Water Supply Boreholes

One of Igne’s most popular engineering services is the installation of water boreholes to provide private water supplies for commercial and domestic use. 

What is a water borehole?

Water boreholes (also known as water wells) are deep, narrow wells that tap into naturally occurring underground water. To use this water, a high efficiency pump is installed to extract the water from the permeable rock below. As the water passes through the ground, it flows through layers of rock and chalk which act as natural filters. This produces a private water supply that is often purer than that provided by the water companies.

How much water can a borehole produce?

The average UK person uses 150 litres of water a day. A single water well can produce up to 20,000 litres (4,400 gallons) of pure water every day without any permissions or licenses. 

That’s a huge amount of water and it’s free - want to know more? 

Get in touch with Igne today.

What are the benefits of installing a ground water well

The benefits of your own, personal water supply include: independence from your local water company, hosepipe bans become a thing of the past, no water meters or increasing water bills, pure water that’s free from chlorine and fluoride, the same water pressure as the mains supply, help conserve the nation’s mains water reserves, unobtrusive, reliable, easy to maintain add value to domestic or commercial property...

Domestic water wells explained

There are many advantages to having a domestic water supply on your property, including slashing water bills, providing purer water, and adding real value to your home.

Drought or no drought, a water system will provide your home with an endless supply of water that you can rely on, whether you want the water for your garden, to fill a swimming pool, or for drinking. 

It’s your own private water supply.

You don’t need any licenses to extract this much.  It’s your right.  And yes, it is free water.

As specialist drilling contractors, Igne provides you with an all-in-one domestic water borehole installation service for the home; from surveying to drilling, pump design to pipework.

As the wells are a direct alternative to a metered mains water supply, it won’t take you too long to recoup the well’s installation cost either!

Commercial water wells

For UK property developers and commercial business owners looking to take greater control of utility bills, water wells present an attractive and viable proposition.

Enabling savings of up to 80% on annual water bills compared to the mains water alternative, a commercial water borehole is a solid investment for any business consuming large quantities of water on a regular basis.

Igne has helped hotels, swimming pools and leisure centres, farms, garden centres, golf courses, and major manufacturing plants benefit from a private water supply.  One that’s pure, constant, and free.

All you need is an abstraction licence, which Igne can arrange for you.

Igne provides you with a complete installation service; its engineers survey, drill, test and install - everything you need for a safe and reliable private water supply for your business.

The drilling process

Pre drilling survey

Before any drilling takes place, a thorough survey is carried out first by hydro-geological consultants arranged by Igne.

This survey confirms:

• the composition of the ground
• if the ground is able to be drilled through
• if water is present
• the waters depth, quantity, and quality

Drilling and lining

Following a successful survey, a specialist water well drilling rig is brought to your site, along with all other needed equipment. Igne has systems in place to keep everything tidy.

The following drilling and lining process then follows:

• local check for underground utilities e.g. gas, electricity, telecom
• drill an 8in (avg.) borehole down to the water table (can be as deep as 200m)
• depending on geology, install temporary steel casing to prevent collapses during drilling
• insert a minimum 5in plastic or steel casing and a slotted screen to the bottom of the hole
• back fill the gap between the slotted screen and borehole walls with recycled glass gravel
• cement or grout the gap between the pump chamber and walls at the top of the borehole

Pump and water quality testing follows.

Pump and water quality testing

Testing determines your exact pumping requirements and the quality of the water.

Using a submersible test pump, the flow of water coming is checked, in terms of the natural water level, quantity and re-charge rate of the borehole.  This enables the correct sizing of your pump for optimum efficiency.

It is very important that the water is also tested.  While the water is generally safe to drink, it can sometimes include dissolved minerals or impurities.

For water testing, samples are sent to a UKAS accredited laboratory to establish the exact content of your water.

From the test results, any water treatment systems can be specified to enable you to comply with UK water drinking regulations and ensure you have a pure, potable water supply.

Water pump system: design and installation

The pump is critical to your water well’s performance, it’s what brings the water to the surface.  It needs to be efficient, economical to run, and reliable.

As a specialist installer of domestic and commercial water boreholes, Igne sizes, designs and fits pumps to suit all manner of water system applications.

For the borehole itself, installation of the DAB, Grundfos or Lowara brands of water pumps is usually preferred.  High quality and competitively priced, they range from standard 4in and 6in submersible stainless-steel pumps, to high powered circulation pumps and pressure sets.

If you'd like to add a water storage system as well; Igne also designs and installs all kinds of bespoke storage and pumping systems.

These include pumps to support water tanks from 1,000 to 20,000 litres in size, simple pump booster systems for domestic water supplies, or multiple pump boosters supplying water at high pressure to commercial premises.

A submersible well pump is installed into your water well within the pump chamber. 

An unobtrusive underground well chamber or well house is then installed above the borehole to protect the well head, pump controls and borehole water treatment equipment – this is a requirement of the private water supply regulations.

Your Igne engineers will also dig the trench and install the pipework to pump your water to its point of use.  And if you need them to, they’ll also install your water storage tanks exactly where they’re needed – above or below ground, whatever you prefer.

Any waste material will be taken away, the site will be cleaned up and you will be left to enjoy your own private water supply. 

Water treatment

While water extracted from a ground water well is perfectly safe for us to drink most of the time, to comply with the UK’s national drinking water regulations, a water treatment system is required.

Having analysed your water quality, Igne installs a treatment system to deal with any irregularities in water content to ensure you receive an endless supply of safe, pure, potable (drinkable) water.

Integrated water treatment systems typically include UV (ultra violet) sterilisers, iron and manganese filtration units, RO (reverse osmosis) filters and more besides.  It’s the complete solution.

Installation costs and considerations

Water borehole installation costs depend on the geology of the ground being drilled, the general site conditions, location, ease of access for drilling rigs and so on.

As a specialist in water well drilling, Igne provides you with quotes that provide a clear breakdown of all costs to make it easy to understand. 

Here are some typical cost considerations, but please contact the Igne team for a project specific estimate:

Hydro-geological survey

Before providing you with a quote for the cost of drilling a borehole, Igne first needs to organise the hydro-geological survey for you.  Costs are dependent on the site and quantity of water required.

Drilling

The cost of a ground water well is based on a per meterage charge for drilling.  These costs are dependent upon:

diameter to be drilled
depth to be drilled to
ground conditions
Please contact us for a site specific quote.

Lining and packing the water well 

The charge per metre for the supply and installation of well screen, casing and glass/gravel filter pack is dependent on the diameter and specification of the final installation.  Materials can include PVC and stainless steel.

Well head

As a requirement of the private water supply regulations, a purpose built manhole chamber is installed over the head of the borehole.  This protects it and allows for access.  For a commercial water system the cost of a well head is typically £1250.

Pump system

The pump system is a critical component.  The cost of the submersible pump system and electrical controls depends on the well depth, flow and pressure requirements and how far water has to travel to reach the property. 

Mobilisation

The cost of moving drilling rigs, equipment, materials and personnel to and from the site depends on location and access.

Water analysis

A full chemical analysis of the available water is required.  The test costs vary depending on requirements and a full chemical (Suite B) water analysis certificate is provided for your reference.

Water treatment 

Is borehole water safe to drink in the UK?

As borehole water can sometimes contain dissolved minerals or contamination, Igne has water tested by an accredited laboratory that gives a detailed report of the water. Where necessary, the most appropriate and effective water treatment system will be recommended and installed by Igne.

Following water analysis, Igne will quote you for the cost of water treatment systems that you may need to meet current UK drinking water regulations.

To arrange a survey and a quote for the cost of a borehole for you home or business, get in touch today. 

As specialists in water well drilling, Igne will provide you with a clear breakdown of all costs to make it easy to understand. 

If you have any further questions whatsoever please get in touch and your call will be prioritised.