the length of the drill.

A driven well is usually cheaper to construct than a drilled well.

Pipe sections several feet long as screwed together with a sharp well-point and screen on one end.  The pointed end is pounded into the ground until it reaches below the water-table level and sufficient amount of water can enter the well through the screen.  The ground must be soft enough to take a driven well, because hard rock and clay cannot be penetrated.  The depth is limited to a maximum of 50 feet and only a small flow of water will be attained.  Occasionally, several driven wells are joined together with a single pump to get a greatly increased flow.  As with all wells, a driven well may be cut into the earth horizontally or vertically.

Remember to ask questions before purchasing land about the type of well is already on the land before you purchase land in Bedford County or Campbell County Va.

Buying Land with a Pond

You may be lucky and find a parcel of land in Campbell County or Bedford County with a pond on it.  If you do, find out what source of water feeds the pond if possible.  If a creek or spring feed the pond, make sure the flow is sufficient to keep the pond full year around.  The presence of fish in the pond is a good sign of a healthy pond.  If fish live in the pond it probably doesn’t get stagnant in  the summer, but be sure to have the water tested before you swim in it.  Don’t assume you can swim in the water until you have it tested.

The difference between a pond and a pond site is a pond site will have springs or creeks that could be used to fed a man-made pond.  Never assume a pond can be built unless a reliable source, such as a geologist, your local farm adviser or a Soil Conservation Service agent investigates the site and determines its feasibility as a pond site.  Successful ponds depend on the soil’s ability  to retain water, an adequate and continuous water flow, and property geological conditions.  I have seen ugly  mud holes where hopeful new landowners had put a lot of energy into creating beautiful ponds, only to  find that their soil wouldn’t hold water.

Building a pond requires heavy equipment, expensive building materials, and possibly a system to divert water to the pond from a water source.  The mere presence of an “excellent pond site” should never be your primary reason for buying a piece of land.  A “pond site” is a common sales gimmick use to make land seem more attractive and justify a high selling price.  Don’t be swayed by such tactics.  I could go to any piece of land in Campbell County or Bedford County and point out a possible “pond site” and I bet you could too.

My Granny had one.  This meant that water was easier to get to and one did not have to go down to the creek or spring to get water anymore.   A cistern is a large

Concrete Cistern

circular or rectangular storage tank either completely open at the top to collect rainwater or open enough to allow a pipe to enter and bring in water from the roof or field.  Cisterns are made of cement, wood or metal.  The collected water is rarely used for drinking because of the possibility of snakes or toads or Lord knows what else you may find in it.  However, it can be used for irrigation.  However, Granny’s house had no running water so boiling the water before cooking or bathing was a regular routine.

When purchasing land in Campbell County or Bedford County that has a cistern check for leaks, holding capacity, connections to the water sources, and general condition of the structures and the enclosures. This cistern pictured  here is located next to the pump house.  (It is called the pump house because that is where the pump is.) If a rain-gathering cistern is the only water source for the property your activities will be limited by the amount of water gathered during the rainy time of year.

If you plan to purchase river front property along the James River or Staunton River in Campbell County here are a few things to consider:

Staunton River

• Although you should have enough water available for your use, you may find that you have to share your river with motorboats, water skiers, and swimmers, although swimming may be unpleasant because of the film of gas and oil left on the water’s surface by motorboats.
• Look upstream to see if there are factories, lumber mills or other polluters that make the river unpleasant to swim in and dangerous to drink.
• If you are interested in fishing ask the local bait shop about fishing potential of the river.
• According to the Environmental Protection Agency streams in logged areas contain up to 7,000 times more sediment after logging.  How much logging has occurred upstream?  Logging can kill mature fish, smother spawning beds, destroy stream vegetation and clog smaller streams and creeks.
• Check and make sure there are no plans to build dams on the river that will flood your land.  Get a copy of the master water plan for your area from Virginia  State Water Resources Department.  This is particularly important if you are buying along a major river such as the James River to the Staunton River.  When dams are built, many homesteads along the river are condemned by the government and become the bottom of a new lake.

Living on the river or near the river can be a beautiful way of life just do your home work so you can know what to expect.

In many areas of Campbell County and Bedford County springs are the primary source of water, because we are so close to the Blue Ridge Mountains.  A spring occurs where water seeps to the surface from a crack in the rock formation or where a road cust through a water vein.  Artesian wells are like springs, except that the water is forced up by underground pressure.

Often a spring will be only a tiny trickle of water coming out of a hillside.  But don’t underestimate its value until you measure its rate of flow.  If a spring produces one gallon of water a minute it will look like a little trickle but over a 24 hour period it will produce 1,440 gallons.  If you have a large enough holding tank this could possibly support enough water for your family.

When you are looking at land with a spring bring along a gallon jar and measure the flow per minute using a watch with a second hand.  Multiply this amount by 60 to get the flow per hour, then multiply that result by 24 to get the flow per day.  Of course, you must see the spring during the driest part of the year to be certain that the flow is still sufficient for your needs.  Sometimes if the spring is dug up and opened up the rate can be increased.  Don’t attempt to do this without the advise of an expert, because you could actually cut open too much and the spring could go back underground.

If you want to locate a spring on some land you may be able to obtain maps from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) or farm advisor.  The USGS and the Army Corps of Engineers might also have results of water studies done.  Even if you can’t locate a water source on a map you should go over the land on foot searching for new or undiscovered springs.  There are special plants that grow which indicate water is beneath the surface.  Do some research to find out what trees and shrubs indicate water.  Remember that the presence of springs on neighboring land does not mean that any exist on your land.  Water may flow out of one side of a mountain and not the other.

Many people move to Bedford County or Campbell County from larger cities and never have had a well as a water source.  Some are scared because they have heard of wells going dry.  However in the United States 80% of rural water comes from underground sources and is pumped to the surface through wells.  Underground water or ground water is preferred for drinking because it is purer than surface water.  Groundwater can be brought up at any point and thus can be obtained close to where you need to use it. Because surface water flows away swiftly and is subject to tremendous evaporation the water supply in a stream or creek varies more than the steady supply of groundwater.  The primary difficulty with a well is the high cost of digging, casing and sealing it and the necessity for a pump to bring the water to the surface.

Here are some questions or concerns that you may want to ask with regard to the well on the land you are considering purchasing:

Drinking water well

• If electricity is not available you will have to use a generator to run your well pump. If you have a windmill or produce your own electricity with wind, or solar or water power, your life on the land might be more pleasant.

  

• Find out the history of water problems in the area before you buy.  When large quantities of water are pumped, a cone of depression forms, which lowers the water table under-lying the land.  Sometimes too much water is pumped out to allow an adequate rate of water replenishment and the shallower wells in an area may dry up as the water table gets lower.  Once the water table is lowered it may take several years for it be be replenished and all the wells in the area will have to be dug deeper, at great expense to the landowners.
• Ask the seller to show you any available records that indicate the amount of water pumped at various times of the year.  Does the well need to be dug deeper to get a larger flow to meet your intended needs?  Remember, the depth and size of a well do not necessarily coincide with its capacity to yield water.
• A well must be located a safe minimum distance from any sewage disposal system before it will be approved by the county health department.  If the well does not meet these requirements, you may be prohibited from using it.  Ask the seller for the certificate of approval.
• Go to the well-driller and ask to see the drilling log or driller’s report to read what information was recorded regarding the quality of the well and its capacity.  Sometimes a driller will not show you this document without the  owner’s permission.  If the seller will not grant you permission to inspect the report you may be suspicious of the quality of the well.
• Examine the pumping set up to see if it is in good condition.  Is a new pump or a motor pump needed?  Ask the seller to start the pump and watch it operate for a few hours.  Ask the seller what brand of pump he or she is using and what is  the capacity.  How old is the pump and equipment and when was it installed?
• A well must have a water tight pump mounting surface seal around the top if it is to prevent contamination from the entry of foreign matter into the well casing.  This sanitary seal consists of a 12-inch concrete base above the surface of the ground and a 30 inch concrete casing that goes at least 30 inches below the ground level.  Check to make sure this casing is not cracked or leaking.
• The well casing is a metal or plastic pipe inserted into the well to prevent the sides from collapsing.  It is perforated with holes or slits to allow water to seep in and be stored during the “recharge period.”  Can you tell what condition this casing is in?

For more information about living in the country and finding your country place just give me a call or email me.  I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have.  If you have more information to share about wells I would love it if you could add it to the comments to share with others.

One way to locate underground water is to find certain plants, called phreatophytes.

Live Oak

You can find them where there is a high water table.  The name pheatophyte is derived from two Greek words meaning well plant.   Some pheatophytes indicate not only the presence of groundwater but also the quality and the approximate depth of the water below the surface.  When walking land look for these plants and it should give you an indication whether there is water close to the earth surface.

• Rushes, sedges and cattails
• Reeds and cane
• Saltbush
• Pickleweed
• Arrowweed
• Rabbit Brush
• Elderberry shrubs
• Black greasewood

For instance willows or cottonwood trees usually mean that good-quality water is available within 20 feet of the surface.  Some species of birch, maple, sycamore, alder, bay and live oak also indicate ground water at shallow depths.   Each area of the country has it’s own type of phreatophyes.  A well driller or farm advisor in Campbell County or Bedford County will know the ones to look for in the area.

An old method of finding water that is still used today is witching or dowsing for water with a divining stick or rod.

My Granny had several springs on her land.  As far back as I can remember I remember my family telling me that my great grandfather walked across their land carrying a forked branch in front of him, waiting for it to point down to the ground over a water source.  A forked or straight twig from a peach, willow, hickory, dogwood or cherry tree is the most common tool used by diviners.  The twig is held between both hands facing out and up and is suppose to roll down or spin around when held over water.  He was well-known as a diviner.    He even claimed to be able to tell which way the water flows and how deep it is by the movement of the divining rod.  However, the USGS has concluded that not one scientifically conducted experiment using water witches to locate optimal sites for water well location has ever yielded conclusive, reproducible support for water  witches’ claims.

A well driller in Campbell County or Bedford County will probably give you the most complete and accurate appraisal of the availability of water on your land and the cost of pumping it.

Get the appraisal from the driller you intend to hire to drill the well.  Because all or part of the appraisal fee will be refunded when you finally hire the company to do the drilling.  The appraiser will compare your land to other property in the area where that company has drilled wells.  Each company keeps accurate logs of  drilling depths and of the quantity and quality of water that is finally pumped.  They also examine the soil, vegetation and geography to estimate the location of water.

A company generally won’t guarantee its appraisal, but a test drilling can be done for a smaller charge than a complete well.

If you decide to buy the land is contingent solely on whether water is present, a test drilling is advisable.

When selecting a company to do the drilling, compare appraisal fees, refund provisions, costs for drilling methods, and the grade of casing to be used.  Ask for recommendations from the local health department or people living in the area or use this site for well drilling companies recommendations.   A good well drilling contractor will sign a written contract with you, will operate well maintained equipment and will provide insurance protection for you.  Such a contractor will estimate the cost of the job step by step, including a breakdown of unit prices, and give you a specific drilling price in advance.  When the job is completed, the contractor will provide a record of the strata penetrated by the well and a statement of work performed and material used.

Check to see if prospective contractors are members of the state and national associations of well drilling contractors, evidence that they keep abreast of new developments in their field.  Hire the driller with the best reputation, regardless of price.  When it comes to well construction, like anything else, it’s worth paying more for good quality.

The first thing a person who moves from the City of Lynchburg (or any other metropolitan area) to the country, like Campbell County or Bedford County is the weather

Country Dirt Road

As a resident or worker in city you probably spend most of the day indoors under artificial lighting, insulated from the climate by sealed and tinted windows and air-conditioning.  You  may imagine that when you move to wide open spaces you will delight in the smell of the earth after a light rain and thew warmth of the early morning sun shining on field and trees. But getting in and out of an isolated area on a slippery rutter dirt road in the snow and rain; trying to start your car in subfreezing weather; having your water pipes freeze; and keeping yourself and your animals warm are also a part of country life.

Urban expatriates often make the mistake of moving to an area where the weather is completely different from what they are use to and often find they are unable to adjust to the new climate.   I would strongly recommend that you spend part of each of the four seasons in the area – preferably a whole year if you intend to buy land in an unfamiliar area – to assure yourself that you are willing and able to keep yourself happy.

The climate in Lynchburg Va and the Central Virginia area is relatively mild.  Our highs in the summer generally average in the  80’s and in the winter high 30’s.  It does snow here.  We may get an average of 6″ of snow per year.  When it does snow you can expect the schools to close and for the grocery stores to be out of milk and other staples.

Our taxes are lower and one of the reason is because we don’t have the need to spend the money on expensive snow removal equipment.  Consequently when it snows often times roads don’t get cleared quickly.  In fact many times the snow is melted before the snow plows get to the back country roads.  This is why country folks have learned to stock up for weather.  You have been warned and remember you heard it here.

Keep in mind when buying land in Campbell County and Bedford County Va, your land can have the most beautiful view in the world but without water it is useless.  Never buy land without a proven source of adequate water.

Beautiful Green Meadows

Most people buy land in the spring and early summer when creeks are full, spring water is bursting from the Blue Ridge Mountains and meadows are green.

In late August and September, early buyers are often shocked to find that all their water may have dried up.  If you have lived primarily in urban areas where water has always been just a turn of the tap away, you don’t realize the work and expense involved in bringing water to where you want it.

Just to get running water into your house might involved installing a generator, pump, pipeline, holding tank and well.  You  might see land with a beautiful creek and not realize that it is too far away from the building site to be of any use.

If there is not water visible on the land you may be told that everyone in the area uses well and that if you dig deep enough you will find water.  The facts are that not all land has underground water, finding any is often difficult and drilling a well is expensive.  A big creek or a good well on a neighboring property does not mean there is any water on your land.

Be sure to have the land tested before final purchase.

This is a common contingency when purchasing land in the Lynchburg Va, Campbell County and Bedford County area.