Submitted by franticallyfarting t3_y2iurz in Maine

Having a well drilled in mid coast Maine and we are 500 feet deep and still no water... Deepest well in the area is 300 ft. Anyone with well experience? Do we keep drilling or stop and try a new spot? Do we try hydrofracking? Any advice would be appreciated!

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alpha417 t1_is35hgz wrote

... what does the well drilling company think?

we're at 700 feet... so ymmv.

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DifferenceMore5431 t1_is3dxna wrote

I would let the pros make the call on this. What is some random anecdote from reddit really going to help.

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SomewhereNewEngland t1_is3f1zk wrote

My son works for a well drilling company here in Maine. He said "We almost always stop at 500 and frack and then keep drilling if we don’t hit water."

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IamSauerKraut t1_is3uxzc wrote

Lived on a farm half hour outside Portland. Had drilled wells. One year, one went bad because of ammonia and acid from the chicken house. The other 2 went dry. They came and drilled. Nothing until after 700 feet. Was damned expensive but we got water.

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Tronbronson t1_is41ecb wrote

Thats always the concern when you start drilling. The pro's know best.

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Gerefa t1_is4uhlz wrote

In for a penny in for a pound, no way out but thru! Your existing bore is still likely to give better water and sooner than a whole new bore would

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onlyalittlebitbrown t1_is56fpf wrote

It’s a gamble every time. The drillers probably know best. Every well is different even if your neighbor has one at 150 with great pressure, you might have one at 700 and vice versa. Who is doing the well if you don’t mind me asking?

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Mjolnir36 t1_is5jhj6 wrote

There are wells drilled on a road in Bowdinham that are all in excess of 700’.

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SwvellyBents t1_is6248h wrote

Our neighbor across the street was dry at 400' so they fracked. They got water but it wasn't fit to drink and too dirty to treat economically.

Our well, roughly 500 ft away, came in strong with clean water at 200', no treatment necessary. It's a crapshoot, especially if you drill near a tidal river.

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jen_photographs t1_is67tde wrote

YMMV. We drilled to 550, and had lukewarm water flow, and ended up fracking. Meanwhile, most of our neighbors were at ~200-300 ft. Just bad luck.

On the upside, we'll be the last ones in the area to have our well go dry during a drought. Yay? I concur with the others - ask your well guy what they think.

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hawk82 t1_islp6h5 wrote

I am curious about hydrofracking process and if it releases contaminates into the water.

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