Wells… important stuff on an island… relatively limited aquifers, potential for salt water intrusion near shorelines, longer recharge times. And in our case, we will need to make a decision between installing a well or hooking up to city water lines that are available on two different sides of our property.

A geologist friend pointed me to this database of wells information: the Washington State Water Well Log Viewer that is maintained by the State of Washington Department of Ecology.

I was able to find well reports for some local properties, though it became apparent that the number of reports available in the database is certainly fewer than the actual number of wells in the area. Also, the well locations indicated on the map were only general approximations and required some plat map sleuthing to find the actual spots.

The reports contain details about well design and casings, as well as the specific soil strata found at different depths throughout the length of the well excavation.

Here’s an example for the parcel R132352904300 well report (154 foot well); this property is located about 0.6 miles southeast on Parker Road. Or a 1959 subdivision drilling report, 1989 report of a 184 foot well, 1997 report of a 100 foot well, and a 2007 decommissioning of a 1980 185 foot well.

All of this information can be used to create cost estimates based on approximate well depths in the area. More depth = more cost in drilling, casing, time, and materials costs.  So, budgeting for these depths can be helpful upfront. However, drilling into aquifers can be hit and miss by just 10 feet or such. Wells can vary in any area depending upon the underlying rock and soil strata plus the general flow of the aquifers.