Have cabin also. Strong 100 gal/ minute tested last week. Too many opinions on configuration, submersible vs non, 2 pumps vs 1, 40 vs 160 grade PVC, 2" vs 3" to wetland- which requires 1800 ft of PVC- I think 1/2 hp for cabin submersible, and 2hp external irrigation pump the ticket. Talking to gentleman in AR that has configured 100's wells tomorrow- that will be opinion #4- but very credible one!

Brands I should consider also helpful- of pumps that is

Need to flood 5ac up to 30ac. Have water control structure.

Any thoughts appreciated!!!!

I'll play. I have experience doing this.

If the 100gal a minute is accurate, you can pump 24hrs a day for a week and it is just over a million gallons. Then you figure about 25% loss to saturation and evaporation and you are down to 750,000 gallons. That will cover a little over 2 acres 1' deep, an acre foot is roughly 325,000 gallons.

Your saturation and evaporation loss will probably be closer to 50% with the dry conditions we are in and low water tables.

I have pumped a 20 acre lake down 6' to keep a 1 1/2ac duck hole at a constant level of 18-24" deep.

We had a 6" well dug on the 20ac lake and it runs over 6300gpm and it takes a week to bring the lake up 1'.

Good luck, but I am afraid you will abandon this idea soon, this dry weather sucks.

Lucky!

David is correct. Its hard to pump enough water to matter and its gets really expensive in a hurry. Evaporation ranges from about 0.5 to 1 inch per day in North TX (more a function of wind and humidity than temperature). That equates to between 13,500-27,000 gallons per day per acre that has to be pumped just to overcome evaporation losses (±10-20 gpm). For a 5 acre pond, your entire pumped volume would likely go to evaporation and you would lose ground to absorption.

With your line being 1800' long; go with the 3 inch PVC. You will need a 15 HP pump for 100 gpm with a 2 inch line and only a 3 HP pump for 100 gpm with a 3 inch line (assuming no big hills to go over).

my place is 1/4 mile from Red River- typically get 55 inches yr.......my land is WRP land, floods very quickly , and is natural bottom land-

wasnt looking for opinion on if it will flood or not- 6800 GPM? looks like typo to me- Cost not an issue. Land was purchased for duck hunting. have water 80% of time

anyway, I have spoken to Well driller that is currently installing 150 Wells for DU in the mid west.

You can flood 5 Acre feet @ 50 Gal minute in 25 days- So yes, it can be done in any conditions- You do not lose 50% to evaporation- if that was the case, EVERY lake in TX would be a roadway.

DucksDiesel- your last comment was EXACTLY what I was looking for- there are irrigation engineers that can work the equation that will give you optimal output for the depth, width, and vertal distance that you need to pump water!

pump brands?

There's a lot of different pumps you can go with. PM me if you would like to look at pumps. I work for a pump distributor in Dallas and can sell you just about any brand you want and I'll help you size it also.

PM Sent- thx

At this rate ^^^^ of well installations by DU in the Midwest, you will not have to worry about pumping water on your place next to the Red since there will not be any ducks coming down.

However, the magazine has some really neat pictures.

heat plays big role in evaporation- Cedar Creek lake- which has had less than 3 inches of rain the last 2-3 months is only down 6-8 inches over that time period......we do lose 1/2 inch or so per day when its 100 degrees and real windy- but not in the winter time- were water demands are much less (pumping)

the wetland will be planted in summer- need to take water down in parts of it- gives me plenty of time @ 75-100 Gal/ minute to fill to 5-7 Acres+

Greek, I found these guys a while back.....Wind powered water......might give you more options on well locations....
http://www.ironmanwindmill.com/

If your hole is dry now, you pump it and let me know how full it stays. I have a 1 1/2 ac hole that had 30" of water in it a week before season opener, I pumped it, and it has 4" now.

The 6800gpm is not a typo, it is a 6" diameter 220v 75hp electric driven pump, It is used to irrigate 250 acres of coastal and keep our main lake full. I also have 2 JD 404 powered 6" pumps, Kubota powered 4" pump and 3 Honda powered portable pumps, pumped several million gallons of water in the last 2 yrs, keep 250 cows in water, and I can tell you evaporation isn't the big enemy now, saturation is.

You knock your lights out, believe what you want, pump it and get back with me.

If you knew so.much, why are you asking?

No, it's not dry. Just need more surface area. I was looking for some unbiased advice, that's all.


Are you always so angry?

Thanks, Lakeway

Beat me to it.... ya I have wells ranging from 900-2500gpm. And thats in the panhandle

If the op is interesed in knowing cost your looking at about 70-90k depending on depth.

You also dont want to know cost to run it is.

Oh if you do decide to drill a non commercial well....just go with the biggest pump you can put in it.

If you have access to 220v go with that over 110. If its a remote location make sure you have a generator big enough to run it.

I am not angry. You asked a question and didn't like the answer. I have pumped a fair amount of water, more the last 2 yrs, have a bit of experience at and a lot of disappointment. I have pumped water when the wetland was wet only to come back a week later to see 30" of water almost completely gone, pumped it and had it maintain for months with little loss. I have a 680 acre lease in Abilene, it has 2 lakes, one 20ac and one 15ac, I pumped 4' of water into the 15ac lake and it was gone and down to 2 small 1/4ac holes by the split.

If you want to think pumping water is all daisies and butterflies, go ahead, but when you are standing there with a disappointed heavy heart, don't say we didn't try to warn you and make you aware of how hard it really is.

Why do you think water is the next thing we will be fighting the gov't over, it is a hard asset to come by. It took me several $1000 and 3 yrs to get a permit to dig a well just to pump water on my own place.

Look, I hope you fill it up and it stays full, but I just don't see that happening unfortunately, as bad as I would like it.

What kind of pump are you running that's producing 6500gpm with only a 75hp E motor?

David certainly knows what he's talking about when it comes to pumping water.

However, I say give it a try anyways if you've got the money to spare. If it works, GREAT! If it doesn't, you probably learned something in the process that you can apply down the road and develop a better game plan. Keep us posted on your progress.

David, Your answer is unrelated to my question.

My question, again, was related to configuration, brand of pumps, etc.. These are shallow water wells, and you are typically looking at zero to 300gal/minute Max in the area. You rarely go beyond 60 feet.

I am not interested in "my well is bigger than your well" discussions, or, you are wasting your time and money discussions. There are 4 WRP properties and a larger DU project within 5 miles of me that have pumped water to supplement with the type of wells and capacity I am referring to.

I am simply gathering information to make an educated decision with what I have. 75% of the time, mother nature will take care of it. I have plenty of slope and thousands of acres that drain into my area- with water control.

I appreciate your expertise, and yes, I am aware it takes a sht load of water to create surface area a foot deep. In 100 degree weather, at 100gal/ minute, your are pissn in the wind

Boy, this was helpful

BOBO, well is there. 220v thx

Greek, good luck, hope you figure out the pump, but that isn't the only thing you need to know when pumping water.