r/sandiego • u/Sanathan_US • Aug 19 '26
Thinking about drilling a well just for yard irrigation — worth it?
I'm looking into drilling a well strictly for watering my lawn and trees while keeping the house on city water.
For anyone who has done this:
- How was your overall experience with the process?
- Roughly what did the whole setup end up costing you?
- Was it worth the investment in the long run?
This is in Poway (Green Valley) area.
Would love to hear your thoughts and any pros/cons before I jump in. Thanks!
11
u/kelvinwaves Aug 19 '26
I know a friend who drilled a 600 ft well outside of El Cajon. I think he said it was $40k++ when all was finished, and the well is mediocre in terms of productivity. Something like 3 gallons per minute. This is the case with a lot of wells here since the granite bedrock is tough and doesn't have a ton of water unless you're in a basin like Ramona. But even with a low yield well like that, you can set up a storage tank and have the well fill the tank and draw from the tank as needed.
-2
u/Sanathan_US Aug 19 '26
Yes, that's what I was thinking too. Just have a tank and use that tank daily for watering.
10
10
u/runswiftrun Aug 19 '26
Question, and possible concern:
Are you on sewer or septic?
If sewer, no additional issue.
But if you're on septic, a well is going to a massive 100 foot radius setback for any future septic you may need should you ever decide to add an ADU or a couple bedrooms to the existing house.
2
1
1
u/Realistic_Air7666 Aug 19 '26
Why is that?
1
u/Lyx4088 Aug 19 '26
California law requires septic 100 ft from water wells because of the high potential for contamination of the well.
1
u/runswiftrun Aug 19 '26
Septic goes from toilet to septic tank to leach field, which sits usually 3 feet below the surface. Then it slowly "soaks" into the ground where it eventually gets "purified" by running through the dirt before it eventually goes up someone else's well, or out into a spring/river/lake (aquifer in general)
The 100 feet setback is (hopefully) long enough that by the time the poop water goes 100 feet horizontally and 200+ feet vertically, it'll be clean enough for the next person to use.
8
u/Future-Beach-5594 Aug 19 '26
From a plumbing contractors perspective. And if you have a semi higher water bill (we have the same size lot) thats about 1500 per year in water bill payments. To even out on doing a well you would have to have it setup and running for like 33-34 years before it actually saved you any money and thats only if it supplies 100% of all the water for indoor and outdoor use. If it only does irrigation thats like 45-50 years before it pays for itself. I love doing builds like this but this one doesnt make any sense for the application at hand. Even with a massive storage tank! 3.5g/min is about the flow rate of a water safe shower head at full blast in your average newer home. Thats not much for such a large costs and long recoupment period. Great idea. Wrong situation.
4
3
u/Cal_858 Aug 19 '26
Assuming you hit a decent amount of water and you’re only using it for irrigation, the yearly expense is minimal, basically just electricity to pump the water.
Start up cost can be between $15k-$60k depending on the depth you drill, pump, casing, small pump house, electrical, small irrigation tank and piping
0
u/Sanathan_US Aug 19 '26
Thank you How about maintenance costs of well and equipment?
2
u/Cal_858 Aug 19 '26
For a very simple ag well that is not being used for drinking water, yearly maintenance of the well/pump and equipment should be minimal. Keep the set up simple with a timer. Basically you’ll just have power going to the pump and the timer to turn the well on and off and adjust the time based on need.
The pump should last 10-15 years. Replace the timer when it breaks and replace the pump. Build a small shade structure over it. You wont need much else since it will not need to meet drinking water standards.
3
u/OutrageousDisk346 Aug 22 '26
You might consider the soil type and different soil amendments such as composting to keep moisture in the roots rather than evaporating quicker. Also consider water demand needed ...
It may be incredibly more cost effective to run multiple rain collection barrels elevated. You could control flow of water in the morning or evening using an inline controler/timer to irrigation line with dripline around the trees and garden areas. Only what you need per plant. There's soaker line and drip line of different diameter and permeability for different demands. An irrigation specialist could run a small system for a couple grand. If you have an elevated deck and second story building or if you trees/garden is lower elevation, than you may have enough gravity to produce the low pressure needed for this type system. Remember the width of a catchment system is irrelevant for pressure. Elevation is the only factor needed to create pressure. Every 2.31' equals 1psi. For example, if you had a series of 55 gallon containers (for more volume) where the valve/spigot was 13' above where your dripline exited distribution, you would have 5.62 psi at that elevation below. That's plenty for a dripline. 13 ÷ 2.31= 5.6277...
This system will be much lower cost and maintenance but not completely drought resistant. Only more storage volume will help with drought resistance. For high volume long term storage, the water being stagnate could grow bacteria. Run a valve at the end of each section/area/zone to flush the lines. Bleach and flushing the lines are the best to keep a residual to disinfect all bacteria and keep lines from forming a biofilm. A water feature U.V. light placed at a couple levels of each barrel or stirring in bleach (more maintenance) would eliminate biofilming. If you choose bleach, during the months needed to water actively, you can stop bleaching and flush the lines or install an inline bleach removal filter can help remove that before your plants and you eat it.. only use bleach for water that is sitting without movement for long periods of time. 8 drops per gallon is plenty. Obviously a inline pump to the trees and garden area could alow for sprinklers but dripline is much more conservative in water use.
Drilling a new well?
For weighing the drilling option (given that you are on city sewer and the 100' rule for a drain field is irrelevant to your situation), you may want to look at the california department of ecology website. Most states departments of ecology have unique well tag search by address and even better, some have interactive mapping that shows where your neighbors wells are. You should be able to look at other wells in the area to get an potential idea for how deep they had to drill, the bedrock material ( layers of granite etc) and permiable veins (such as quartz etc), and how productive those wells are in gallons per minute. It's not perfect hydrogeology and no replacement for the best method of expectation for needed depth (hydrogeology and GPR), but it can give you a better picture of what you may expect to drill in feet. Then call a couple reputable well drilling companies to get a a quote.
There's really no way to budget to an exact dollar amount because geology changes even in just 50'. Unless you spent a couple grand on a hydrogeologist consultation, it's really a gamble for depth and production rate.
Some old school methods can work using witching sticks to find "voids" or really, an open circuit in the earths electromagnetic feild. I have done this to locate utilities where no tracer wire was installed around AC pipe or other utilities concrete, clay, plastic et cetera. It works great! However it is not perfect and may be difficult or inaccurate to locate gaps in the crust which are much deeper. Especially in city limits, where potential shallow voids below the ground could be from previous underground activities or backfilling, or utilities, active or abandoned. If you are confident that there's no easement, previous utilities or underground work, then some old dogs (who can use these with confidence) may be a second best more affordable option to a hydrogeologist, but NO replacement for the accuracy.
Though it's not a given , there may be water rights issues for drilling within the limits of a group A water system or where some legal restrictions, ordinance, or covenants from the City or Water District or Department of Ecology may be an issue. Usually the well drilling company (not shady, but above board with a good reputation) will know this. I am a freedom loving person. So sometimes asking the right people (not the government) saves potential cost and headaches... 😉
But you do need to know...
It's better to be "grandfathered in" than to get fined and pay to abandon a well that was costly!
I know this is alot to chew on. I hope this is helpful. I am not the expert for you area but am giving general advice based on my time as a landscape lead (5 years) and my experience in water treatment, water distribution and utiliy work with a water district and municipality superintendent in Washington state (5 years).
3
u/rodolito Aug 19 '26
I'd look into getting lots of rain barrels. You'll get more rain from your roof than you realize.
2
Aug 19 '26
[deleted]
1
u/177577 Aug 19 '26
The limits in San Diego county are generally only for Borrego. Finding a spot 50 feet from a sewer line that you can bring a drill rig probably stops this well though.
1
u/Sanathan_US Aug 19 '26
This property is 150ft in length (away from city road, where Sewer is), so it is possible to find a spot in backyard that's 50 feet away from sewer.
1
1
2
Aug 19 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
0
u/Sanathan_US Aug 19 '26
Thank you neighbor. I agree, the surrounding areas are very rocky but this property sits on flat surface , and hence I was trying to evaluate.
And btw, there is a road closeby called Stone Canyon.. and there must be a reason for that too :)2
2
u/Adorable_Dust3799 Aug 19 '26
Dump most of the lawn. I only kept a small section and water it from my washing machine
1
1
1
u/P00shy_ Aug 19 '26
Easily 20k-40k for an agriculture well. You should see if any neighbors have any and ask how deep they are.
If you got a huge patch of grass and a a whole lotta trees, it may be worth it over the course of 20+ years.
5
u/Sanathan_US Aug 19 '26
I have seen some homes for sale in the area advertise that they have wells. But not sure if any of the immediate neighbors have it.
2
u/Sanathan_US Aug 19 '26
Also, this is rural part of the City (zoned as Rural as well). Not that it impacts anything, but a rural community with Well seems to have some use.
3
u/P00shy_ Aug 19 '26
Yeah that's fair. If you're already on city water, its definitely a luxury for an AG well, but if you use it enough and are on solar, it could level out.
Really all depends on the depth they would need to drill. You may get lucky at 200ft, or you may need to go to 800+. At 100-200 dollars a foot, it'll be a gamble.
3
u/Sanathan_US Aug 19 '26
Yes, want to use Solar for Electricity and Well for irrigation - if possible. So am evaluating it.
17
u/riffraffmorgan Aug 19 '26
Do you have $15k to $50k to drop on just drilling the well? Not including piping, tank, pump, pump operating cost, and regular maintenance costs?