[GribinIsaf]

After two months with hardly any rain I find myself beginning to fret about our water supply.  Our water comes from a bore hole and, unlike the wells some people round here have, there does not seem to be any way to monitor the water level.  I find myself wondering if one day it will just stop producing without any warning!

The supply was fine through the summer drought of 2018 but at this season young crops have been needing more irrigation.  Obviously we are conserving water wherever we can and are trying to use it sensibly.

I am not really asking a question - just wondering if anyone else feels like this!

[harmony]

My friend used to have a private supply that would have been fairly dry by now but then she went down the bore hole route and it hasn't dried up yet.  No quarantees but might may you less anxious. Friends will private supplies were getting low but the rain we have had topped them up even though it didn't seem much.

[GribinIsaf]

  No quarantees but might may you less anxious. Friends will private supplies were getting low but the rain we have had topped them up even though it didn't seem much.

Thank you, just a few words of reassurance is what I need, even if not based on much!

Doesn't do any harm to experience a smidgeon of the concerns that many people in the world have constantly.

[Fleecewife]

We have a private well (dug by hand, we think in the 1500s so it's not all that deep) and we know it can run dry.  We capture rainwater from various roofs into 4 x 1000 litre barrels, with a fifth we fill from the others, and that supply is normally sufficient for our livestock and polytunnel.  This year though during the drought, Mr F has twice left a tap running and has drained an entire barrel by mistake, which has left us potentially very short of water.  It takes a couple of days of good rain to refill the barrels from the roofs, but we are worried it will not rain here for a while yet.  In a real emergency we can use the well water for livestock and veggies, but only in small amounts, as if the well runs dry then we have no alternative water supply.  Our fish pond looks like pea and fish soup because the level is so low.
So yes Gribinslaf I fully sympathise with and share your concerns    - if only!


(cross posted with your reply to harmony - sorry to be negative)

[GribinIsaf]

This year though during the drought, Mr F has twice left a tap running and has drained an entire barrel by mistake, which has left us potentially very short of water.

At the suggestion of Mrs GI ( ) we have a lanyard by each outside water outlet with a sign that says "Water On!" Turn on tap, wear lanyard...

[harmony]

(cross posted with your reply to harmony - sorry to be negative)

Not all negative - we need water too! 

[oor wullie]

Here 2018 was the driest summer since the mid 70s (according to local old people) and, although it is really dry just now it is early in the summer so we have a bit to go before things get like 2018.  If you survived 2018 then it would have to be really bad to be drier than that. We have rain forecast in the next week so here is hoping that it actually comes.

Its been an interesting couple of years, 2018 - driest for 40 years, 2019 - floods (locally) that were bigger than anything for 40 years, 2020...........

[sabrina]

We too are worried and doing our best to collect water any time it does rain so I can water the veg plot. Rain due today thank goodness as the ground is so dry. We have a fair amount of trees and lost a few in 2018 when it was so dry.

[Terry T]

I keep an eye on ground and river water levels using the hydrological outlook uk reports.
https://www.hydoutuk.net/latest-outlook/

For May groundwater levels are normal so there shouldn’t be any need to worry.

[GribinIsaf]

I keep an eye on ground and river water levels using the hydrological outlook uk reports.
https://www.hydoutuk.net/latest-outlook/

Ah - thank you Terry - that is just the sort of thing I was looking for.  It was the mystery of not knowing what is happening under then ground that was frustrating me.

And it rained yesterday!