Go Deep

My wife and I are in the process of building a house. Well, actually, we haven't move a single rock yet. The 16-month saga has taken us to the point where we've hurdled most of the preliminary paperwork, soil tests, and all the other blah, blah, blah including some unnecessary and irrational conflicts with a neighbor. So, considering we're in a semi-rural area with no municipal water, we have to supply it ourselves through a well. We hired well expert and driller extraordinaire, Vic, to tap the agua below. It took him a day to bore down 580 feet and get the water we needed. While he and his workers got splattered with mud, I stood back, stayed clean and took advantage of the photo op.

The well site with the Angeles National Forest behind us.

The business end of the drilling operation.

Drilling pipe.

Cutting through the first layer of dirt.

The first few feet.

Well casing that goes down the hole after it's bored and we find water.

Adding drilling pipe to a spindle that holds several pipes at a time where they're in position to attach to the string of pipes going into the hole.

Making repairs.

Mud and debris accumulating under the rig.

Mud-splattered drilling rig controls.

Vic the well driller.

Forced out by compressed air, water gushes from the hole!

Vic's shoes.

Installing the well casing.

Vic, splattered with mud.

Water and mud flowing out from the well.