Article 5: First lessons: when the water table plays tricks

By digging the excavation to place the tanks, we quickly discovered that there was a lot of underground water on the land. We didn’t really anticipate that. After just one night, there is already 1 meter of water at the bottom of the excavation. The 5 ton tank that we just installed? She floats peacefully in the water, like a giant ice cube.

On the one hand, this is rather good news: we have a source of water available for the project. But it is also a problem that must be resolved quickly.

Neighborhood surprise

There is another element to consider: our neighbor also collects water via an underground source on his land. When we dig our excavations, its source dries up. Not ideal for maintaining good relations with the neighborhood.

A practical solution

We decided to install a collection well in the same excavation where we placed one of the tanks. This way, we can recover water for our needs. To allow the water to flow to the neighbors, we backfill with large stones around the well. These pebbles allow water to pass through and, we hope, will allow the water to find its way to the neighbor’s house.