The first two weeks of 2017 brought enormous amounts of rain and snow to much of California. In fact, we’ve seen almost double the precipitation compared to last year. The upside to the continual downpour is that we may finally see the end of our five-year drought. However, if you’ve scheduled a well survey in California for the next couple of weeks, or were planning to do so, you may be wondering if the recent rainstorms sweeping across California will change your plans.
If you were planning to do your well survey with National Groundwater Surveyor Inc., we have good news for you. Wet ground does not hinder our surveying process at all. In fact, the recent rainfall is actually beneficial. We use a seismoelectric survey instrument system to detect groundwater, and even though this process depends on us being able to read electrical responses in the earth, wet ground can actually help make the responses more accurate.
When conducting our survey, we install four copper steel ground rods into the earth. Next, we set off a black powder charge. The charge creates a pressure wave that travels down through the earth. When that pressure wave crosses a groundwater reservoir, the disturbance creates an electrical response that is recorded by our seismoelectric survey instrument system. Each recorded electrical response tells us something about the depth and yield of the groundwater. We then use this data to help you determine the perfect place to dig your new well.
So how can rainwater help this process? Well, in order for the process to work properly, there needs to be a strong conductivity between the copper steel rods we insert into the ground and the ground itself. When these rods are inserted into dry ground, they essentially just make a hole and are not actually connecting with the surrounding earth the way they should. When rods are inserted into wet ground, however, the ground can literally grip the rod, which results in better conductivity and better results. In fact, in cases where the ground is too dry, we may have to bring water on site to dampen the ground before we can begin testing. With the recent rainfall, however, proper conductivity is guaranteed without any help from us!
If you’ve been thinking about scheduling a well survey in California, but have had misgivings about the recent rainfall, you don’t have to worry. At National Groundwater Surveyor Inc., our process will still work even with the unusually high precipitation rates we’ve had so far this year. In fact, now is likely the perfect time to schedule your well survey because the rainfall will actually help us get you the most accurate results possible.
To schedule your well survey or to learn more about our seismoelectric surveying process, give National Groundwater Surveyor Inc. a call today. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have and get you started on your way to getting a new well. We look forward to assisting you soon!
From single family home sites to large agricultural wells, call National Groundwater Surveyor at 800-980-7429.
We also provide Groundwater Surveys in Nevada and Oregon!
