WorldWide Drilling Resource

Through the Back Door! by Jim Kuebelbeck Colorado You guys did what? You're kidding me. You bought a piece of property on top of a mountain in Colorado, and you're planning to build a house up there? Are you serious? Those were the first thoughts entering my mind some months ago when one of my daughters called to tell us she and her husband had just purchased a seven-acre plot of land high up in the mountains near Evergreen, Colorado. Before I had a chance to respond, she said to me, “Dad, you have to see the place. It's beautiful. The scenery is absolutely awesome!” “So this is right on the top of a mountain?” I asked. “Yes it is, but there's a tarred road almost all the way to the property,” she replied, explaining the rest of the road was of good gravel. I then asked how close it was to a town, what kind of a water supply was there, and if it had city water. “Well, Dad. That's what I want to talk to you about,” she said. “There are only a few homes in the area, and they all have water storage tanks in their homes because it's hard to find a lot of water up there, but no, there is no city water up there.” I asked what kind of wells these other homeowners have, and she told me the wells in the area near their property are 600-700 feet deep, produce only a gal- lon or two a minute, but with a large storage tank, they say they never have a prob- lem! Then she added, “We know there's a problem finding a good water source up there, but the realtor told us about it right up-front, but because of that, before a building permit is granted, anyone building a home up there is required to drill a well first, and then a building permit is issued only if the well produces at least one gallon a minute. I think the banks and mortgage companies came up with that requirement.” I couldn't believe my ears! In a modern home, relying on a gallon a minute def- initely seems to me to be a disaster waiting to happen. I asked what they were going to do with their property if they couldn't find a good water supply, and that's when she dropped the second little surprise on me! “Dad,” she said, “that's why I'm calling you. We want you to come out to Colorado to find us a good water supply. We'll pay for your flight out here. We just talked to a well [drilling contractor] and he suggested we try to find a good water dowser because a lot of dry holes are drilled in this area, and that would put the odds in our favor. I told him about you, and he said he had heard or read about you somewhere, and was certainly willing to work with you.” I told her maybe they should just pick a place to drill and take their chances. “Dad,” she reminded me, “You never tell people to drill at random! We want you out here!” “Jane, just how high up on this mountain is your property?” I asked. She said it was about 7500 feet, and I couldn’t believe they wanted me to try to locate water where maybe there isn't any! I told her we'd think about it, but this was one time I had some serious misgivings about travel- ing out of state, and offering judgment about an underground water source - especially to my own daughter! After talking to Carol, we finally agreed to travel to Colorado and try to help them. They paid for our flights and we flew out to Colorado in September. Arriving at their proposed building site, it was quite evident “top of the mountain” was in no way an exaggera- tion. The property was located on what appeared to be a narrow peninsula, jut- ting away from the top of the mountain, with three sides of the property drop- ping down steeply toward the mountain val ley far below. The only possible place on which to build was limited to a small area. I suddenly wished I were back home in my workshop! That not 302-684-3197 FAX: 302-384-0643 142 Broadkill Rd. • Milton, DE 19968 www.atlantic-screen.com email: atlantic@ce.net Manufacturers of Slotted & Perforated Pipe ranging from ½” to 24” diameter Atlantic Screen & Mfg., Inc. • Well Rehab. Products • Manholes • Bentonite • Filter Sock • Inline Chemical Mixers • Sampling Bailers • Clear PVC Pipe • Locking Caps 15 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® MARCH 2018 Kuebelbeck cont’d on page 26.