On our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page, we hope to give you some of the answers to the most commonly asked questions regarding the technical aspects of hand drilling in water development. This page is in no way comprehensive. Your situation may vary greatly depending on the country and/or people group with which you work.
Please send us any information you think relevant to include on this page: info@edgeoutreach.com.
 

How do I know where to drill?
There are no guarantees of hitting water, and much of the drilling that occurs in the developing world is trial and error. Even with an experienced driller, there’s still no practical way of determining what’s actually under the ground once you choose a location and start drilling. However, there are things you can look for to increase your success. First, look at vegetation - is the area generally green, or barren? Next, ask if there are any wells in the area - if so, where and how deep are they? Also, look at the lay of the land - are you on a mountain, or in a valley? Finally, make sure you’re drilling uphill away from any latrines or waste runoff. Those are just a few of the specifics, but you should rely on the information given to you by the people living in the local area - they usually know where the water is. Personally, we like to drill under the shade of a big tree at high noon. No great mystery here - trees have to have water and they tend to seek it. We know that we only need about a 6 inch (15.2 cm) hole, so if we run into a root, we just move over 1 foot (.3048 m) - eventually, we’ll get through the root "fingers". True, the tree branches make pulling the rig in and out slightly more difficult, but by drilling in the shade at noon, we avoid blazing hot sun (and once the well is finished, the people don't have to stand in that blazing hot sun to get water, either).

Can people "dowse" for water?
We discourage the practice for several reasons. Dowsing (also known as “divining” or “water witching”) has little if any scientific basis, and is only about 30% accurate according to studies (better odds flipping a coin). Bad science, coupled with the fact that these terms carry strongly negative spiritual connotations, the practice is best left alone. There are many geologic and other indicators that can help direct you to potentially favorable sites.

How much water can a well produce (how many gallons per minute)?
The water production of a well depends on the volume and flow rate of the water table. This will vary from well to well, and typically increases with the diameter of the well casing (the tube that goes down the hole). The rate will also depend upon the person using the pump. At its greatest rate (for example, a healthy adult male pumping the well as fast as he can), a hand pump will pump about 5 gallons (18.9 L) of water per minute. This rate is typical for all hand pumps. As long as the water can keep up with the pace of the pump, you’ve established a good well. If you run into a slow recharge rate, and you don’t have enough water to pump, you may want to consider the lowest-tech approach, the BB-01 Bailer Bucket.

Is well water safe to drink?
The safety and quality of the water depends on where you drill. In most rural areas, well water is safe to drink as long as you’re careful to drill uphill from human or livestock sewage, and far enough away from a river to provide some degree of filtration. Typically, the local river is used for everything from bathing, to sewage treatment, to irrigation, to drinking - a deadly combination. Our view is that even if your well is not of the best quality, you can at least get the people to drink from a cleaner source than the river. If water quality does become an issue, you can use the EDGE OUTREACH M-100 Chlorine Generator to disinfect standing water. Remember, the water may be useful for other things besides drinking - such as irrigation, livestock, or washing. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gives the following helpful information on water quality and uses:

The earth’s crust is saturated with water, like a wet sponge. The surface of the earth is either wet (oceans, lakes, swamps) or dry (terra firma, dry land). On land, water exists at some depth below land surface, from 2 inches (south Louisiana) to 600 feet (Mojave desert). Water that exists beneath the land surface is called ground water. At some point below the surface, the pores of the rocks are completely saturated with water (the “water table”). A permeable layer whose pores are saturated with water is called an aquifer.
Water contains dissolved minerals, especially salt. The salinity of water is expressed as Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), measured as parts per million (ppm) or the equivalent milligrams per liter (mg/L). The salinity of drinking-quality water ranges from 0 to 3,000 mg/L TDS. Humans prefer water containing less than 500 mg/L, but many water supplies contain as much as 1,000 mg/L TDS. Water containing up to 3,000 mg/L can be consumed by livestock or used for crop irrigation. Because water that has a higher salinity than drinking water may be used for many other purposes (i.e., agricultural and industrial uses), we designate usable quality water as that containing from 3,000 to 10,000 mg/L TDS. Water containing in excess of 10,000 TDS is called brine, or simply salt water.

Ground water increases in salinity with depth. On the Gulf Coast, drinking water exists from 5 feet to about 1,500 feet below land surface, usable quality water from about 1,500 feet to about 3,500 feet, and brine at about 7,000 feet contains about the same salinity as sea water (about 26,000 mg/L TDS). Below 20,000 feet, the water can be ten times as saline as sea water (over 200,000 mg/L TDS). In the U.S., in the state of Texas, drinking water exists in the interval from 150 to 350 feet below ground surface, and usable quality water extends to only about 500 feet. The depth to the water table, ground water salinity profile, and depth to the base of usable quality water are unique to each geologic region.

What about salt water - how much salt is safe to drink?
The following (edited) information was given by the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board :
We need water to live, and we need salt to live, so why can’t we drink salt water? The answer is that we only need a small amount of salt to live. The recommended daily dose is around 500 mg/day – 1/4 of a teaspoonful. Salt is a chemical term for a substance produced by the reaction of an acid with a base - in this case, sodium and chlorine. Sodium chloride is essential for digestion and respiration. Without sodium, which the body can’t manufacture, the body would be unable to transport nutrients or oxygen, transmit nerve impulses, or move muscles, including the heart. But when we're talking about sea water, we're not just talking about common salt. Other compounds and elements and minerals called salts are found in ocean water, such as epsom salts, potassium salts, iodine salts, and so forth. The composition of ocean salt is very complex. According to the U.S. government, salinity is measured by the concentration of dissolved salts. That is, we take the amount (by weight) of the salt in water, expressed as "parts per million" (ppm). The government defines fresh water as having less than 1,000 ppm of dissolved salts - in other words, less than 0.1% of the weight of the water comes from dissolved salts. By contrast, human blood is around 0.9% salt, and about 0.25% of our total body weight is salt. On this scale, the ocean is classified as "highly saline" (over 1.0% dissolved salts). In fact, sea water is around 3.5% dissolved salts by weight. That's about three times as salty as human blood. That's way more salt than we can safely metabolize. Interestingly, the proportion of minerals and salts in human tissue is very similar to the composition of sea water. The adult human body contains enough salt to fill about three salt shakers, but the salt is constantly lost through bodily functions like sweating, crying, urinating, etc. It’s essential to replace this lost salt, but not to over-replace. We can't tolerate sea water consumption. Our cells and kidneys can't take it.

So, what happens if you drink sea water?
Take a lot of salt into your body and your metabolism very quickly goes into crisis. From every cell, water molecules rush off like so many voluntary firemen to try to dilute and carry off the sudden intake of salt. This leaves the cells dangerously short of the water they need to carry out their normal functions. They become, in a word, dehydrated. In extreme situations, dehydration will lead to seizures, unconsciousness, and brain damage. Meanwhile, the overworked blood cells carry the salt to the kidneys, which eventually become overwhelmed and shut down. Without functioning kidneys, we die. That’s why we don't drink seawater.

There have been significant efforts at desalinizing seawater. The cost is high, around five times the cost of processing water from normal supply sources. Technology is improving and costs are dropping, though, and there is even speculation that desalinization techniques could be used to bring water to irrigate the deserts of the Middle East.

How deep can the EXPLORER drill system go, and can it go through rock?
The EXPLORER (EXP-50) is designed to be used for shallow well drilling (up to 100 feet, 30.48 m, with the purchase of additional rods). As packaged, the EXP-50 will go down 50 feet (15.24 m). The system can go much deeper, but this distance was based on field reports and drilling logs from field workers around the world. We determined that in most of those wells, water was hit at far less than 50 feet (15.24 m). The EXP-50 can not go through solid rock. However, we do include a cracking bit that gives the EXP-50 some advantages over other systems with regards to drilling through difficult soils. The cracking bit can be used to break up compacted gravels, small rocks, and sandstone, making it more likely that you can keep drilling when you encounter these obstacles.

How many wells can I drill with the EXPLORER?
The EXPLORER (EXP-50) is manufactured to very high quality standards, and there are no engines or moving parts to break. If properly used and maintained, your EXP-50 system should last for an indefinite number of wells. We hope that you’ll only have to buy one EXP-50, but if a part does break, you can always purchase individual replacement parts directly from EDGE OUTREACH, or you can repair or replace the part in-country with local materials.

How long does it take to drill a well by hand?
This depends on what kind of soil you encounter while drilling. These are rough estimates, but if conditions are favorable, a comfortable drilling rate is about 10 feet (3.048 m) per hour for the first 20 feet (6.096 m), and between 5 feet (1.524 m) and 10 feet (3.048 m) per hour thereafter. In our experience, a typical 50 foot (15.24 m) well, drilling through average soil, takes a total of about 10-15 hours spanned over 2 days to complete. One great thing about hand drilling is that you only drill once for a completed hole (you don’t have to drill an exploratory pilot hole). Another advantage to hand drilling is that you always know when you hit water because it’s a dry drilling system (when the bit is wet, you're there). You won't waste time and effort drilling beyond where you need to drill. Although it’s possible to complete a well in 2 or 3 days, we suggest that you plan on drilling one well per week, as this will give you more time to build relationships (plus, you never know how difficult logistics can be in developing countries).

How many people does it take to drill a well by hand?
The EXPLORER (EXP-50) can be operated by one person, but we recommend that you have at least 2 people to drill. The ideal number on a drilling team is 4. This number allows you to share the workload, while providing enough people to interact with the people living in the local area. The big thing to remember is to include them in the drilling process. Not only does this give you extra help, it also gives them a sense of ownership for the well, and this is very important for the long-term. You’ll find that most of them are willing and eager to help, so don't hesitate to take them up on the offer.

How long does a well last?
Assuming that it doesn’t run dry from drought or other fluctuations in the water table, a well should last indefinitely. It’s a good idea to drill during the dry season to ensure the most viable well. The more common question is, “how long does a hand pump last?” Most hand pumps do run into mechanical problems in about 6 months, so it’s important to use a hand pump that the people living in the local area can repair for themselves. It’s also vital to train them in hand pump repair techniques, and it’s been proven by experience that they’ll be more likely to take ownership of the well and its maintenance if they had a hand in drilling the well. Click here for more info on our hand pump repair training.

most commonly asked questions regarding the technical aspects of drilling

In the developing world, the burden of collecting water falls specifically on women. The work is grueling and without reward. On average, women walk 6.5 miles to a water source. In countries in Africa, this average scales past 10 miles. Dry seasons increase mileage even more. The bodies of these women are broken from the endless task. There is no opportunity to rest or take days off; bone fractures and muscle tears are part of the job. Heavy water jugs are tied to their backs and balanced on their heads. Women often develop curvature of the spine along with a crushed or deformed pelvis. These conditions both create complications or even death in childbirth.

What makes matters worse? Fear. Women have to deal with the fear that water collection instills. The water the women collect keeps their families alive in the short run, but due to the bacteria in the water, it harms and potentially kills them in the long run. These women know they are feeding their families with disease. There is very little these women can control when taking care of the people they love.

The fear escalates past health most days, to general safety. Women become easy targets for rape and abuse on their journey to fetch water. They are completely vulnerable. No one will hear their call; no one will fight their fight.

Hope is hard to come by. These women are captured by this task and the only thing they can train their daughters to do is water fetching. Time is a scarce resource. There is no time for women to be educated, nor the money that education requires. Families must depend on the father for any income, and even that is not enough. Escaping poverty seems impossible. The fear that their children will have the same life as they have is daunting.

And so one thing holds them back from their true potential: Water.

In these countries, some mothers wait until their child’s 5th birthday to give them a name. To you, this seems absurd, but to a mother who has lost so many of her children to diseases caused by water; it is reality. Diarrhea, due to unsafe drinking water, is the second leading cause of death among children under the age of 5 in developing countries. According to UNICEF, a child dies every 15 seconds because of water borne illnesses.

Did you know that over 60% of the 113 million children NOT enrolled in school are GIRLS. Of the 113 million children currently not enrolled in school worldwide, 60% are girls. This is due largely to the fact that young girls are needed to help collect the family’s water supply. Without education, poverty escalates in generations to come. Even children enrolled in school have spotty attendance due to frequent illnesses. A lack of safe water also means that children cannot properly wash or care for common diseases like scabies and eye infections such as trachoma. The effects are blindness and a limited life.

With this much time and health stolen by water collection and illness, a child in the developing world has little time to just be a child.

What if:

• Women didn’t have to walk miles to obtain their families water?
• Women didn’t have to pass by 5 broken hand pumps to get to the one that was working?
• Women had clean water that actually healed their family’s ailments?
• Women could start a business to contribute to their family’s income?
• Women and children didn’t have to live in fear of being raped or abused?
• Children could be educated?
• Children weren’t destroying their bodies by the weight of carrying water.
• Children weren’t dying of diarrhea and other waterborne illnesses?
• Children had time to be children, to run, to play and to use their imagination?

What if YOU could be trained to teach and empower them to change the lives of their communities?

sustainable clean water training

Ordinary People can make a difference

Learn how to provide safe drinking water, repair hand pumps, teach health and hygiene.

Providing safe drinking water is a powerful way to help villages and communities around the world. Water training gives you the skills you can pass this along to others in the country in which you're working.

All of EDGE OUTREACH water training emphasizes hands-on project work as well as classroom instruction to equip you for work in the field.

• Water Training Classes - intensive multiple-day courses .

• Hand Pump Repair - year-round training in our indoor facility.

• On-demand training for your group or Individual (call 502-568-6342 for availability)

• Mobile Training - We bring the training to you! EDGE OUTREACH Mobile Water Training enables organizations to equip mission teams without time and cost required to send people to training.
  The mobile training will help up to 25 people at a time learn the basics of water ministry including water testing, mini-treatment plant assembly/operation and health/hygiene education. The 8-12 hour training will occur over a two-day period.

Trips in 2011 - (all trips are FULL)

Our dedicated staff and trained volunteers work directly with local communities to scope out exactly what water solutions are needed. We seek to empower local partners, not just serve “clients.”

We install portable, inexpensive, highly efficient water purification systems based on simple chlorine generators that run on a 12 volt battery and salt. We train local people selected by community organizations to install, operate, and maintain self-contained mini-water treatment plants (using optional reusable filters, PVC pipe, and storage tanks) that can generate up to 38,000 liters of drinkable water daily (enough for about 10,000 people). The by products manufactured in the water purification process can be used to disinfect medical equipment and kill mosquito larvae, reducing the risk of death from unsanitary conditions and malaria.

We continually seek to innovate and enhance our tools’ efficiency and effectiveness. Our latest R&D project involves the design of an efficient mini-water treatment plant coupled with a unique conversion kit that enables a hand pump to force water above its own level through one of our treatment systems and directly into storage.

A new product for transporting water is also under development, a “water ball” that can carry almost 100 liters of water in a sanitary, sturdy, plastic sphere that rolls on the ground like a wheelbarrow. It could transform the lives of rural women everywhere in the developing world.

We finance our operations and product development through private contributions and the support of generous benefactors. A large pool of committed and trained volunteers complement EDGE staff on missions abroad. Given the size of the problem – roughly a billion people worldwide lack access to reliable supplies of clean water – this is the most effective way for EDGE to enhance its development impact. You, too, can be a part by donating at the headquarter’s address below or online.

EDGE OUTREACH

1500 Arlington Ave.

Louisville, KY 40206

p. 502-568-6342

Over the course of ten years EDGE OUTREACH has helped people in more than 20 countries solve problems with unsafe drinking water (bacterial contamination) and community health. It has gained experience in a number of simple, appropriate technologies that help purify water. However, EDGE has found the process of working with communities is even more important than the technical solutions.

Appropriate water technologies

When a community decides it would like to address problems of waterborne disease EDGE helps them consider factors that lead to appropriate solutions, e.g. number of people that rely on the water source, daily water requirements, water source, presence/absence of electricity on the site, locations water needs to be dispensed.

While EDGE has found some technologies are more effective than others it does promote any 'one size fits all' solution to unsafe drinking water. There are two types of solutions it has found to be the most effective on a long-term basis:

Community Scale Solutions

Sites requiring several hundred to thousands of gallons of water/day usually need the higher throughput or capacity offered by community based solutions. EDGE has preferred solutions that chlorinate water as it is 100% effective in killing disease causing pathogens.

Among its most effective tools is a chlorine generator that uses ordinary salt (sodium chloride), and electrolysis that is powered by either 12-volt car battery or solar panel.

Point-of-Use (POU) Solutions

Point-of-use solutions are often used when lower throughput/capacity is needed. Among the solutions EDGE is helping communities use include reusable water filters and biosand filters.

The process of working with communities

Two words describe the essence of how EDGE works with communities to solve drinking water...and resulting health problems:  community led. The process EDGE has found that results in long-term, sustainable improvements in a community's drinking water and overall health includes...

 

• Relationship building
• Site assessment
• Community decision
• Project preparation
• Project implementation
• Health & hygiene education
• Ongoing follow-up