Overview

Dug wells and bored wells, or shallow wells as they are often called, are very different from drilled wells. While most drilled wells have diameters of 6 inches, a typical dug well will have a diameter of about 3 feet. Concrete usually surrounds a dug well, rather than the steel casing used for a drilled well. While drilled wells often reach depths of 300 feet, a dug well rarely runs deeper than 30 feet. There are, to be sure, many differences between the two types of wells.

In the old days, dug wells were created with picks, shovels, and buckets. It was dangerous work. Today, boring equipment is normally used to create a dug well. I suppose it would be more proper to call these wells bored wells, but most professionals I know refer to them as dug wells. To be specific on the type of well I m talking about, let me explain the basic makeup.

If you see a concrete cylinder that has a diameter of approximately 3 feet sticking up out of the ground, you are looking at what I call a dug well. The concrete casing will typically be covered with a large, heavy concrete disk. You might want to call this type of well a bored well or a dug well; it s up to you. For my purposes, they are dug wells.

Old dug wells were dug by hand. Many of them were lined with stones. I ve crawled down a few of these as a...