You and Your Well

Have you ever wondered how your drinking water gets to the faucet?  If you live in the city, your water probably comes from a Municipal Wellfield.  Municipal wellfields contain one or more large wells which pump water from the aquifer and store it for use in your town.

Description of a well

If you live in the country, you probably have a small, private well which provides water for you and your family.  These wells are smaller than municipal
wells, but they do the same thing.  They pull water from the aquifer and store it for use in your house.  Click here to see a map of private wells in the Chippewa Falls area.

A typical drinking water well (shown above) is made by inserting a steel or plastic pipe, called the casing, into a hole that has been drilled down to the water table.  The space between the casing and the sides of the borehole are filled with cement or some other material to prevent surface water and contaminants from reaching the well.  Attached to the bottom of the casing is a length of screen which allows water to flow to the pump.  The pump transfers water through the drop pipe to the house.